Windows10 to Change How Windows Works Needn’T Feel for Its Lowest Price Ever: Just £8.51

WINDOWS 10’s HIDDEN RECOVERY TOOLS

Issue 382 Rescue your PC – the ONLY way to prevent disaster p56 £2GREAT VALUE 21 October - 3 November 2015 / Best software / New apps / Experttips

The 27 best Windows Registry tweaks – see p38 Stop Windows restarting your PC Get back old tools you loved Disable pointless & annoying alerts Change Microsoft’s dodgy defaults Uninstall junk fi les completely only £2.00 PLUS 22 more hacks… p38 PLUS Block iPad Switch On or Off? Learn The Insider & iPhone Ads The crucial decision that will Tricks Hackers Use Unbanned by Apple – stop your devices dying p48 And stop them infecting your PC your must-use apps p44 Our revolutionary NEW Web Hosting platform

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Don’t fear the Registry!

lot of advice about using a PC falls the best Registry hacks to customise, under the banner of common sense; enhance and speed up Windows, without Afor example, don’t take it in the bath causing irreversible damage to your PC. with you, don’t fashion it into an eccentric On the subject of Windows, I’d like to bonnet and never, ever start fiddling about thank the thousands of readers who have with the Registry. Why? Because you’ll mess bought our new book The Definitive Guide up your PC forever, you silly person! to Windows 10. It quickly sold out on However, like a lot of received wisdom, Amazon, but has now been reprinted and this isn’t quite true. Tweaking your Registry is available from bit.ly/guidetowindows10 to change how Windows works needn’t feel for its lowest price ever: just £8.51. like playing Russian roulette with your PC. In fact, there are lots of benefits – provided Robert Irvine you know what you’re doing. In this issue’s [email protected] cover feature (page 38), we round up 27 of #webuser

ISSUE 382 21 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2015 ON THE COVER Things you’ll 5 learn this issue

How to switch from the Flash p56 1 version of BBC iPlayer to HTML5 page 7

How to watch YouTube 2 videos from wherever you p38 are on the web page 31

How to password-protect 3 the messages you send using WhatsApp page 34

How to create your own 4 online quiz to share with friends and family page 57

How to get 50 per cent off 5 your first year’s subscription p46 to Office365 page 69

p44 Subscribe to p48 Web User! Never miss another issue – subscribe at dennismags.co.uk/ webuser Average sales, Jan-Dec 2014, 29,057 copies per issue

Share your knowledge at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 3 FREE IR -REPA PC T! TOOLKI Contents SU BSSCRICRIPTPTIIOONNSS Turnto page62for specialsubsoffers ISSUE 382 21 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2015

COVER FEATURE HackYour OwnPC! The best Registry tweaks to customise and enhance Windows p38

Apple iPad Mini 4 review p20

Turn the tables on the hackers p46

INND DEPTHEPTH ArticlesArticl on theth latest tech h topipics REVIEREVIEWS Apps, sites and products on test

36 FAQ 14 Best New Websites Google’s new products We review the best new and relaunched sites 38 COVER FEATURE 20 Product Test HACK YOUR OWN PC • Apple iPad Mini 4 Customise, enhance and speed up Windows • Synology RT1900ac router 44 iOS 9 ad blockers 26 Best Free Software The best content fi lters for Apple devices This fortnight’s most useful free downloads 46 Boost security with hacker tools 30 Best New Browser Tools Protect yourself from cybercriminals Get more from Chrome, Firefox and Edge 48 Power on or power off? 32 Best Free Apps The pros and cons of shutting down devices Our favourite new phone and tablet apps

4 21 October - 3 November 2015 Contents

www.webuser.co.uk www.facebook.com/webusermagazine www.twitter.com/webusermagazine

FAVOURITES Must-read regulars EDITORIAL Group Editor Daniel Booth DeputyEditor Robert Irvine Technical & Reviews Editor Andy Shaw 6 What’s New Online Barry exposes the Staff Writer Edward Munn 10 brilliant things to do on the web Art Editor Laurence Hallam bandwidth thieves p74 Production Editor Miki Berenyi Editorial Tel: 020 7907 6000 Visit forum.webuser.co.uk 8 Need to Know for technical and buying advice This fortnight’s top tech news stories ADVERTISING Tel: 020 7907 6799 Advertising Director Andrea Mason 12 Stay Safe Online Group Advertising Manager Charlotte Milligan Security advice for PC and mobile Deputy Advertising Manager Alexa Dracos Senior Sales Executive Lucy-Jane Walker ADVERTISING PRODUCTION 18 Build a Better Site Group Production Manager Expert tips, tools and practical help Stephen Catherall, 020 7907 6054 Production Executive Maisie Harvey, 020 7907 6042 MARKETING 24 Best Buys Senior Direct Marketing Executive Rachel Evans Our pick of the best new products Subscriptions Manager Sarah Aldridge Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills MANAGEMENT 50 Broadband Deals 71 Inbox Tel: 020 7907 6000 Find the best-value package for you Tell us your views and opinions Group Managing Director Ian Westwood Managing Director John Garewal Deputy Managing Director Tim Danton 51 Take a Screen Break 74 Page 404 MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans Commercial and Retail Director David Barker Gadget word search and TV emoji Updates that hog your broadband COO Brett Reynolds Group Finance Director Ian Leggett Chief Executive James Tye Company Founder Felix Dennis pages16 SYNDICATION Syndication Senior Manager Anj Dosaj-Halai Tel: +44 (0)20 7907 6132 Practical Email: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL LICENSING Workshops, tips, projects and problem solving Web User is available for licensing overseas. Licensing & Syndication Assistant Nicole Adams Tel: +44 (0)20 7907 6134 Email: [email protected] 52 Workshop 1 LICENSING, REPRINTS, EPRINTS Get personalised news Wright’s Media: 0800 051 8327 (Toll Free) Paint.net updates p54 SUBSCRIPTIONS Tel: 0844 322 1289 Email: [email protected] 54 Workshop 2 You can manage your existing subscription through TaskPipes www.subsinfo.co.uk. This should be your fi rst port of call if you have any queries about your subscription. Fax: 01795 414555. A subscription to Web User for one 56 Workshop 3 year costs £52 for UK subscribers, £90 for Europe and £146 for the rest of the world. Call 0844 322 1289 to get Use Windows 10’s hidden recovery the next issue, delivered free to your door. tools PRINTING Printed by Polestar Bicester, Oxon 57 Workshop 4 Distributors Seymour 020 7396 4000 PERMISSIONS Create an online quiz Material may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. Please address such requests to: John Garewal, Dennis Publishing, 58 Weekend Project 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD Build your own cloud storage How to set up your own LIABILITY While every care was taken preparing this magazine, cloud storage p58 the publishers cannot be held responsible for the 64 Web User’s Top Tips accuracy of the information or any consequence Advanced tips for CCleaner arising from it. All judgments are based on equipment available to Web User at the time of review. ‘Value for money’ comments are based on UK prices at time of review. Web User takes no responsibility for the 66 Ask the Expert content of external websites whose addresses are All your technical questions answered published in the magazine. © Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited. Web User is a 68 Readers’ Tips trademark of Felix Dennis. The best tips from our readers A DENNIS PUBLICATION Web User is published fortnightly by Dennis Publishing Ltd, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD. Company registered in England. Material may not 70 Readers’ Helpdesk be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of Answers from our reader forums the publishers. ISSN 1473-7094

Subscribe to Web User at www.dennismags.co.uk/webuser 21 October - 3 November 2015 5 What’s New Online

Journey through history on Wikipedia timeline

panning a mere 14 billion years, starting with the Big Bang, this S is one of the most ambitious timelines we’ve ever seen. It is a ‘histography’ that condenses the 37,453,032 pages on Wikipedia (according to its own Statistics page: bit.ly/stats382) into an interactive chronology of everything important that has ever happened. Each event is represented by a dot which opens into a photo when you hover your mouse other. New events will continue to be over it. Click it and you see a added in the future because the link to the relevant Wikipedia timeline has been set to automatically page, plus videos and related events. inventions, literature, natural history, scan Wikipedia for new pages. Click To browse all this content, move the empires and war. the link below to start exploring, and slider at the bottom of the page, or It’s all beautifully done. The dots fly also check out Wikipedia’s list of its go straight to a historical era via the across the screen as you move back own timelines (bit.ly/timelines382, menu that pops up. There’s also a list and forth through time, and sound like see screen grab, left). of categories on the right, including ball bearings rattling against each histography.io

Read Harry Potter on Control one million Apple iBooks particles on your PC www.apple.com/uk/ibooks bit.ly/particles382 Like most things in the world of Harry Potter, books have The people behind fantastical properties that bring them to life. Some of this Chrome Experiments magic has been brought to the real world with the release of love big numbers. “enhanced” versions of all seven books. They feature In Issue 381, we interactive animations and annotations from JK Rowling, reccomended one plus new covers and specially designed fonts. Just as that places 300,000 magical, perhaps, is that for the first time they are now bouncing bunnies on available digitally outside of JK Rowling’s Pottermore your PC (bit.ly/ website. Each book costs £6.99 on Apple iBooks and can be bunny381). In this downloaded to iPhone, iPad, iPodTouch and Mac. See our issue, we can raise that review of the relaunched Pottermore website on page 16. number to seven figures with the ‘Maximum One Million’ experiment, which lets you control a million particles on your screen, making it resemble swirling interference on a TV. Move your cursor and click the buttons at the bottom to create some superb effects. To hit the million-particle target, you have to open the control menu at the top right, then slide the ‘numLevel’ to 10. In the menu, you can also tweak the speed and size of the particles. You’ll feel like God seconds after the Big Bang. It’s the work of Japanese web developer Yuichiroh Arai, who has created other mesmerising experiments comprising flashing triangles, rippling spheres and fluorescent tadpoles. See them all on his website: bit.ly/arai382.

6 21 October - 3 November 2015 What’s New Online

We highlight 10 of the most amazing and amusing things you can do on the web this fortnight

Watch BBC iPlayer without Flash 5 TO FOLLOW ON TWITTER www.bbc.co.uk/html5 The BBC has joined YouTube, Firefox, @Vicky_McClure Apple and Amazon in the war against Find out what the Nottingham-born Flash. It has launched a beta version of actress does after This Is England the iPlayer that uses HTML5 to show video, replacing Adobe’s beleaguered @RoyalNavy plugin. To use it, visit the web address Photos from air-sea rescue above, then click ‘Opt in to the HTML5 operations and on board the Player’ at the top right. Navy’s ships

@Wileyfox Updates on the new British- Browse NASA’s designed phone, which runs the Moon missions Android-based Cyanogen OS @MeCookieMonster photo archive Philosophical thoughts on the delights of cookies, straight from bit.ly/nasa382 Sesame Street The photo of Neil Armstrong below is one of around 13,000 images on the @UKVolkswagen new Project Apollo Archive Flickr Statements and information on the Apple Maps gets page, which captures NASA’s Moon emissions scandal from VW UK missions in remarkable detail. The more 3D fl yovers team behind the project spent 11 years digitising the photos in high resolution, mapsconnect.apple.com and the collection includes every Use the Skype Translator Apple Maps has one superb feature photo ever taken on the Moon. Equally bit.ly/skype382 you won’t find in Google’s more interesting are the photos of Skype’s Translator tool has come popular rival: 3D flyovers of cities and astronauts coping with cramped out of beta, and now works in landmarks. More locations have just conditions as they journey to and from Windows 7, 8 and 10, translating been added, including Florence, their lunar destination. your voice as you speak to and from Australia’s Gold Coast and English, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany German and Italian. (pictured, above). The website Apple Insider lists all the new locations at bit .ly/flyover382, while Apple’s ‘iOS 9 Doodle on your Facebook Feature Availability’ page displays photos every flyover location (bit.ly/ www.facebook.com/mobile maps382). The UK is well represented, Facebook now lets you annotate with London, Hull, Glasgow, photos you upload using its iOS and Manchester and Birmingham all Android apps, an option previously included in the list. available only on its Messenger app (en-gb.messenger.com). Click edit to start drawing, using the colour Watch 24 hours of fl ights worldwide slider on the right.

