Table of contents for January 2016 in Windows Help & Advice

From games and movies to music and web browsing, your home PC is capable of being the go-to place for all your entertainment needs. Of course, you’ll need a few add-ons to get the perfect media PC and, this issue, we’ll show you how to do everyday tasks such as playing video and music, watching TV over the internet and streaming media around your home. We also take a look at 32 essential apps for Windows 10. Then, following on from that, over in the Update section, we gaze upon Microsoft’s amazing new Surface Book, the first tablet that can truly replace a PC. It won’t be available in the UK for a while, but we’ve managed to get our hands on one from the US. Microsoft stepping into making…

VR:GO Chair Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down, right? I see where you’re coming from. This chair works on a similar principle to the popular kids toys of the 1970s, allowing the user to sit down and wobble around, hopefully without falling over. In fact, the creators even cite Weebles’s weighted design as a key influence. It doesn’t look all that comfortable. What’s the point of it? Well, this is the clever bit – it’s actually a controller for video games. It’s made from fibreglass, and it’s packed with sensors to pick up movement and connect it to your games console or PC. Think of it like sitting on a giant joystick, moving your hips forwards, backwards and side-to-side to control the in-game character. But I already have a…

Last year, Microsoft entered the wearables sector with its Band wearable. It sat on the fence between smartwatch and fitness tracker, with alerts and apps from your smartphone on top of its Fitbit-like form, and its analysis of your exercise levels. It also added more ingredients to the wearable recipe – a heart-rate monitor and UV light sensor mixed with the usual gubbins for connection and communication. However, some reviewers were less happy about Microsoft’s approach to the smartwatch, with its form factor attracting the most flak. Its narrow design meant that it didn’t sit on the wrist like a normal smartwatch, but at the same time it had to be thick and chunky to contain all its components. Which brings us to Microsoft’s Band 2. This tracker sits more…

Download subtitles for your digital media – load the file, choose ‘View > Download Subtitles’, select your file, then click ‘Download selection’ to download it to the same folder as the file. Once done, select it from the ‘Subtitle > Sub Track’ menu. You can customise the font, size, colour, outline and position of your subtitles – select ‘Tools > Preferences > Subtitles / OSD’ to find the controls you need. Click ‘Save’. If you need to, tweak the subtitles sync via ‘Subtitle track synchronization’ under ‘Tools > Track Synchronization.…

1 Select media folder Open Kodi, select ‘Videos’ and click ‘Files’. Click ‘Add videos…’ followed by ‘Browse’. Locate and select the folder containing your first media library and click ‘OK’. Enter a suitably descriptive name for the source and click ‘OK’ to continue. 2 Set media type Click the down arrow next to the (None) entry under ‘This directory contains’ to choose the video content type: music video, TV shows or movies. Verify the desired ‘scraper’ is selected and click ‘Settings’ if you need to tweak the scraper’s options. 3 Add library Click ‘OK’ followed by ‘Yes’ to refresh the content and wait for Kodi to scan the folder and assign the relevant information and artwork to it from the selected scraper. Once done, use the navigation controls to browse…

1 Browse channels Once the NextPVR add-on is enabled and running, you’ll see two new entries in the main Kodi menu: ‘Radio’ and ‘TV’. Roll the mouse over ‘TV’ to view available options – start by selecting ‘Channels’ to browse by channel. 2 Preview channels All channels are listed on the left with the current programme listed beneath each – scroll down to browse more. To preview a channel, click it to view its stream. If you’d like to watch it, click the screen again. 3 Playback controls The programme will now display full-screen. Click again on the picture to reveal information about the programme as well as access playback controls – use the pause button to pause a programme, then play to resume it. 4 View guide and record…

Now you’ve set up access to free-to-air channels, how about doing the same for your subscription services? If you have Netflix, for example, you can install the app through the Microsoft Store and access your content through that, or try installing the NetflixXBMC add-in from the SuperRepo Category Video repository to access it through Kodi. Now TV users will also find an official app exists in the Microsoft Store – note that installing this will use up one of your four allocated devices, so bear this in mind if you access it through other devices too. However, if you’re using Amazon Prime, then your options are sadly limited.…

1 Configure Kodi First, navigate to ‘System > Settings > Services > Web server’ and enable ‘Allow remote control via HTTP’. Enter a username and password for security reasons – you’ll need this later to set up the connection with your mobile. 2 More settings Now switch to the ‘Remote control’ section and enable both ‘Allow remote control…’ settings. Finally, if you have iTunes installed on your PC, then switch to ‘Zeroconf’ and enable ‘Announce services to other systems’. 3 Obtain app Android users should search Google Play for ‘Kore’, while iPhone and iPad users should search the App Store for ‘Kodi Remote’. Download the official app to your phone or tablet, then launch it. 4 Quick connection If you have iTunes installed and enabled the Zeroconf settings in step…