3d.luciad.com Back up WhatsApp chats Taking its data from the magnificent www.whatsapp.com FlightRadar (www.flightradar24.com), If you use WhatsApp, you may now the LuciadRIA Air Traffic Analysis map be able to set it to automatically stunningly visualises every global flight back up your chats, photos and that took place in the 24 hours between videos in Google Drive. The option is January 13 and 14, 2015. Use the ‘filter’ being gradually added to accounts box at the bottom to zoom into airports “over the next few months”. and show flights of specific airlines.

Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 7 Need to Know EU court ends ‘safe harbour’ for US tech firms

What happened? How will it affect you? A European court ruled that The end of Safe Harbour a data-sharing agreement doesn’t mean that Google between the EU and US is and Facebook will suddenly invalid because of American stop working across mass surveillance. The Europe. It simply means European Court of Justice they need to store data (ECJ) has ended so-called locally or get permission to ‘Safe Harbour’, a policy that hold it in the US. Exactly allowed data on European what will happen has yet to citizens to be held in the US. be decided but, either way, A legal challenge brought these problems shouldn’t by Austrian law student Max affect the service you Schrems against Facebook receive. Smaller companies questioned whether that operate on both sides European data was really of the Atlantic may find it secure in the US, particularly more difficult to continue following Edward Snowden’s offering their services, but revelations about mass surveillance by questioned the need for the pact. most will simply have to buy some the NSA (National Security Agency). On the tech front, the TPP sets new space in a local data centre. The court agreed, meaning the 4,000 rules about intellectual property and In the longer term, we may end up or so US firms that hold the data of EU copyright, which includes provisions for with a new Safe Harbour agreement; citizens on American soil will no longer rights holders to contact ISPs about indeed, one has been in the works for be able to do so. Either a new legal piracy on their networks and have them two years now. This ruling might give framework must be created to allow pass on warnings to customers. They European negotiators more leverage European data to be held in the US, or won’t be able to get the identity of the but, again, it’s unlikely to be noticed by companies such as Facebook and pirate without a court order, which is web users. Google will need to set up local data how the process currently stands in the While services won’t be affected, the centres in Europe. UK. Another provision bans member end goal is to ensure that US spies don’t The move comes as the much countries, which do not currently automatically have access to our data criticised Trans-Pacific Partnership include the UK, from the very data- because we use American services. Of (TPP) has been signed by 12 countries. localisation laws that have been course, this doesn’t stop our own This secretive trade agreement has introduced in Europe following the end government snooping on our personal been both praised and slammed by of Safe Harbour. This means that US information and communications. everyone from activists to political tech firms, such as Google, will be able leaders – including US presidential to store data from Japan or Chile What do we think? candidate Hillary Clinton, who (because both are TPP members) in If nothing else, this is a sharp rebuke to America, but can only store American authorities, hopefully European data on the continent. reminding them that they don’t own the It’s harder to say what effect web or have the right to snoop on the TPP will have on Europe online. citizens of other countries. It’s also In some ways, it will create a a positive sign that one person can counterweight to the EU, but influence how the web is run. there’s another deal in the works Most of us think we have little say in – called, confusingly, TTIP how the web works, but Max Schrems (Transatlantic Trade and has proved this wrong. The Austrian law Investment Partnership)– that student has not only helped fell Safe aims to link the US and the EU. Harbour, but previously pressured The digital side of this pact has Facebook into behaving more carefully delayed the agreement, because with our data. He’s an inspiration to The end of Safe Harbour means US firms can no the EU is much stricter than the anyone who thinks the web can and longer store our personal data in the US US about web regulations. should be a better place.

8 21 October - 3 November 2015 Need to Know

What we think of this fortnight’s top tech news stories and rumours, and how they affect you

Mozilla drops plugins Second Stagefright from Firefox bug hits Android

What happened? What happened? manufacturers will be Mozilla announced that it Google issued an patched, but Google will soon stop supporting emergency update for managed to work with all plugins for its Android to fight back handset makers to patch Firefox browser – against Stagefright 2, the first Stagefright, so it except, somewhat another bug in its mobile should be able to find a surprisingly, operating system that way with the second Adobe’s Flash. could leave as many as a version. While that plugin billion users vulnerable to As always, think twice is one of the most security threats. before clicking unknown troublesome for Earlier this year, Android links and keep your phone security and was revealed to have a backed up to make sure stability, it’s still serious flaw – dubbed your data is stored safely one of the most Stagefright – that meant elsewhere, in case your widely used. Mozilla hackers could infect phone is attacked. confirmed it will phones with malware via work with Adobe text message, then spy on What do we think? to boost the stability, you using your microphone Such flaws are alarming, performance and update their sites. or camera. Up to a billion but it’s worth noting that security of Flash. However, because websites people who use Android just because a vulnerability In contrast, Mozilla said evolve at different rates, 2.2 and above were theoretically affects a the features offered by you might find that a few potentially vulnerable, until billion people, it doesn’t other plugins – such as older, smaller sites struggle the bug was patched by mean that number of users video, gaming support and to display certain types of Google and handset is actively being attacked. advanced graphics – are content, such as streaming manufacturers. Make sure you update your now available via native video, if it requires a The new version of phone when a fix is made web APIs, which means specific plugin. Stagefright affects all available, and exert the they no longer need Support issues aside, the versions of Android, and usual caution online – plugins to work. For change you’re most likely the attacker doesn’t even good security practice is example, a website can to notice is that your need your phone number necessary at all times, not embed videos so you can browser is working faster to send you a text to just when a big flaw hits play them without needing and crashing less exploit the security hole. the headlines. to have a specific plugin frequently, leaving fewer With Stagefright 2, the installed. Mozilla added potential holes open for flaw is in how Android that plugins slow down hackers to gain access to processes video and audio browsers, cause crashes your computer. files, such as MP3s and and pose a security risk. MP4s. This means that you The upcoming 64-bit What do we think? could fall victim to an version of Firefox for This is a wise move from attack simply by Windows will launch Mozilla, and it’s especially visiting a website without plugin support. good to give web that runs an developers a year’s notice, infected video How will it affect you? so they have time to or audio file. This move has been a long update their sites to more time coming, and Mozilla is modern ways of showing How will it following the lead set by video and other interactive affect you? Google and Microsoft with content. We look forward Google is working their Chrome and Edge to our browsing being a bit on a security update, browsers. Plugin support smoother, faster and more which should roll out to won’t finish until the end of secure. We can’t think of Nexus devices first. It’s 2016, so there’s still time any plugins we’ll unclear how or when for web publishers to particularly miss. phones from other

Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 9 Need to Know Windows 10 coming to phones in December

What happened? new mobile OS – and that’s Microsoft revealed that Windows 10 if your phone supports it at won’t be coming to pre-existing all. As we reported in Issue Windows phones until December. 379 (bit.ly/webuser379), According to a post on Facebook, the the Windows 10 update “broad availability of Windows 10 on requires at least 8GB of other devices, including mobile phones, internal storage, which will begin rolling out in December”. rules out lower-end If you don’t want to wait until then, Windows 8.1 handsets such the quickest way to get Windows 10 on as the Nokia Lumia 530. a smartphone is to buy one of When you do get the Microsoft’s new Lumia 950 or 950XL update, you’ll be able to phones, both of which are set to launch enjoy the redesigned during November. They have 5.2in and Windows 10 interface, 5.7in screens respectively, and both universal apps that work in offer 20-megapixel cameras, 3GB of both the Desktop and RAM and 32GB of storage. mobile versions of the OS The Lumia phones will be the first and a redesigned action devices to get the new Windows 10 centre with more easily Continuum feature, which lets your accessible settings. phone divide its processing power to If you just can’t wait run a Windows 10 Desktop on an another six weeks or so for external monitor. This means you can the upgrade, you’ll be able connect your phone to a dock with a to buy the Lumia 950 (for keyboard, mouse and screen plugged in, £450) or 950XL (for £550) and use it like a proper PC. However, sooner, though an exact UK this feature requires new processing release date had yet to be Hopefully, the delay is down to hardware to work effectively, so not all confirmed at the time of going to press. Microsoft ironing out bugs in the phones upgrading to Windows 10 will software, although this hasn’t affected be able to run it. What do we think? the launch of the Lumia 950 and 950XL. With iOS 9 and Android 6 already We’re pleased that improvements to How will it affect you? available, Microsoft needs to get a move the OS make it easier to use the same If you have a Windows 8.1 phone, you’ll on with releasing Windows 10 for tools on your phone and PC, something have to wait slightly longer than mobile. After all, the Desktop version that wasn’t implemented as well as it expected to get the free upgrade to the has been available since the end of July. could have been in Windows 8.

FIRST LOOK

Amazon Fire performs well. The Fire tablet produced both maximum brightness and colour bit.ly/fire382 a pitiful score of 283 in the Peacemaker coverage. It’s remarkable, given the benchmark – only a quarter of the figure sub-£50 price tag, that the Fire tablet At £49.99, the Amazon Fire is the achieved by the Tesco Hudl 2. This has front and rear cameras but, again, lowest priced tablet we’ve ever seen translates to choppy scrolling in these were underwhelming, with the from a major brand. Amazon’s Silk web rear camera only capable of taking Surprisingly, it doesn’t browser, particularly on grainy, washed-out images with its look that cheap when media-heavy web pages. 2-megapixel sensor. you first get your hands The Fire’s single- and Following the release of Android on it; it’s a bit chunky multi-core Geekbench Lollipop, Amazon’s Fire OS has and heavy compared to results were also among improved a little, with a more familiar other 7in tablets, but we the lowest of any device app-based grid on the home screen prefer its matt-black we’ve tested this year and replacing the old carousel. But there’s finish to the glossy even simple jobs such as still no access to the Google Play casing of the more opening apps or returning store, so you’ll have to do without expensive Amazon Fire to the home screen often Gmail, YouTube and Chrome, among HD 10. took several seconds. many other apps. The device also has The screen was never Although Amazon deserves credit a 1.3GHz quad-core going to be brilliant on for producing such a low-cost tablet, processor under the such a cheap device, so it we’d strongly encourage you to spend hood but, sadly, that was no surprise that the another £50 on the Tesco Hudl 2, doesn’t mean it Fire scored poorly for which is better in almost every way.

10 21 October - 3 November 2015 Need to Know

WHAT’S THE RUMOUR WEBOMETER Is the iPhone 6S WE LI KE... cheating users out Twitter lets users upload videos from the web of battery life? For the first time, Twitter users can now upload videos via the web It’s been reported that Apple’s powerful as well as its mobile new iPhone 6 is leading a double life, apps. The social where some users have more battery network is also life than others. Apple has two adding a GIF manufacturers supplying the A9 chip at generator and will the heart of the iPhone 6S – Samsung allow Periscope streams to play and TSMC – and certain tests suggest in your timeline. that the chips behave very differently. Although they give similar power and New emoji coming in performance, the TSMC A9 is said to 2016 offer around two hours more battery life The Unicode Consortium in than the Samsung chip. California has Apple has sourced components from published a list two different manufacturers before, of 67 emoji but this is the first time there’s been based on the benchmark figures? candidates, which such a noticeable difference in battery Worse still, prospective iPhone 6S include a rhino, performance. Interestingly, Apple buyers may decide not to buy the a salad and a clown admits there’s a disparity between the device at all if they know it contains face, to be chips but denies the extent of the the more power-hungry Samsung considered for discrepancy. In a statement released to processor. addition to the tech news site Ars Technica (bit.ly/ current crop in June 2016. arstechnica382), Apple claimed that the LIKELIHOOD RATING two chips offer similar battery life – DON’T LIKE... “within 2% to 3% of each other”. It ✓✓✓✓✓ WE argued that the tests that found From bodies that bend to dodgy Facebook pays less tax otherwise “are not representative of antennae, iPhones always come than you do real-world usage, since they spend an under close scrutiny from users, Facebook paid only £4,327 in unrealistic amount of time at the highest so Apple should have anticipated corporation tax in CPU performance state”. that the battery life discrepancy 2014 – less than the Even with a small 2% or 3% variation, would be uncovered. But with amount paid on the however, Apple may have entered a the iPhone 6S experiencing average UK salary. grey area in retail law. What’s to stop record sales, we doubt that In the same year, customers trading in their Samsung- Apple particularly cares. the company equipped iPhone 6S for a TSMC one, recorded a pre-tax loss of £28.5 million, but also paid its UK employees bonuses What’s new on Kickstarter averaging £96,000 each. Our favourite new project on the crowdfunding site Police report increase in drone-related incidents Weigh-to-Fly Police figures have shown an bit.ly/weigh382 | From £50 enormous rise in drone- Arriving at the airport to find your suitcase exceeds the related baggage allowance is one way to get any holiday off to a incidents over stressful start. Weigh-to-Fly helps you avoid this problem by calculating the the last year, exact weight of your luggage, without any heavy lifting required. Simply lock with most your case to its frame, start packing and use the free companion app to monitor complaints the weight on your phone as you add and remove items. The frame doubles up relating to as a clothes hanger and alerts you if you leave your luggage behind. The team is unwanted surveillance or hoping to raise £50,000 by 11 November. harassment.

Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 11 Stay Safe Online News about the latest threats and advice from security experts

SECURITY ALERT! | What’s been bothering us this fortnight

Ad blockers dropped they’ll address Apple’s concerns and Android malware gives by Apple release a revised version of Been Choice. hackers root access Following the bit.ly/adblockers382 A new variety of malware introduction of that’s currently spreading iOS 9, users of Microsoft web apps ‘reveal internationally gives Apple’s mobile user IDs’ hackers root access to operating Although Microsoft’s web Android devices, according system have been able to stop apps use a secure HTTPS to security researchers at FireEye. The adverts loading in Safari by using connection when you log adware, known as Kemoge, disguises ad-blocking apps (we’ve reviewed into your account, itself as popular Android apps and is the best ones on page 44). However, a numerical identifier of your account is downloaded from third-party app some of the apps that appeared in shown in plain text in the host-name part stores when unsuspecting users click the wake of the update have since of the URL, according to a Beijing-based or tap links on websites and in in-app been removed from the iOS App blogger. This 16-character identifier, ads. Once opened, Kemoge collects Store by Apple due to security known as a CID, is visible to anyone who a range of user information, including concerns. The ad blockers in question can monitor your DNS web traffic or who your IMEI number (which identifies not only removed ads from Safari but can see your web-traffic log. Indeed, it’s your phone), and uploads it to also stopped them from appearing in there to see in any URL that you share a remote ad server. Your device is apps such as Facebook and Pinterest from OneDrive. Although nobody can log then bombarded with invasive ads by using a VPN to filter promotional into your account using your user ID and pop-ups. More worryingly, the app content. One of these apps, Been alone, it can give someone access to can also enable hackers to ‘root’ your Choice, has defended its behaviour, information including your profile phone, giving them full access to it and stating that only ad and tracker traffic picture, real name and the date that you allowing them to make unauthorised was routed via its servers. However, set up your account. changes to how it works. the app’s developers have also said bit.ly/microsoft382 bit.ly/kemoge382

Security Helpdesk | Your questions answered by security specialists

THIS ISSUE’S EXPERT: Generally, security installing software – are often The rogue program, Steve Bell, A software collects extremely difficult to named XcodeGhost, Security Expert information from understand and shrouded in disguises itself as Apple’s at BullGuard users for one simple reason: legal jargon. More often than genuine Xcode software. It (www.bullguard.com) to track malware and help to not, they contain reference to can trick developers who improve security. It reports some form of tracking. want to use Xcode into on and identifies malware downloading the trends. This is enormously Should iPhone and counterfeit version, and helpful in mapping trends, Q iPad users in the has been discovered in which in turn provides more UK be worried legitimate apps. Following information that security about the hack that It was a clever hack in Q the recent vendors can use as infected apps with that it attempted to lure revelations ammunition to protect their malware in the Chinese legitimate developers into about AVG’s new customers from the latest iOS App Store? using the rogue code. UK privacy policy (bit.ly threats. Max Butler, Facebook users needn’t worry too /avgprivacy382), why As for tracking, which much about this specific does security software means gathering information This hack was hack, but it does send out need to track its users? to sell to advertisers, many A significant in that it a general warning that the Doesn’t this make it as companies already do this. was one of only iOS App Store can be bad as the threats it’s The dense pages of terms a few instances where the compromised and that protecting against? and conditions – the ‘small Apple app store has been other attackers may copy Ryan Andrews, via email print’ you’ll often see before successfully hacked. the approach.

12 21 October - 3 November 2015 Email us your security questions at [email protected] BUY NOW FROM AMAZON at bit.ly/ webusercd 2014 BACK ISSUES DISC ✗

The 2014 Back Issues Disc contains all 27 issues from last year, plus 6 free issues from January-March 2015! Perfect, all the old mags in a simple-to-find order Peter Brown ★★★★★ Great stuff, now I can clear my stack of old mags without loss of info Colinz ★★★★★ Lots of interesting articles and tips Bill Daniels 1973 ★★★★★ Easy to navigate around and clears so much shelf space JK ★★★★ ON SALE Now only £11.41* NOW! From bit.ly/webusercd *at time of press Best New Websites

Site of the Fortnight FITNESS Get advice LIFESTYLE NEW on topics ranging from Coach exercise to arm wrestling www.coachmag.co.uk

Instead of becoming a calorie-obsessed bore, make yourself happier and healthier with the help of this blokey site, where the emphasis isn’t on tyrannical workouts but on having fun while getting fit. It combines articles from the new, free weekly magazine with exclusive web content to create a lively, knowledgeable source of inspiration and motivation. Coach covers topics as diverse as choosing running shoes, winning arm-wrestling matches and mixing the perfect margarita, with plenty of videos and interviews to support its expert advice. The site’s smart, colourful design ENTERTAINMENT is complemented by its fun, friendly tone. Coach combines fun web articles with tips from the free magazine Our rating ★★★★★

RELAUNCH FOOD Great Bakes www.greatbakes.co.uk If the Great British Bake Off has whetted your appetite for home baking, but your RELAUNCH own efforts are mostly burnt offerings, TECHNOLOGY you can buy some delicious treats from DinoPC this relaunched site. These include its flagship Stickyjacks – “an outrageous www.dinopc.com combination of sticky caramel, dark “Wow” was our first reaction to this revamped website for the custom PC store, which chocolate and buttery flapjack” – and oozes class and is a massive improvement on the cramped old design. Huge photos four different types of chocolate of desktop and laptop computers dominate the layout, and DinoPC’s new logo and brownie. All the cakes are sold in tins of slogan (“engineered for the extreme”) do a fine job of promoting its wares. It’s now 12 pieces, with free delivery within the much easier to browse the gaming and multimedia machines – with scary names such UK. We like the site’s personal approach as Mayhem, Carnivore and Rage – and compare their specs, performance and price. and mouthwatering photos, but we’re There’s also a section highlighting DinoPC’s latest deals though, sadly, the Support not sure why the online store section is area wasn’t live when we visited. Still, it’s a T rex of a site and very impressive. separate from the product pages.

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

14 21 October - 3 November 2015 Reviews by Robert Irvine Best New Websites

We review this fortnight’s best new and relaunched websites and rate them for content, design and features

SOCIAL Coach has a lively presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

FREE MAG Find out where to get your copy of the latest issue of Coach

RELAUNCH NEW NEW CURRENT AFFAIRS BOATING NEWS The Spectator Zizoo Upvoted new.spectator.co.uk www.zizoo.com upvoted.com It may be the oldest continuously This useful site (named after the film The In Issue 379 (bit.ly/webuser379), we published magazine in the English Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) lets you called Reddit “a hotbed of obnoxious and language, but the Spectator now has a find and book sailing holidays in more offensive views”, but this spin-off hopes fresh, modern website that belies its 187 than 30 countries worldwide. Select a to redress such criticisms. Upvoted years. The pared-down design ditches destination and boat type – such as selects the best original articles, photos, superfluous categories and features such catamaran or motorboat – and Zizoo will videos and podcasts posted on “the as the keyword cloud in favour of a return matching results complete with front page of the internet”, and presents cleaner look that seamlessly blends details of size, home port, cabins and them in a less scrappy manner, with extra photos, illustrations and opinion, along price. Additional info covers aspects such research from the team. The big with the inevitable arguments in the as whether the boat needs a skipper, the difference is that users can’t comment on comments sections. We like the subtle deposit amount and the onboard articles, so there should be no Reddit- but effective colour-coding throughout equipment. Booking online couldn’t be style unpleasantness. Nor – despite the the site and, even if you don’t agree with easier and you get a full refund if you site’s name – can they ‘upvote’ items to the politics, you have to admire the cancel within five days. It’s a simple and give them more prominence; but there quality and quantity of free content. flexible route to life on the ocean waves. will be lots of ‘sponsored content’. Boo!

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

Tell us about your website via [email protected] 21 October - 3 November 2015 15 Best New Websites

RELAUNCH RELAUNCH NEW NEWS PRIVACY SPACE The Independent Apple Privacy Principia Mission www.independent.co.uk bit.ly/privacy382 principia.org.uk The revamped site for The Independent Apple doesn’t get as much stick as This site offers the opportunity to follow ticks all the right boxes for a modern Google and Microsoft about privacy, but the first UK astronaut in space for more news source: it’s image-led rather than it still felt obliged to update the Privacy than 20 years on his journey to the text-based, works perfectly on any section of its website to explain what it International Space Station. Major Tim device and has lots of space for ads and does with your data – and why. The main Peake will be embarking on the six- sponsored articles. Although it lacks the page covers everything from encryption month Principia mission in December, character of sister site i100 (i100.co.uk), in Apple Pay and iCloud to the benefits of and there’s already lots to explore here, the homepage is packed with content letting Siri and Apple Music get to know including details of the experiments he’ll and beautifully organised to make it easy you and your tastes. Apple’s assurances be conducting aboard the ISS. You can to browse. The fresh, attractive design is that it doesn’t mine, sell or compromise also watch Tim speaking to enhanced by well-chosen photos that your data are more convincing than schoolchildren about the mission. A blog only load as you reach them, to keep you Microsoft’s, and its clarifications are and social-media accounts will be scrolling smoothly. It’s a shame category welcome, if slightly defensive. There’s also charting his progress, so you’ll be able to tags aren’t colour-coded for at-a-glance a useful section about managing your tweet him in space and view his videos reference, but otherwise this is a stylish privacy settings and details of Apple’s on YouTube. It’s a fascinating project that way to dip into the day’s news. response to government data requests. makes marvellous use of the web.

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

RELAUNCH TRAVEL Aer Lingus new.aerlingus.com The Irish airline that isn’t Ryanair has overhauled its online hub to excellent effect. Much less cramped and garish, the RELAUNCH smart new design is simple to navigate, BOOKS with essential options such as Manage Pottermore Trip and Check In prominently displayed above the flight-search box. Other info is www.pottermore.com now tucked away in swish drop-down The official Harry Potter hub has been transformed from an online community of menus rather than lumped at the bottom wannabe wizards into a cross between a Potter encyclopedia, news feed and of the page. A handy new feature saves Buzzfeed-style blog. The latter offers articles such as ‘The 10 scariest Harry Potter your searches for future reference, and villains’, but it’s missed a trick by not letting fans comment on them. The standard is you can quickly switch between deals on high throughout, from the marvellous new design and seamless blend of content hotels, holidays and car hire. Also, unlike from the books and films, to the magic search facility, which conjures up instant many revamps, the improvements have results, and JK Rowling’s exclusive writing contributions. However, we wish they’d been applied throughout the site and not hurry up and add the feature that tells you what your Patronus is – we need to know! just to the homepage.