Your guide Tim Hardwick says… The Taskbar is almost always on your screen – set it to work your way, and improve efficiency At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 To many users’ delight, Windows 10 marked the return of the Start menu, but it would be a shame to overlook other improvements Microsoft has made to the Taskbar. Big features like the new Task View tool and Cortana voice assistant have made headlines, but there’s plenty more flexibility tucked away at the bottom of your screen, which you might be missing. If you’re new to Windows, you may not be aware of the handy Jump List feature for example. Right-click the Windows Explorer icon and…

Your guide Graham Barlow says… “Put all your interests into one good-looking digital publication with Flipboard” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8. Windows 7 When you’re online, information is everywhere: in blogs and in your Facebook feed, in online magazines and in links on Twitter. That’s great, but it can be hard to keep on top of it all. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if you could put all of your different sources of interesting articles together, organise them by subject and make them all look the same? That’s what Flipboard does. It pulls all your interests into one place and applies a simple, readable design to them all, and that makes it one of our favourite ways…

Your guide Cat Ellis says… “This fun and powerful app is easier to use than most music-making software” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 There are lots and lots of music-making apps on Windows, but many of them can be a bit off-putting if you’ve never used one before: all those tiny buttons and faders and switches can make music-making seem awfully difficult. Windows embracing touch controls has changed that: we’ve seen new, touch-friendly music apps that are really simple to use whether you’re using your fingers or a keyboard and mouse. Stagelight is one of those apps. It’s simple enough for absolute beginners but contains enough power to keep the pros happy too. It…

Many PC owners won’t necessarily need to ever update their RAM. But if one day you decide to, you might understandably make the assumption that adding faster and larger amounts of memory will allow your games and other applications to run faster. However, perhaps surprisingly, that’s not always the case. And that’s exactly what we’re looking in to here. The memory landscape Computer memory is divided into two main types: DDR3 and DDR4. The former is older, having debuted back in 2007, while the latter only hit the mainstream recently, with Intel’s X99 platform in 2014. They both work using the same principle: flash chips store data that the computer needs immediately, but it’s lost when it’s no longer useful or your PC is turned off. It’s governed by several…

Unlike previous versions of Windows, all the updates to Windows 10 are delivered over the internet. While this is obviously not going to be good news for people who can’t get broadband, it’s good news for the rest of us, as it means that we can be sure our systems are bang up to date. You can tell Windows how you’d like it to deliver updates using the new Settings app that you can access from the Start menu. Here’s how to get started.…

Your guide Zak Storey says… “Now you’ve finally got Windows 10 installed, it’s time to find out what it has to offer” Now you’ve got Windows 10 installed, up and running, it’s time to see how the new system works. There’s a new Start menu for you to explore and some exciting new features. For example, 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…

Podcasts have become an important part of the internet’s landscape. If YouTube’s taken over from television, podcasts are the equivalent of radio. There are many millions of them on just about every subject you can think of, and podcast producers range from rank amateurs to professional media personalities, including comedian Ricky Gervais and film director Kevin Smith. The best things about podcasts are that they’re frequently updated, and you can take them offline, so you simply need an MP3 player or smartphone to listen to them. They’re a great way to be entertained while you’re doing chores such as the washing up, or to stick on your hi-fi when you want to relax, or to broaden your knowledge of a particular subject. There are a couple of good places to…

Windows 7 Reliability Monitor Windows 7 is a reliable operating system, but it can still have a few problems, which can be hard to nail down. Windows in-built Reliability Monitor is an at-a-glance guide to system errors, and it lets you know what’s gone wrong and when. To run it, click the Start button, then type perfmon /rel and press [Enter]. You’ll now see a table that details failures and warnings and information, such as new program installation. The blue line across the top scores your system’s reliability at the time out of 10. To attempt to solve any issues automatically, click ‘Check for solutions to all problems,’ at the bottom of the screen. Windows 8 Reading View It’s almost impossible to read anything on the internet without being distracted…