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

16 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best New Websites

NEW FOOD McDonald’s Good to Know www.mcdonalds.co.uk/good-to- know RELAUNCH TRANSPORT Are Chicken McNuggets made from Great Western Railway chicken? It might sound like a clucking www.gwr.com stupid question but this site hopes to scotch the rumours that they actually It’s goodbye (some would say good riddance) to First Great Western and hello to contain beef or “pink goop”. It cheerfully Great Western Railway (GWR), and the rebranded rail network has relaunched its describes how McDonald’s products are website accordingly. The result is impressively slick and speedy, with a much- made, using videos from its Good to improved ticket-booking facility that provides an ‘accessible booking’ option to make Know YouTube channel in which the process even easier. You can check your journey and view live departures and youngsters go behind the scenes at the arrivals directly from the homepage – there was a “generally good service” when we chain’s farms and butchers (conveniently visited – and we like that customer-service links such as ‘refunds and compensation’ skipping the abattoir!). It’s not a bad are now instantly accessible. With its smart design and passenger-led approach, the promotional effort, but you might want GWR site looks very promising – let’s hope its trains prove as fast and reliable! to take it with a pinch of salt!

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

+ALSO NEW WEBSITE BUSINESS MONEY SECRETS Virgin Media Pioneers Free Price Compare www.virginmediapioneers.com freepricecompare.com Turn on subtitles in BBC ★★★★★ ★★★★★ iPlayer If you fancy yourself as the next This relaunched price-comparison site Ceefax may have disappeared from Richard Branson, this site could get finds you the best deals on everything our screens in 2012, but at least one your dreams off the ground. It provides from car insurance and holidays to element of the teletext service lives a place for small businesses and broadband and electricity – in one on through the HTML5 version of entrepreneurs to find advice, place. Its streamlined, mobile-friendly BBC iPlayer. Currently being tested information and inspiration, and design makes bagging bargains even by the Beeb (you can opt in to try connect with like-minded people. easier and there’s a new Daily Deals the beta at www.bbc.co.uk/html5), Pioneers has been redesigned to give section that rounds up thousands of the player lets you turn subtitles on it a fresh lease of life, and provides lots offers from sites such as Wowcher, and off by typing 888, as you of interesting and useful new content. Groupon and Living Social. would to access the subtitles page in Ceefax and Teletext. Yes, you SPORT FUN can also activate subtitles by Snooker Hub Scream Into The Void clicking the ‘S’ icon in iPlayer, but snookerhub.co.uk screamintothevoid.com where’s the fun in that? ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Snooker enthusiasts can find events Want to vent your spleen on the web around the UK at this great-looking without upsetting anybody? Then visit site, which also offers league rankings, Scream Into The Void, type your tournament results and insights from negative feelings into the box provided “the heart of the amateur game”. The and click the Scream button to watch site uses photos, videos and social them slowly disappear into the titular media to convey its passion, and its void with an accompanying yell. That’s constantly updated calendar is an all there is too it, really; let’s hope trolls invaluable source for cue action. use it as a place to let off steam.

Tell us about your website via [email protected] 21 October - 3 November 2015 17 Build a Better Site Specialist tips, top tools and practical help

Top Tips of the Fortnight Web-building Helpdesk Alison Curry-Taylor, Make a responsive site Professional 12 (£139). This uses Operations Director in five steps Incomedia’s FeedReady tool to SME hosting, Incomedia has crecreate an app for your users to DailyInternet (www.daily.co.uk) launched version 122 dowdownload, to feed your site’s of its web-design updates as you publish them. software, WebSite Is it more expensive for a UK X5 Evolution (www Blog straight to Facebook Q resident to register for a foreign .websitex5.com), If most of the traffic for your blog domain than for a resident in which now helps comcomes from friends and family via that country? I’d like to have a web you create responsive sites that your Facebook page, you could address with an unusual suffix. look great no matter what size of consider ditching the blog site Sam Donaldson, via email screen they’re viewed on. As with and switching to Facebook’s previous versions, the software newly updated Notes tool (www. No. The only difference in price will uses a simple five-step process facebook.com/notes) instead. A come from the registrar that you and doesn’t require any This lets you post longer, better choose to register the domain with, knowledge of HTML or CSS, so formatted posts, and you can and not from any base-level pricing you can concentrate on the save drafts and add pictures differences dependant on the country you content and design. It can even throughout. are registering from. Not all foreign domains help you create sophisticated are open to general registration, however, designs such as online shops and and you may need a business number or password-protected members- Deal of the Fortnight address in the chosen country to use its only areas. WebSite X5 Evolution Names.co.uk (www.names.co.uk) is internet domain suffix. This is just a measure 12 is available for £49.99. offering 20 per cent off its Starter package, to stop all the local domain names being If you’d like to see your content which has 50GB of web space and unlimited snapped up by foreign companies and published on an app as well as a traffic for £4.79 per month. individuals. website, you’ll need WebSite X5

MINI WORKSHOP | Create a survey on your WordPress website CaptainForm: www.captainform.com | 10 mins | WordPress

CaptainForm is a brilliant new WordPress plug-in that lets you find out exactly what visitors think of your site. You can create three forms and gather 500 responses per month, free of charge

2 4 1 2 3 3 1

1 2

Download the plug-in from the You are given a basic template that When you’ve finished the form, 1 CaptainForm website, then install 2 you can edit. You can add new fields, 3 click Publish and copy the and activate it from the Plugins menu 1 edit existing ones, 2 and drag and shortcode. Create a new WordPress by clicking Add New. 1 A CaptainForm drop them to change their order. Show page containing the shortcode, to place option is added to the menu. 2 Click it Layout Options 3 lets you change where the form will appear. Don’t and press the New Form button to elements such as the typeface and size forget to link to it, so your visitors can choose the type of form you want. 3 of text. Click Preview Form 4 if you want find it. To see the results of your form, Options include feedback, surveys, to see how it’s looking. select it in My Forms 1 and click the quizzes and registering for events. Submissions button. 2

18 21 October - 3 November 2015 Email us your website building questions at [email protected] Page not found…

Fix web problems – subscribe to Web User Visit www.dennismags.co.uk/webuser – type offer code P1522PA Product Test We test and compare the latest products Apple iPad Mini 4

David Ludlow tests Apple’s iPad Mini 4, the updated smaller and more affordable model in Apple’s iPad range

ast year’s iPad Mini 3 but you can still press and wasn’t a bad tablet but hold the volume down button L it seemed overpriced, if you need to quickly silence given that the only extra it the tablet. had over the iPad Mini 2 At 203 x 134 x 6.1mm, the (which is still available) was Mini 4 is taller and thinner producing 94.8 per cent. the TouchID sensor. This year, than the Mini 3 (which was This makes it one of the best Apple is back on track with 200 x 135 x 7.5mm). While the tablet screens we’ve used. the iPad Mini 4, which 18-per-cent difference in And although the iPad improves on previous models thickness sounds significant, Mini 4’s screen has the same in practically every way, it’s hard to notice just from 2,048 x 1,536 pixels resolution, improvement delivering specs that more holding it in your hand. As it’s still 324 pixels per inch, in performance closely match the iPad Air 2, before, it’s extremely which keeps everything remains impressive. but in a smaller body. comfortable to hold and use looking extremely sharp. We ran GeekBench 3 one-handed. (bit.ly/geek382) to measure Build quality Performance processor performance and As with all previous iPad Screen The last two generations of found that the iPad Mini 4 Minis, the build quality and It’s not until you set an older iPad Mini have used the A7 scored 1,694 in the single-core design can’t be beaten – this iPad next to a tablet that has chip, but Apple has boosted test and 3,058 in the multi- mini tablet is the best there is. a higher-spec screen, such as the iPad Mini 4 with an A8 core test – an improvement Its aluminium body (available the iPad Air 2, that you can chip, which was first used in over the iPad Mini 3’s in gold, space grey and silver) see how much better the the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 respective scores of 1,385 and looks fantastic, and feels more colour accuracy and image Plus. It’s not as impressive as 2,485. These results also ruggedly reassuring than even detail is on newer models. the iPad Air 2’s A8X chip, stand it in good stead against the best plastic tablets Our colour calibration tests which has three cores its closest competition, the available. support this: the iPad Mini 3 is and improved graphics Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Apple has made a few little only capable of displaying performance, nor is it up which scored 1,244 and 4,182 changes along the way. As 67.1 per cent of sRGB colours, to the new A9 chip, used (a higher multi-threaded with the iPad Air 2, the iPad while the Mini 4 is capable of in the iPhone 6S, but the performance, thanks to its Mini 4 no longer has the quad-core processor). switch on the side, which Apple’s slick Safari browser, could be set to toggle the combined with its efficient screen rotation lock or put it The iPad Mini 4 improves on previous processor and operating into silent mode. On previous models in practically every way, and has one system, also made its web iPads, it was handy to use this of the best tablet screens we’ve used performance exceptionally as a mute switch, and we good. It achieved an excellent missed it on the iPad Air 2, score in the Peacekeeper

20 21 October - 3 November 2015 Apple iPad Mini 4 Product Test

code length for iOS 9) to open the device. PRODUCT INFO TouchID is also being used iPad Mini 4 by an increasing number of www.apple.com/uk apps, such as for logging into Price: £319 (16GB); your Amazon account. You £399 (64GB); can also use it to authorise £479 (128GB) Apple Pay payments in-app, SPECIFICATIONS which saves having to type in your credit card details. ■ 64-bit A8 processor ■ M8 motion co-processor Price ■ 7.9-inch LED-backlit display As with all Apple devices, ■ 2,048 x 1,536 resolution (324 pixels there’s no memory card slot, per inch) which means there’s no way ■ 8-megapixel iSight camera of expanding the storage. This ■ 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera means having to decide at the ■ 1080p HD video recording (30fps) point of purchase the amount ■ 120fps slow motion of memory you’ll need. ■ 802.11a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi The entry-level model costs ■ Bluetooth 4.2 browser test (peacekeeper limitations started to become £319 but provides just 16GB, ■ Touch ID .futuremark.com), proving apparent, with noise creeping which we don’t think is ■ iOS 9 that this tablet can easily into the image and colours enough. However, the £80 cope with any website you becoming muted. There’s no jump in price to the 64GB FOR care to visit. flash on this device so, if model, which costs £399, isn’t It’s also more than capable conditions are too dark, you prohibitive, and it’s probably ✓Best of the smaller-size tablets of running any existing game, simply won’t be able to take the model most people will ✓ Significant boost in specifications as is evinced by its GFXBench any shots. plump for. There’s also a AGAINST Manhattan benchmark There’s the usual range of 128GB version that costs (gfxbench.com) score of 925 photo options we’ve come to £479. It’s a shame that the ✗ iPad Mini 2 now great value for running at native resolution, expect from Apple devices, entry-level option isn’t 32GB, money and 1,330 result in the 1080p including panoramas, 1080p which would make it much ✗ Processor a step behind the latest off-screen test. video and 120fps (frames per more useful. iPhone 6S The 5,124mAh battery also second) slow-motion at a As with previous did very well in our tests. It resolution of 1,280 x 720 generations of iPad, you CHEAPER lasted for 10 hours and 43 pixels. Shooting video, as have a choice of Wi-Fi or ALTERNATIVE minutes in our video playback with photos, works best Wi-Fi+Cellular models. The test, with the screen set to a outside where there’s lots first has 802.11ac Wi-Fi for fast Apple iPad Mini 2 32GB, brightness of 170cd/m3. That’s of natural light, and suffers wireless connections, which £259 bit.ly/minitwo382 a little over an hour more than from image noise in lower- provides noticeably better the Mini 3. light conditions. speeds when you’re downloading apps or large iOS 9 and camera TouchID files, such as films, if you’ve The Mini 4 comes with iOS 9 As with the iPad Mini 3, the got an 802.11ac router and installed, which means you new model is equipped with a quick internet connection. can use the new Split View the TouchID fingerprint If you pay the extra £100 for mode that lets you run two reader. This gives you a quick the Cellular model, you also apps side-by-side at the same way to log into your iPad, and get a built-in 4G receiver, so time, rather than having to flip saves you having to type a you can get online whenever between them. Our Workshop six-digit code (the default and wherever you like. in last issue’s Web User (bit.ly/ webuser381) explored some ALMOST AS GOOD of the useful new features OUR VERDICT ★★★★★ ANDROID that iOS 9 brings to Apple’s Samsung Galaxy Tab devices. The iPad Mini 3 was a bit FEATURES ★★★★★ S2 8.0, £320 Where the iPad Mini 3 had a of a disappointment, but PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ bit.ly/samsung382 5-megapixels camera, the Mini Apple is back on form with EASE OF USE ★★★★★ 4’s is 8-megapixels, which the iPad Mini 4, which is VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★★★ provided significanly more hands-down the best small detail to our test shots. The tablet that you can buy. outdoor shots were well- It makes the most of the latest apps and games exposed, with plenty of detail Apple’s new operating without a struggle. across all parts of the image, system and the boost to its The battery life has also from the brightness of the sky specification brings it been improved, giving it an to the darker areas in shadow. closer to the iPad Air 2, extra hour over previous But when we tried taking with enough power to run models. photos indoors, the camera’s

Discuss this review at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 21 Product Test Synology RT1900ac router Synology RT1900ac router Synology is well known for itss excellent network attached sttooragerage (NAS) drives, but how goodis its new router? Andy Shaw findsso outut

ynology has been here, it uses a few simplele manufacturing classy multiple-choice steps to set S NAS drives for years, hz up both 2.4GHz and 5Ghz but it’s now put its networks, which use similarimilar networking know-how into names and the same this new router, which is as password by default. TheThe pleasurable to use as it is router connects to the weebb speedy. via Ethernet, so if thatdoesn’t The RT1900ac is simple to correspond with your existing set up. When you first switch connection, you’ll needan We tested the Wi-Fi speed it on, it configures a basic Ethernet modem or to pass of the RT1900ac using an difference when using the Wi-Fi network which you can the connection throughh your iPad Air 2 (which has 2.4GHz network, even when connect to using any device current router. beamforming-compatible we moved around our test – in our case, an iPad. From Synology provides a 802.11ac networking), using house – both routers reached web-based configuration tool the WiFi SweetSpots app (bit 120Mbps (around 15MB/s) at and a simplified app for its .ly/wifi382) to measure the their peak performance. PRODUCT INFO router, both of which are the throughput of the network. To However, the 5GHz network Synology RT1900ac best we’ve seen from any get an idea of how the device showed a significant disparity. www.synology.com manufacturer. The web compares to other models, The Netgear router saw Price: £108 interface, which is for use on a we ran the same tests on a speeds around 135Mbps PC, works just like a Desktop Netgear R6300, set up next (17MB/s) across the house, SPECIFICATIONS – just click icons to open to the Synology router. This is while the Synology put in

■ 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (1900 category: settings windows – so it’s a lower-rated 802.11ac 1750 a cracking performance, 600Mbps 2.4GHz, 1,300Mbps 5GHz) familiar and easy to use. You router that we’d expect to reaching speeds of 473Mbps can also download and install perform at slower speeds, and (59MB/s) at close range, and ■ Simultaneous dual-band add-on apps, such as a VPN is the kind of model you 263Mbps (33MB/s) in a ■ Beamforming server, download station and might want to upgrade from. distant room that often ■ WEP,WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/ WPA2-Enterprise security media server (which uses the We didn’t see much struggles with Wi-Fi. device’s USB 3.0 port or SD ■ 4 x Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports card slot to host files). ■ 1 x Gigabit Ethernet WAN port Synology has developed a OUR VERDICT ★★★★★ ■ 1 x USB 3 port sophisticated mobile app that ■ 1 x SD card reader provides quick access to a Everything that’s good FEATURES ★★★★★ ■ 3G/4G dongle support host of useful everyday about Synology’s PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ ■ 206 x 160 x 66mm settings, and it’s much easier networked storage devices EASE OF USE ★★★★★ ■ 0.51kg to use than most router apps has been successfully VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★★★ ■ 2 year warranty we’ve seen. For example, you transferred to its new simply tap the relevant icon to router. The performance is FOR control traffic management, excellent and the interface quoted here is what ✓Fast so you can prioritise traffic to is wonderful – it’s the best Synology’s team are ✓ Easy to set up a particular device when you combination of web and expecting it to sell for. ✓ Great configuration tools need it. You can also instantly mobile apps that we’ve That’s fantastic value for access parental controls, seen on a router to date. money, considering its AGAINST block access to specific At the time of going to excellent performance and ✗ Little benefit if your devices are devices and keep an eye on press, the price wasn’t yet brilliantly designed stuck on 2.4GHz the stats, which are clear and set, though the £108 we’ve interface. well-designed.

22 21 October - 3 November 2015

Web User’s Best Buys Web User and its sister titles test over 2,500 products every year

HARDWARE MULTI-DEVICE CHARGER WINDOWS 10 PC Griffin PowerDock 5 PC Specialist Evora

£79.95 from www.johnlewis.com £559 from www.pcspecialist.co.uk Date tested: September 2015 Date tested: September 2015

Griffin’s PowerDock 5 lets you This is more of a workaday PC than an all-out charge a whole household’s worth of mobile devices at one powerhouse, but it’s cheaper than other time, supplying plenty of power across all five of its USB Windows 10 PCs and its impressive gaming performance ports. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got five tablets or gives it lots of potential as an all-round family computer. five phones, they’ll all sit nicely in this dock, although you’ll need to make sure that the cables don’t get tangled. KEY SPECS Quad-core 3.2GHz Intel Core i5-4460 processor ■ 8GB of KEY SPECS memory ■ 1TB hard drive ■ 120GB SSD ■ 2 x USB 3, 6 x USB 2 Supports five USB devices ■ 2.1A output on each port ■ ports ■ Gigabit Ethernet ■ 477 x 450 x 190mm ■ Three-years 200 x 130 x 80mm ■ 340g return-to-base warranty including one-year parts

WI-FI EXTENDER NETWORK CAMERA Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Y-cam HomeMonitor HD Extender £150 from www.homemonitor.me £130 from www.broadbandbuyer.co.uk Date tested: June 2015 Date tested: July 2015 The Y-cam HomeMonitor HD will save you The Netgear Nighthawk is pricey, but it’s money in the long run if you want to save captured motion- also fast, powerful and built to last. Its detected footage online. Its free online storage option advanced tools will be compatible with future Wi-Fi supports a wide range of devices. standards and it provides excellent performance. KEY SPECS KEY SPECS Apps for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Roku ■ 1/4in CMOS AC1900 Wi-Fi ■ Dual-band ■ 5 x Gigabit Ethernet ports ■ sensor ■ Viewing angle: horizontal 80°, vertical 45°, diagonal USB 3 ■ WPA and WPA2 security ■ DLNA server ■ 252 x 174 87° ■ 1,280 x 720 pixels resolution ■ 15fps frame rate ■ x 31mm ■ Two-years return-to-base warranty Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi ■ 85 x 85 x 30mm ■ 1150g

BUDGET LAPTOP MULTIROOM SPEAKER

HP Stream 11 Sonos Play:1

£179.99 from store.hp.com/ukstore £169 from www.currys.co.uk Date tested: April 2015 Date tested: March 2015

The HP Stream 11 offers excellent The Sonos Play:1 offers impressive audio ew vi performance and a respectable battery life. quality and comes with excellent software It’s a sleek, attractive laptop, available in blue or magenta, and great apps that provide seamless integration with music of re with a good screen that offers wide viewing angles. services. It’s the ideal speaker to use as a starting point for me ti a home entertainment system. at

t KEY SPECS ec Dual-core 2.16GHz Intel Celeron N2840 processor ■ 2GB of KEY SPECS rr ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ co memory 11.6in non-touchscreen 32GB flash drive 1,366 2 x speakers 802.11n Wi-Fi, 1 x 10/100 Ethernet Android

es x 768 pixels resolution ■ Single-band 802.11n Wi-Fi ■ 300 x and iOS apps ■ Compatible with UPnP and SMB servers ■ ic 206 x 20mm ■ 1.29kg ■ One-year return-to-base warranty AAC, FLAC, MP3, OGG and WAV ■ 161 x 12 x 12mm ■ 1.8kg pr l Al

24 21 October - 3 November 2015 Web User’s Best Buys

SOFTWARE & SERVICES INTERNET SECURITY BACKUP AND SYNC Kaspersky Internet Security 2016 SyncBackFree

£19.99 from bit.ly/kaspoffer2016 Free from bit.ly/syncback366 Date tested: June 2015 Date tested: March 2015

Kaspersky Internet Security performed SyncBackFree is very capable near-perfectly throughout our tests last software that gives you plenty year, with only one unwanted program of control over how it can be slipping through. Our sister title used. If you know what you Computeractive is selling it at the reader- need from your backups and you’re prepared to spend offer price of £19.99 (full price £39.99). Click the link above. some time configuring the options, SyncBackFree has everything you need. KEY FEATURES Anti-virus and firewall tools ■ Protects online shopping and KEY FEATURES banking ■ Identity and privacy tools ■ Dangerous-website Synchronise: Copy files in both directions ■ Restore back-up alerts ■ Advanced parental control ■ Licences for one, three files easily ■ Email logs ■ Schedule backups ■ Simple and and five PCs; for one or two years, or pay monthly ■ Advanced mode ■ Runs on Windows 8, 7, Vista, and XP Multi-Device version ■ Compatible with Windows 10 ■ Extensive Help documentation and support

PHOTO EDITING VIDEO EDITING

Adobe Photoshop Elements 13 Adobe Premiere Elements 13

£81.08 from £81.08 from www.adobe.com/uk www.adobe.com/uk Date tested: December 2014 Date tested: December 2014 Premiere Elements 13’s superb interface makes With its tidy interface its many features neat and pop-out trays, but accessible. You Adobe Photoshop won’t find better Elements provides video-editing software everything an amateur photographer needs and helps you for the price. quickly find the right editing tools. KEY FEATURES KEY FEATURES Automatic editing ■ Export to multiple video formats ■ Burn Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8+ (32- and 64-bit) to DVD and Blu-ray ■ Image stabiliser ■ Stop-motion capture ■ Bundled photo organiser ■ Content-aware edits ■ Motion tracking ■ Musical scores and sound effects ■ ■ Guided edits ■ People-beautifier tools ■ RAW support Upload to YouTube and Vimeo

ONLINE STORAGE ONLINE SITE BUILDER

Google Drive Weebly

From free from drive.google.com From free from www.weebly.com Date tested: August 2014 Date tested: May 2014

Google Drive is easy to use Weebly’s drag-and-drop and has lots of free storage. interface makes it The Windows software extremely easy to use. integrates with Explorer, so Its templates are a little saving and syncing files is restrictive, but there are like keeping them in any still plenty of options to other PC folder. choose from and the results look great. It also has free Android and iOS apps. KEY FEATURES 15GB free storage ■ Web-based office software ■ Works KEY FEATURES with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8+ ■ Chrome browser add-on 115 templates ■ Unlimited storage ■ SEO tools ■ Meta tags ■ ■ Android and iOS apps ■ 100GB extra storage for £1.19 per Password protection ■ E-commerce tools ■ Ad-free Starter month; 1TB for £5.97 per month; 10TB for £59.51 per month edition ■ Android and iOS apps ■ RSS ■ Site stats

Get more tips in our newsletter at www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter 21 October - 3 November 2015 25 Best Free Software

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE AVG AntiVirus Free 2016 free.avg.com Min requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 2.8MB

AVG updates its range of anti-virus products annually, but only tends to change the interface every two years. The fresh new look introduced in the 2015 edition has been carried over to the 2016 release with some (very) minor cosmetic tweaks. Under the bonnet, there are more significant changes, designed to improve the software’s ability to protect your PC from malware. Behavioural monitoring – which helps AVG detect potential new threats – has been improved, and is much smarter in this new version. As you would expect, the program is also now fully safe from the latest threats. privacy through AVG Identity Protection compatible with Windows 10. AVG AntiVirus Free offers real-time, (enabled by default) and Privacy Fix The biggest change in the 2016 on-demand and scheduled protection, (another optional add-on). edition is the introduction of cloud- and safeguards you against rootkits and When installing the program, make based protection. This long overdue malicious links (using LinkScanner). It sure you select ‘Custom installation’ and feature uses ‘crowd intelligence’ (data can also protect your other devices via then ‘Basic protection’ to skip the sourced from other users) and AVG Zen; find problems using PC 30-day trial of the Pro version. You can advanced artificial intelligence to Analyser; and boost performance if you also choose whether you want to install identify malware outbreaks in real time. install the optional AVG PC TuneUp. AVG’s web- and email-protection In theory, this ensures you’re always Additionally, the software protects your features.