1 Which tech company has provided gadgets for Daniel Craig’s James Bond films? A. Sony B. Apple C. Aiwa 2 Twitter has changed its ‘favourite’ icon from a star to what? A. A heart B. A bird C. A smiley face 3 Microsoft closed its Zune service – but what kind of content did it specialise in? A. Games B. Music C. Films 4 Which company’s processors are named ‘Core’? A. AMD B. Amstrad C. Intel 5 Classic PC game Sensible Soccer is to be remade. But what will it be called? A. Sick Soccer B. Silly Soccer C. Sociable Soccer 6 Which actress played Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft on the big screen? A: Keira Knightley B: Angelina Jolie C: Judi Dench…

1 Improve picture quality Once DVD playback starts, you may experience an unwanted effect called “combing” – this is down to how TV and film are recorded digitally. To resolve this, select ‘Video > Deinterlace > Automatic’, which should help mitigate the effect. 2 Pick the deinterlace mode The default ‘blend’ option struggles with fast action, so try another via ‘Video > Deinterlace Mode: Linear or Bob’, or ‘Yadif (2x)’ if you have a multi-core CPU or high-end graphics card. Try ‘Film NTSC (IVTC)’ with Region 1 DVDs. 3 Audio adjustments Select ‘Tools > Effects and Filters’. Use ‘Audio Effects’ to alter the sound – use the graphic equaliser tab to alter bass, treble and midranges, the compressor to reduce or amplify volume and the spatialiser to change physicality. 4…

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 share several ways to get the most from Windows 10. Tim shows how to make the Taskbar work your way, while I show you around Task View for smarter working and Nick sets up family safety. There’s never been a better time to see how your PC can make your life easier! graham.barlow@futurenet.com Your guideNick Peers says…“Switch between virtual desktops for the first time in Windows”Turn to page 34 for more…

Your guide Graham Barlow says… “Add multiple desktops and move between apps with Windows 10’s switcher tool” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Task View is one of the key new features within Windows 10, helping you to switch between apps and, for the first time in Windows, virtual desktops. Virtual desktops enable you to have completely different workspaces for different types of apps. So, for example, you might have one desktop for your email and instant messaging at work and another for Office apps, enabling you to get things done without interruption from your email. Task View is also the place in Windows 10 that you go to switch between apps. If you’ve heard…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Whether it’s work or play, keep your busy life under control with this brilliant free planning tool” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 8 Life gets busier and busier, doesn’t it? Thankfully, Wunderlist is on hand to keep you on top of your workload and home life. It’s a free planning tool, which is equally at home with simple tasks such as remembering to buy milk as it is with big projects combining multiple steps and involving different people. Thanks to its clever mix of folder, lists and to-do items, it’s easy to stay on top of everything, as each part has its own deadline, notes and subtasks. You can keep…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Make sure your younger family members stay safe when they’re online, even if you don’t have time to watch them every second of the day” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 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 – as we’re adding younger family members, click the ‘Add a family…

Here at Windows Help & Advice we shamelessly use our new year’s work resolutions as an excuse to buy new hardware too! However, if last year was anything to go by, it’s likely the gadgets will last a lot longer than our resolutions… Still, it’s meant we’ve had fun testing the new Microsoft Surface Book with its ingenious “dynamic fulcrum” hinge, the Toshiba Satellite Radius 15 with its impressive 4K screen and we’ve also put the HP Envy 5540 All-in-One printer through its paces. And we’ve kept the festive season party vibe going with the amazing Sonos Play:5. Until next time!…

Your guide Zak Storey says… “Simply tap on the Store icon located on the Taskbar – you can then browse, install and update apps on your Windows 10 PC or tablet” Step-by-step Around the Windows Store 1 Browse apps The front of the Store is designed to bring more relevant and popular apps and games to your attention. The first screen shows various picks and suggestions for great apps, along with category shortcuts, but you can scroll down to reveal the top apps in different categories, including free (always a winner), new and rising apps. Keep scrolling to access games. 3 Installing a new app Select an app to view its details and install it. You’re rewarded with larger screenshots and easier access to ratings and reviews (just scroll down).…

You can subscribe to podcasts in lots of music programs, such as Google Play Music, Spotify and iTunes. However, here we’ll show you how to use gPodder, which is simple and lightweight, and a great way to subscribe to podcasts to play back in your music player of choice. To get started, visit gpodder.org and choose ‘Installer for XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10’. Install the program, and add the Python extras when asked. Next, open your web browser.…