MINI WORKSHOP | Keep your PC safe from threats using AVG

3 1 1 2

4 2 3 1 2

The home screen in AVG AntiVirus To check your PC for viruses and You can manage scheduled scans; 1 Free shows you at a glance which 2 other threats, click the ‘Scan now’ 3 scan the whole computer; target components are active (in green, and button. 1 The software will run a whole specific files or folders; or run an marked with a tick). 1 A module that’s computer scan, which may take a while anti-rootkit scan. There are settings been disabled will be flagged up; 2 to complete. The Reports screen shows available for each type of scan. 1 You just click Fix Now 3 to repair the the scan’s progress, and you can pause can also adjust the scanning priority problem. The Fix Performance button or stop a scan at any time. Clicking the (Dynamic, Basic, Medium or Fast). 2 4 scans your PC looking for errors and cog icon 2 will let you choose the type ‘Additional scan settings’ 3 lets you junk files, but you’ll need to install PC of scan to run. specify file types to scan or exclude. TuneUp to fix them.

26 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best Free Software

This fortnight’s top new software downloads to help you make the most of your PC, and they’re all FREE

New Windows Apps

Candy Crush Soda Saga bit.ly/candycrush382 Min requirements: Windows 8+/10 File size: 50.9MB Like its predecessor, Candy Crush Saga, the aim of this game is to match items (candies and soda in this case) to clear them from the grid. There are lots of levels and game modes.

SYSTEM TOOL NetworkTrafficView 2 nirsoft.net Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 127KB

This handy bandwidth-monitoring tool from Nirsoft captures the packets that pass through your network adapter and displays general statistics about your traffic. Brilli Wallpaper Changer - You can see at a glance which browsers are accessing the internet, and which apps Start, Desktop & Lockscreen are online. The first time you run it, you’ll need to select the capture method and bit.ly/brilli382 network adapter to monitor. The latest version adds four columns to the adapters Min requirements: Windows 8+/10 list in the ‘Capture Options’ window and displays more accurate information. File size: 63.1MB This customisation app uses Bing Images (you can set the region) to create wallpapers for your Desktop, Start screen and lock screen. You can set the interval frequency.

Wedge GAME ISO TOOL bit.ly/wedge382 Yume Nikki 3d ISO Workshop 6 Min requirements: Windows 8+/10 bit.ly/yume382 www.glorylogic.com File size: 21.07MB Min requirements: Windows XP/ Min requirements: Windows XP/ Wedge is a simple CAD (Computer Vista/7/8+/10 Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 3MB Aided Design) tool that lets you File size: 46.4MB create designs and prototype parts. If you want to back up software CDs, You can import existing CAD This fan-made game, which is based on DVDs and Blu-rays, the best option is to designs and export creations as the Yume Nikki universe (a Japanese save them as image files – operating SVG files. game from 2004), is a 3D adventure in systems are usually available to which you control a little girl named download in this format. ISO Workshop Madotsuki. The game begins in her lets you make ISO files from your own bedroom from where you enter a content; view and extract files; convert bizarre dream world of interconnected one image format to another; and write portals. To finish the game, you need to ISO files to disc. The latest version has a locate three keys and six ‘effects’ new interface and advanced boot (including a bicycle and a knife). options.

Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 27 Best Free Software

SYSTEM CLEANER Bulk Crap Uninstaller 3 klocmansoftware.weebly.com Min requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 1.8MB

Bulk Crap Uninstaller – BCUninstaller for short – can remove lots of unwanted programs from your PC in one go, and clear away any leftover junk afterwards. It’s available in installer and portable versions, and usefully colour-codes all the software on your system so you can see at a glance if a program is good to go, has an invalid uninstaller, is an orphaned application or is a Windows feature. The sidebar on the left lets you filter the list by various criteria, and you can choose to remove programs as you would normally, or quickly uninstall them without having to click through multiple prompts.

EBOOK READER Icecream Ebook Reader 2 icecreamapps.com Min requirements: Windows XP/ Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 17.9MB

If you have a collection of ebooks in more than one format, you can use this program to organise and read them. It can handle all the major ebook types including EPUB, MOBI, FB2 and PDF. Features include the ability to turn pages, track reading progress, search your library and bookmark pages. The new version lets you change the style of the program (alter fonts and background colours), add your own categories to the library and edit book details. You can now add multiple books to the library by dragging folders to the program. Note that the free version limits you to 10 ebooks, which is a bit stingy!

NOTES ORGANISER CintaNotes 3 cintanotes.com Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 7.8MB

If you do a lot of research, you probably end up with notes and bookmarks scattered all over your hard drive and Desktop, which makes them difficult to find when you need them. CintaNotes offers a solution to this problem by providing a single location for all the content you’ve gathered, so you can organise, browse and search them using tags. It works online and off, and lets you clip text from any application. Your notes can be synchronised across PCs using Dropbox, Google Drive and Simplenote. The newest version allows you to include file and image attachments in notes, and you can track and edit them, too. You can also sync attachments, but there’s a 100MB limit.

28 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best Free Software

Don’t install...... Install this instead GET THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO FREE Partition Magic EaseUS Partition Master Free SOFTWARE www.partition-magic.com bit.ly/partition382 Min requirements: Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 Our new Free Windows XP/Vista/7/8+ File size: 28MB Software File size: 19.3MB MagBook is EaseUS’s excellent free tool makes it easy to packed with 148 If you want to create create, copy, resize, format and delete drive pages of brilliant partitions on your hard partitions. You can also use it to convert, explore workshops, tips drive, we certainly wouldn’t and hide partitions, merge them and quickly and advice recommend this tool. change drive letters. The recovery wizard lets about every Despite claiming to be a you restore lost or deleted partitions in a matter program you’ll Symantec product, its of minutes, and the software fully protects your ever need. ‘official’ website looks data, making it relatively risk-free. The latest suspicious – giving several version of Partition Master (10.8) lets you easily Discover how to: different names for the migrate your operating system to a new SSD • Replace Windows tools with program – and hasn’t been (Solid State Drive) or hard drive, and offers better alternatives updated since 2013. What’s better compatibility. Remember to decline the • Download free office tools that more, you need to pay $39 bundled extras during installation. save you £££s (£25.50) to use the • Clean your PC to make it run as software when other similar fast as new tools are available for free. • Tweak your browser to unlock hidden features • Record free music and video from any website

Order The Definitive Guide to Free Software now from bit.ly/guidetosoftware

UPDATED | New tweaks and fixes for your favourite free programs

SYSTEM CLEANER REGISTRY CLEANER COMPRESSION TOOL BROWSER CCleaner 5.10 Wise Registry Cleaner PeaZip 5.8 Citrio 44 www.piriform.com/ Free 8.72 www.peazip.org citrio.com ccleaner www.wisecleaner.com Min requirements: Windows Min requirements: Min requirements: Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 Windows XP/Vista/7/8+/10 XP/Vista/7/8+/10 File size: 6.4MB File size: 56.3MB File size: 6.4MB File size: 3.3MB This file and archive manager Based on Chrome, the The popular system- This program can find and fix lets you create, convert and Citrio browser is designed cleaning tool’s monthly problems with the Windows extract compressed files in with speed in mind. It update improves cleaning Registry and offers both all the popular formats. The lets you prioritise your for Chrome extensions and on-demand and scheduled latest release adds support downloads and share links cookies, and Firefox scanning. It can also defrag for virtual machine disk- directly on social networks. sessions, and improves the Registry and tune up image files (QUEMU, It also has a built-in media cookie management in your system. The new release VirtualBox, and VMWare), player, and the latest Edge. It also starts faster improves ‘application paths’ enhances UTF-8 support version adds new features than before and resizes cleaning, and localisation and and improves password to this, including the useful windows more quickly. language support. management. ability to create playlists.

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Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 29 Best New Browser Tools

CHC ROME Access sites that are blocked in the UK

We’ve been looking for a good, reliable VPN browser tool ever since that unpleasant business with Hola earlier this year, so we’re delighted that rival service Hotspot Shield is now available for Chrome (bit.ly/hotspotchrome382) and Firefox (bit.ly/ hotspotfire382). This means you can now access websites and services that are blocked in the UK by ‘spoofing’ your location directly from your browser. Unlike the Hotspot Shield software, the add-on gives you unlimited bandwidth for free (for the moment) and lets you pretend to be in one of five different countries, including the US, Canada and the Netherlands. Just click the toolbar button, choose a virtual location and visit the restricted site. We didn’t have much luck with Hulu, which is notoriously vigilant about blocking non-US residents, but it worked on other sites, and is an effective means of browsing the web anonymously.

Block any website that Replace Facebook froth tech developments rather than what contains adverts with tech news people’s cats are up to. There’s a lot of discussion about ad If your Facebook feed is full of tedious blockers at the moment (see our feature navel gazing, dodgy politics and soppy Give Reddit a more on page 44) and the fact that by motivational messages, you can make it modern look shielding you from annoying online more interesting by installing Detox In Issue 379’s cover feature, we commercials, they also deprive websites (usedetox.com). This new add-on for mocked Reddit’s quaint design, of much needed revenue. The Ethical Ad Chrome, Firefox and Safari replaces the “which hasn’t been touched since Blocker (bit.ly/ethical382) solves this content in your feed with “something 2005”, and the makers of Shine (bit. moral dilemma by automatically more positively distracting” from ly/shine382) clearly agree with us, blocking any sites that contain adverts, newsfeed dashboard Panda (getpanda because this new Chrome extension .com). Sources include tech-news sites gives the site a much-needed The Next Web, Mashable and facelift. It applies a modern and TechCrunch. Unfortunately, there aren’t attractive feel to Reddit’s ‘list of any UK-specific sources, such as our links’ format and lets you switch to a sister site Alphr (www.alphr.com), but more visually appealing, Pinterest- you can choose ‘favourite’ feeds you style grid layout. want to see more content from, and select ‘randomize’ to mix them up. Detox is easy to switch on and off, and lets you set certain times on specific not just the ads. In this way, you don’t days that it’s activated, so you don’t get to view their content for free, so completely lose the usual social stuff. no-one can accuse you of ‘stealing’ it, It’s an interesting way to stay abreast of but you also manage to avoid experiencing those bothersome ads. Instead, you’ll see a message saying “Sorry. This page is ad-supported. It would be unethical to view this site”. We like the menu button in the We don’t think the add-on is bottom-right corner that lets you supposed to be entirely serious – one of quickly search and post to Reddit, the alternative sites it suggests in its but we’re not so keen on the blocking message is ‘example.com’ – permanent prompt to upgrade to but it cleverly draws attention to the the paid-for Shine Bright version for controversy around using ad-blocking $1.99, to “unlock some awesome software. features”.

30 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best New Browser Tools

This fortnight’s most useful tips and add-ons to help you get the most from Chrome, Firefox, Opera and more

FIF REFOX OTHER BROWSERS Look up Street View Donate to charity when you imagery instantly Finding a location on shop online Google Maps is all very well, but to see what that place actually Few of us like being pestered by looks like, you should install ‘chuggers’ (charity muggers) on Speed Street View (bit.ly/ the high street, but you can help street382). Click the add-on’s charities when you shop online by toolbar button to open Street installing Give As You Live’s View imagery of your current Firefox add-on (bit.ly/give382). location in a new tab, then This donates a percentage (on search for another location to average, 2.5%) of every purchase explore that, too. You can you make at more than 1,200 of specify whether you want to find its partner stores, which include an address, an establishment or such big names as Amazon, eBay, a ‘geocode’ (by entering Argos, M&S and recent addition geographical coordinates), and TK Maxx. You can choose to give move into and around the to all charities or just specific ones, and keep track of how much you’ve raised via imagery by clicking and your online account. Give As You Live has been around for a few years, but the dragging the picture in the usual latest version of the add-on is less intrusive (unlike those chuggers!) and usefully manner. lets you click its toolbar button to access your favourite stores.

Use the same login for Install this add-on and you’ll be able every website to open links in new tabs simply by Don’t be shocked by the irresponsible clicking them and holding down the title of this tip – we’re not really mouse button for 1.2 seconds. It’s less recommending you use the same fiddly than having to right-click a link password for every site, but rather that and choose ‘Open Link in New Tab’. you use a new Firefox add-on called Make the New Tab Recall My Password (bit.ly/recall382) to Watch YouTube videos page blank in Edge store all your passwords under a single from anywhere When you open a new “secret keyword”. This means you don’t Rather than visiting YouTube every tab in Microsoft’s new Edge need to remember multiple logins, but time you want to watch a video, install browser, it shows the usual page can simply enter your keyword when the brilliant YouTube Panel (bit.ly/ of thumbnail images from your prompted. Click the asterisk toolbar youtube382) so you can stay on the most visited websites. If you’d button when you register with a site and current tab. Just click the toolbar prefer not to see these, you can enter your chosen keyword to generate button to open YouTube in a drop- make the page blank instead. To a random down panel that lets you search for, do this, click the three-dot ‘More password. browse and – most importantly - actions’ menu in the top-right You can watch videos in the top-right corner corner, choose Settings and then log of your browser. Sign into your scroll down to ‘Open new tabs into the site account and you can also access your with’, then choose ‘A blank page’ by clicking YouTube playlists, save videos to from the drop-down menu. If the asterisk watch later and subscribe to channels. you change your mind later, you button can select ‘Top sites’ or ‘Top again and entering the keyword to sites and suggested content’ (for retrieve your password. It’s safer than embedded ads). letting Firefox store all your passwords, but don’t forget your keyword! Open links in new tabs more quickly It wouldn’t be Best New Browser Tools if we didn’t have at least one new trick for Firefox tabs and, in this issue, it’s the turn of QuickTab (bit.ly/quick382).

Tell us your favourite add-ons at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 31 Best Free Apps

App of the Fortnight

PHOTOGRAPHY UPDATED MINI WORKSHOP Adobe Lightroom Edit an image using Adobe bit.ly/lightroom382 Lightroom Min requirements: iOS 8.1 Size: 52.1MB

Until recently, Adobe Lightroom was available as a free download, but this existed primarily as a 1 companion to its Desktop counterpart, which meant you needed a Creative Cloud subscription to use it. That’s all changed and you can now take Open Adobe Lightroom and tap Get Started. Tap advantage of the app’s 1 Camera Roll to browse the photos on your iPad or powerful photo-editing iPhone. 1 Select an image to view it full screen and tools without a then tap Import. Alternatively, tap Select if you want to subscription or even an highlight and import multiple images. Adobe ID. Unfortunately, only iOS users can enjoy the free features at the moment, but we’re expecting an update to be rolled out for Android soon. 1 The app’s home screen lets you import photos from your 2 camera roll and also take snaps using its newly added built-in camera. Once you’ve opened an image, you can start making adjustments immediately using the Crop, Presets and Adjust buttons. As you’d expect, the Crop tool gives you full control over the image’s aspect ratio and angle, but also gives Tap Filmstrip to view thumbnails of the other images you the option to rotate 2 you’ve imported, or swipe left and right to switch and flip it, and use the between them. Tap Crop and then Straighten 1 Auto Straighten button to to auto-straighten your image. Use the tick icon 2 quickly fix wonky horizons. to approve your changes. The Presets menu contains an impressive range of filters for making quick enhancements, and you can also fine-tune the colour, tone and exposure 1 2 using the app’s adjustment tools. Comparing your image to the original is as easy as tapping it with three fingers and, once you’re happy, you can share it or Select Adjust to use Lightroom’s more advanced show it off 3 editing tools. You can undo any changes using the using the Undo button 1 or by scrolling to the end of the menu full-screen and using the Reset option. Tap the Export button 2 Presentation to share your image or view it full-screen in Presentation Mode. Mode.

Our rating ★★★★★

32 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best Free Apps

This fortnight’s top free and paid-for apps for Android, iOS and Windows phones and tablets, and smart TVs

MUSIC UPDATED CAMERA NEW AmpMe TapTag ROUND UP | Quick bites bit.ly/ampme382 bit.ly/taptag382 Min requirements: Min requirements: Vibe Tickets Android 4.1, iOS 7.1 Android 4.0 bit.ly/vibe382 Size: 9MB Size: 5.8MB Min requirements: AmpMe lets you TapTag is an iOS 7 sync music across augmented-reality Size: 36.4MB multiple phones camera app that and tablets to lets you browse When live music create your very photos taken by and sport events own multi-speaker other users in your current location. sell out, the system. It’s a really clever idea that’s When you look through its viewfinder, tickets often especially useful in situations when you any posted photos of the area are resell for absurd sums online, thanks don’t have the option to connect to a represented by a floating bubble that to the increased demand. Vibe more powerful speaker system. The can be opened with a single tap. Use it Tickets is a ticket marketplace that app is very easy to use: once it’s to capture your own images and they aims to fix this problem opened, you can choose to ‘Host a too are ‘left’ for other users to find in by ensuring its users party’ or ‘Join a party’. It then uses a the same way. The app also works like a only sell their tickets at unique ‘party code’ to allow you to social network, displaying your images face value or less. connect with your friends and family. in a timeline so that you can follow At the moment, the app only works other people’s adventures as they with Soundcloud, so we’d unfold. It’s a good idea, but Microsoft Send love to see support for we’re not sure everyone bit.ly/send382 locally stored files and will feel at ease with Min other streaming services sharing their location and requirements: in the future, too. photos so publicly! Android 4.2, iOS 8 Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★ Size: 8.5MB

Micrsoft Send LAUNCHER NEW aims to make Shine Launcher 3D emailing quicker and more personal bit.ly/shinelauncher382 by stripping out subject lines and Min requirements: signatures. The app, which is only Android 2.2 compatible with Office Size: 9.8MB 365 accounts, displays only conversations We weren’t quite sure started in Send, not what to expect from Shine your entire inbox. Launcher, because its description on the Google Play Store was written in YouTube such mangled English bit.ly/ that it was virtually youtubeapp382 incomprehensible. At first Min requirements: glance, the app looked iOS 7 rather confusing, but we’re Size: 40.7MB glad we persisted because it’s fast, customisable and has many features normally only available in The iOS version of premium launchers. Aside from its fancy 3D animations, Shine works YouTube has just much like two of our favourites, Nova Launcher and Apex Launcher, received a major offering a fully customisable home screen, dock and app drawer. In update, bringing it addition, it lets you set up gesture-based controls and there’s also a in line with Google’s handy Side Menu, giving you quick access to more of your favourite Material Design in the apps from any screen. One drawback is that the app might Android app and also occasionally place annoying ads in your notification tray. introducing tools for editing your videos. Our rating ★★★★★

Recommend free phone apps at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 33 Best Free Apps

KEYBOARD NEW KEYBOARD NEW SwiftKey Neural Kibo bit.ly/swiftkey382 bit.ly/kibo382 Min requirements: Android 4.4 Min requirements: iOS 8.4 Size: Varies with device Size: 18.2MB

We’ve frequently praised SwiftKey for its Kibo is a keyboard app that lets you excellent autocorrect function and its conceal private messages in instant- ability to accurately predict what you’re messaging services including Skype, going to type. Now, its developers have WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. released an experimental version of the After typing a message, tap the app that uses neural networks (which keyboard’s padlock button and your imitate the structure and behaviour of the human brain) to text will be replaced with a random, produce even better predictions. By understanding complex innocent-looking phrase. To see the real message, the relationships between words and the longer context of recipient must copy it to their system clipboard and, if there’s sentences, the new app is able to offer better suggestions, any hidden content, it’ll appear in a pop-up in the Kibo making your typing experience quicker and keyboard. If you’re worried that prying eyes more productive. It’s still in alpha, but can be might learn how Kibo works as it becomes more downloaded directly from the Google Play Store. popular, you can password-protect messages for It looks and feels just like the original SwiftKey extra security. Kibo is currently only available on app, but currently only works with US English. iOS, but it’s set to launch on Android soon.

Our rating ★★★★★ Our rating ★★★★★

5 NEW APPS WORTH PAYING FOR

LIFESTYLE helps you learn meditation in 10 short lessons. This Instant introduction is free, but to unlock the app’s other inspiring bit.ly/instant382 packs, you’ll need to pay a subscription costing £9.99 a Min requirements: iOS 7 month or £74.99 a year. Size: 6.5MB Price: £2.29 This ‘life-logging’ app helps you keep a PROGRAMMING record of how far you walk, run and travel, Lrn as well as how much time you spend on bit.ly/lrn382 your phone and how many times a day Min requirements: iOS 7 Size: 2MB you unlock it. Price: Free (with in-app purchases) Lrn teaches you the programming SOCIAL languages JavaScript and Ruby Tweetbot 4 Twitter though a series of interactive mini bit.ly/tweetbot382 quizzes. After completing the free Min requirements: iOS 9 tutorials, it’ll cost you £2.29 to Size: 6.8MB Price: £3.99 unlock all the lessons for either Tweetbot 4 Twitter is a powerful Twitter language. client that’s been updated to take advantage of iOS 9’s split-view, so that PHOTOGRAPHY you can use it alongside other apps. Its Pic Scanner new Statistics view makes it easier to track bit.ly/picscanner382 your most popular tweets and see how Min requirements: iOS 7 many new followers you get a day. Size: 47.7MB Price: Free (with in-app purchases) HEALTH Pic Scanner does exactly what it says Headspace on the tin and lets you scan printed bit.ly/headspace382 images using your iOS device. You Min requirements: iOS 7 Size: 35.3MB can try the app for free, but to Price: Free (with in-app purchases) unlock unlimited scans you’ll need to Headspace’s Take10 foundation course pay a one-off fee of £2.29.

Instant Tweetbot 4 Twitter Headspace Lrn Pic Scanner

34 21 October - 3 November 2015 Best Free Apps

Best New TV Apps

TV TV & FILM TV TV Player Plus Chromecast ITV Player for Android bit.ly/tvplayer382 bit.ly/chromecast382 bit.ly/itvplayer382 Min requirements: iOS 7.1 Min requirements: Android 4.0.3, iOS 7 Min requirements: Varies with device Size: 16.4MB Size: 8.2MB (Android), 18.5MB (iOS) Size: Varies with device

To coincide with the launch of its two Last issue new Chromecasts (see FAQ on page we reported 36), Google has updated the app for the that ITV is streaming devices to add some useful planning to new features. Previously, you had to replace ITV access Chromecast-compatible apps Player and such as Netflix, YouTube and Now TV ITV.com individually, but you can now browse with a their content from within the single Chromecast app; play and pause videos service and music; and adjust the volume. It’s called ITV There’s plenty of TV to watch for free also easier to discover new Chromecast- Hub. In the meantime, the these days, but you still need to pay to enabled apps and offers, such as broadcaster has made some enjoy channels that aren’t on Freeview. extended free trials, and you can display improvements to its unloved Step forward TV Player Plus, a new personal photos from your Facebook Android app, which currently has subscription service that lets you watch and Flickr albums on your TV screen more than 13,350 one-star reviews 25 ‘premium’ channels, including when Chromecast isn’t streaming. on Google Play. Changes include National Geographic, Discovery higher quality video streaming, Channel, Eurosport, Sony Entertainment more audio-described content for Television and History, for just £4.99 a visually-impaired viewers and month, without a set-top box. This is in “performance and stability addition to the 60 channels offered by enhancements”. However, the app TV Player’s free package, and there’s a still doesn’t offer the ITV Player free one-week trial for the Plus option. Premium subscription option that’s You can watch live and catch-up content available in iOS, which lets you play on your iPhone or iPad, with the latter £3.99 a month for ad-free viewing. offering extra features such as a full TV On a more positive note, if you’re guide, reminders for your favourite interested in helping ITV improve shows and the ability to watch while the app, you can join its beta browsing what’s on other channels. programme at bit.ly/itvbeta382.