Corpseburg corpseburg.com Fans of TV show The Walking Dead and videogame Fallout will find a lot to love in Corpseburg. It’s a zombie survival game in which the undead walk the earth, but medicine and food are scarce. It’s up to you to find places to loot and seek shelter in, while avoiding or dispatching the hungry hordes. But there’s a neat twist – this is all happening in your town. Cleverly, Corpseburg integrates with Google Maps to provide its battleground. Once you’ve entered your location, you can explore a zombiefied facsimile of it. There’s something eerie about barricading yourself in your local McDonald’s, or stumbling across a nest of zombies in Primark. It’s a little rough around the edges at the moment, and slightly buggy, but you’ll see the…

You can watch live TV through VLC Media Player too. Once your digital tuner is installed, visit http://ukfree.tv/maps/freeview to select your local transmitter and make a note of the frequencies. Choose ‘Media > Open Capture Device’ in VLC. Select ‘TV – digital’ under ‘Capture mode’, select ‘DVB-T’ for ‘Delivery system’ and enter the frequency of the mux (multiplex) containing your target TV channel. Click ‘Play’ and after a short pause you should hear a radio channel or see a TV channel. Open the ‘Playback > Programme’ menu and you’ll have a list of available channels on that mux. Once done, choose ‘Media > Save Playlist’.…

1 Locate add-on Open Kodi and go to ‘System > Settings > Add-ons’. Select ‘Install from repository’, choose ‘Video add-ons’ and scroll down to ‘iPlayer WWW’. Select it and click ‘Install’, then wait for the add-on to download and install automatically. 2 Access iPlayer You can watch live and on-demand TV from the BBC through Kodi by navigating to ‘Videos > Add-ons > iPlayer WWW’. Use the various categories to browse for content, or choose ‘Watch Live’ to view a live broadcast. 3 Configure add-on Go to ‘System > Settings > Add-Ons’ and locate the add-on under ‘My add-ons > Video add-ons’. Click ‘iPlayer WWW’ entry and choose ‘Configure’ to enable subtitles and signed and audio-described programmes.…

Kodi is the perfect media centre for standalone PCs, but while its media server capabilities are adequate, it’s still limited. You can’t, for example, convert video formats on the fly. Neither can you stream content from Kodi to your TV by way of an intermediary device like the Chromecast. Two alternatives to Kodi are Plex (www.plex.tv) and Emby (https://emby.media). Both focus more on the media server side of things, making them better options for making your media accessible from any device or PC. Unlike Kodi, you can access media from outside your local network. Plex and Emby offer slick interfaces for creating, managing and sharing media. If you’re not bothered about watching/recording live TV, Plex produces more native apps for smart TVs and other platforms. But if you’d like 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 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 programs with our…

Your guide Nick Peers says… “Duolingo helps you learn languages in time for your next trip abroad… absolutely free!” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Why spend money learning a foreign language when your Windows 10 PC can teach you for free? Duolingo is a brilliant app that offers up to 12 different European languages – including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Irish (Gaelic) and even Esperanto. There’s no cost, and there are no annoying ads either, so how does Duolingo pay for itself? Simple, you effectively fund your learning by helping the developers translate documents into different languages as you learn. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to start learning your new language using…

Your guide Cat Ellis says… “Discover how you can craft an Oscar-worthy miniature film – using your own photographs” At a glance Skill level… Anyone can do it Straightforward Tricky in parts Suitable for… Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Time-lapse photography – a sequence of photos shot at regular intervals over a period of seconds, minutes, hours or even days – can be incredibly powerful. A sunset, the opening of a flower or the passage of stars across the night sky can be condensed into a few moments of video. Done well, the effects are breathtaking – and it’s much easier than it might seem! You can create a simple time-lapse video using Microsoft’s Windows Movie Maker (WMM), but Time-Lapse Tool (www.timelapsetool.com) is a free program created specifically for…

Our tests have examined the effect of different memory on high-end machines, but if you’re putting together a budget PC, then different considerations should come to the fore at checkout time. For starters, don’t splash out on an expensive, fast memory kit if you’re going to be constructing a PC built around one of Intel’s Haswell-based Celeron or Pentium chips, as most of these only support DDR3 that runs at 1,333MHz. That’s slow enough to cause a performance hit in many tests, but on a low-end PC, it’s unlikely you’ll be running the sort of applications that’ll suffer with lesser speeds. AMD’s APUs are more accepting to faster memory, but you’ll still need to pay attention to speeds. A couple of its cheapest parts only handle 1,333MHz or 1,600MHz DDR3,…

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,…

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 upgrade to Windows 10, as well as a short tutorial showing how it works and what you need to do first. And don’t forget to let us know how you’re getting on! Email us on windowsmagazine@futurenet.com.…