Don’t install...... Install this instead

First Aid Glossary First Aid by British Red Cross bit.ly/glossary382 bit.ly/firstaid382 Min requirements: Android 4.0.3, iOS 7 Although it’s undoubtedly handy to Size: 38MB understand terms relating to medical emergencies, especially when speaking to an Whether someone’s choking on a operator after you dial 999, this app fails to go peanut, suffering an allergic reaction or any further than providing the titular glossary. having a heart attack, this excellent There are no pictures, no step-by-step guides free app from the British Red Cross and not even any could literally prove a lifesaver. It indication as to the provides clear, step-by-step advice for action you should dealing with a variety of common take if you identify accidents and medical emergencies, one of the listed which you can browse alphabetically symptoms. or search for. The app features videos However, it still has and quizzes to test and improve your the nerve to First Aid knowledge, and offers handy Q&As for charge you 60p, at-a-glance information. There are no adverts, when you’d be and you don’t need an internet connection to better off using use it, so you’ll always have instant access to Google! the help you require, wherever you are.

RecoRecommendmmend free free TV phone apps apps at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 35 Everything you need to know about the most FAQ interesting new technology trends and events Google’s new products

Google’s transition to Alphabet hasn’t got in the way of it launching several exciting new products. David Crookes takes a closer look at the company’s latest hardware and software

important element in Apple’s recent announcement about the iPhone 6S, which can take 12-megapixel pictures from the rear and 5-megapixel selfies from the front, as well as 4K videos and ‘live’ photos. Both Nexus handsets have a 12.3-megapixel rear camera but, while the 5X matches the latest iPhone with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, the 6P has a more impressive 8-megapixel snapper. What’s the sensor on the back for? That’s Nexus Imprint, a fingerprint sensor that lets you GOOGLE NEXUS PHONES use your finger to unlock your device. With Imprint on the back, you can hold www.google.co.uk/nexus the phone in one hand and What’s new about these resolution of 518ppi. This makes the simply move Nexuses? screen of the larger, more luxurious- your index Google’s two new Nexus handsets – the feeling device much sharper and more finger over the 5X and the 6P – are being made by pleasurable to view. sensor. As well different manufacturers: LG and Huawei, as letting you respectively. They will be the first Are they the same inside? into the phone, smartphones to run Marshmallow, the Not quite. The 6P has an octa-core Imprint lets you latest version of Android, and they Snapdragon 810 chip, which is more verify represent Google’s latest salvo in its powerful than the Snapdragon 808 of the transactions ongoing battle with Apple. Nexus 5X. It also has more memory – made via the 3GB as opposed to 2GB – as well as an new Android What are they replacing? enhanced graphics processor. You can Pay. It can also The new handsets are a natural get as much as 128GB of storage in the be used within apps. progression from the Nexus 5, which was 6P, whereas its smaller sibling can only discontinued in March, and the Nexus 6, manage 32GB. The battery capacity of How much do they cost? which is likely to be around for a few the 6P is better, too. It would appear that The Nexus 5X comes in three different more months yet. Huawei has been instructed by Google to colours – carbon, quartz and ice – costing deliver a premium product in the 6P, £339 for the 16GB model and £379 for How do the new phones differ? leaving LG to manufacture a less- 32GB. The 6P is available in aluminium, The most obvious difference is in their powerful device. graphite or frost, priced at £449 for the looks. The Nexus 5X is made of plastic, 32GB version, £499 for 64GB and £579 and has a 5.2in full HD display with a Can I take great photos with 128GB. Both phones can be pre-ordered resolution of 423 pixels per inch (ppi); both? from the Google Store (store.google while the Nexus 6P is metal and has a You can indeed. This has long been a key .co.uk) and give you 90 days of free 5.7in Quad HD screen with a greater battleground for mobile and was an listening to Google Play Music.

36 21 October - 3 November 2015 Google’s new products

CHROMECAST PIXEL C

www.google.co.uk/chromecast pixel.google.com

What, another Chromecast? What is it? is held tightly in place by magnets. Like Yes, there are now two Chromecasts. Pixel C is a high-end 10.2in Android tablet the Nexus phones, it also has a USB One still lets you stream video from your – the first that Google has built “end-to- Type-C port. The screen has a resolution phone, tablet or PC to your television, end”, as it points out on its website. Not of 2,560 x 1,800 with a pixel density of but it’s been refreshed with a groovier only does it look swish with a lovely 308ppi, and is powered by Nvidia’s Tegra design and it’s better at detecting and aluminium body but the device comes X1 chip. It comes with 3GB of RAM and using weaker Wi-Fi signals. The with a removable, optional full-size up to 64GB of storage. second is called Chromecast Audio Bluetooth keyboard which and lets you stream music straight to Is it worth getting? your speakers. Both dongles cost £30. It’s certainly worth considering. This tablet – which will be out in time for Christmas – looks set to go head-to- head with the Microsoft Surface and the iPad Pro, both of which have keyboard attachments and are aimed at the market for tablet- laptop hybrids. Pixel C looks smart and it delivers more than enough power to run Android Marshmallow. UK pricing has yet to be announced but we’re Do I need a new Chromecast? sure the tablet will be It depends on how well your existing one available here. is performing. Be sure to install the new Chromecast app, though, which brings together all the shows that are available for streaming, and makes it easier to browse and search YouTube and Netflix. There’s also a feature called Fast Play that picks up on what you like to watch and queues up the next episode so that it ANDROID MARSHMALLOW loads more quickly. bit.ly/marshmallow382 Can I use it to play games? That’s the plan. Google is working with anything from the game developers on a system that allows nearest petrol stationn to people to play games on their phone or appointments you needeed tablet while viewing the images on a reminding about. television. The Chromecast understands how games work and even how many What about Android Pay? players there are: if there are more than Android Pay is built into Marshmallow. It one, the display automatically splits. lets you add your debit or credit card so you can complete transactions in shops What is Chromecast Audio like? by unlocking your phone and placing it Chromecast Audio is a separate dongle near a contactless terminal. Like Apple that connects to a speaker through a So not Android Milkshake then? Pay, it keeps your card information safe. 3.5mm audio jack or via optical or RCA No, nor Marzipan, Moon Pie or Marijuana. Android Pay will begin rolling out to inputs. It can be used with iOS, Android, Android continues the theme of naming Nexus devices over the next few weeks, Mac, Windows its latest versions after tasty desserts and but other phones and tablets might not and Marshmallow is the name of 6.0. Google get it until next year. Chromebook will be hoping that Marshmallow boosts devices to the number of people using Android. Not stream music that it’s struggling: it currently has 1.4 over Wi-Fi, and it billion users. works with some big names Anything particularly notable? including Spotify Google Now has been expanded so that and Google Play holding down the Home button while Music. Don’t you’re in any app – email, Maps, music or expect it to whatever – makes it scan whatever is support Apple showing on the mobile device’s screen to Music, though! look for key information. This could be

Discuss new mobile devices at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 37 HackYour

Messing with the Registry can be risky, but it can COVER also yield impressive results. Wayne Williams FEATURE presents the 27 best Registry tweaks to customise, enhance and speed up Windows

SPEED UP WINDOWS

Speed up your Start menu can reduce this delay by going to: of the taskbar buttons. Go to: When you open the Start menu or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ select a program in Windows, there’s a Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ noticeable pause. This is true regardless Explorer\Advanced Explorer\Advanced of whether you’re using Windows 7 or Find ‘DesktopLivePreviewHoverTime’ Create a new DWORD (32-bit) on the Windows 10. You can remove these and double-click it, then select the right hand side, and name it delays and make the menu feel faster by Decimal Base option and change the ‘LastActiveClick’. Set the value to 1. navigating to: value to 0 to remove the delay. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Remove problem entries from the Panel\Desktop Instantly switch to the last active Windows uninstaller Locate the entry ‘MenuShowDelay’ on window If you’ve had a problem uninstalling a the right. This is the speed at which the When you hover over a taskbar button program – for example, if the uninstall menu opens. Right-click it, select Modify in Windows 7, 8 or 10, you’ll see has gone wrong or you’ve simply and reduce the value data from 400 to thumbnails for all the open windows deleted it – you may still see it listed in around 100. The Start menu should relating to it. You can then select the the ‘Uninstall or change a program’ list open significantly more quickly when one you require, but if you’d rather save in the Control Panel. One solution is to you restart your PC. time by just opening the last active try reinstalling and then uninstalling the window instead, a simple Registry software, but if that doesn’t work, tweak will change the default behaviour navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\

Reduce the time that it takes for your Start menu to open Speed up Aero Peek When you move your mouse over the ‘Show Desktop’ button on the right of the taskbar in Windows 7, the Aero Peek feature hides everything on screen. It Save time by always switching to the last Stop programs outstaying their welcome takes a second or two to work, but you active window in the Uninstall list

38 21 October - 3 November 2015 Hack your own PC COVER OwnPC! FEATURE

any PC users deliberately of the best secret Registry hacks WAARRNNININNG!G! ThThee Windows Registry is avoid fiddling with the for boosting the performance of where the opereraating syysstteemm storessto all the MRegistry, preferring to your PC without messing it up. sesettttiinnggss thatt ar a e requuirired for WinWi dows anandd leave system tweaks to software Over the following six pages, installedstaltalled softftwware to function propopeerly. such as CCleaner. But provided we show you how to speed up the EvEveerryy titimmee yyou install a prograamm,, data ababooutut you’re careful and know how to Start menu, add a custom it gegetts writtetenn to this dadattabasese.. Becaussee thethe undo any changes you make, message to the Windows 10’s RegRegistry is susucchh aan inntteeggrraall paarrtt of the wwholee there are plenty of benefits to login screen, force Disk Cleanup Windows seett--uupp,, it’s importanantt to take carcaree delving under the bonnet of your to target newer files, remove whewhenn mmakmakiakiaking any chanangges to it.it. Any slliipp--uupp computer, such as customising unwanted entries from the coucould poteenntntitially cacauussee majmajoorr problemsms with Windows to make it look and right-click menu and much more. thethe operatinatitinggsy syststemem.. For thisthihis reasonn,, youyou behave the way you want, We also explain how and why shoshould alwayways baacckk up the Reegistegistrgigistryy bbefore speeding up your PC and turning you should back up the Registry, makinging any changegess to it, justust to be on the off features you don’t need. In and show you how to create your safe side.. See SSee stepp 3 of ouourr MMini Worksrkshohopp this feature, we’ve rounded up 27 own Registry tweaks. on page 400 ffoorr ininsstructions.

CHANGE HOW WINDOWS LOOKS

SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ Enable Windows 10’s hidden Change the Windows 10 logon CurrentVersion\Uninstall ‘dark’ theme screen to a solid colour Find the program entry you want to By default, Microsoft’s new operating If you’d prefer to remove and delete it. This won’t system uses a light theme, but you can have the uninstall the program, but it will remove unlock a dark alternative by using a Windows 10 the offending entry. It works in simple Registry tweak. Navigate to logon screen Windows 7 and upwards. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ display a colour Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ rather than an Speed up your shutdown Themes\Personalize image, which Windows waits for running applications then right-click in the right-hand pane may make it load and processes to end before it shuts and select New, DWORD (32-bit). Name Keep things simple slightly faster, with a solid-colour down, but these sometimes hang and it ‘AppsUseLightTheme’. Right-click it navigate to logon screen take ages to close. You can reduce the and select Modify. Make sure the Value HKEY_ amount of time Windows waits by Data is set to 0. LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ tweaking the Registry. Go to: Restart your PC, or log off and log on Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control again, and the dark theme will be and right-click in the right-hand pane. Panel\Desktop applied. Change the value to 1, or delete Select New, DWORD (32-bit) and name double-click HungAppTimeout and the DWORD to go back to the default it ‘DisableLogonBackgroundImage’, change the default value from 5000 to light theme. then give it a value of 1. Windows 10 will 1000. Do the same for the entry use the same colour as your Desktop WaitToKillAppTimeout. Navigate to: wallpaper. You can change this under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ Settings, Personalisation, Colours. CurrentControlSet\Control and double-click the entry Get back the old volume control in WaitToKillServiceTimeout, then change Windows 10 the value data to 1000. Windows 10 introduces a new, You can also force Windows to horizontal volume control. If you prefer automatically close any non-responding the old up-and-down vertical style, get programs by going to: it back by going to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Panel\Desktop SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\ Double-click AutoEndTasks and Give Windows 10 a darker look by CurrentVersion change the value from 0 to 1. applying its hidden theme Right-click CurrentVersion and select

21 October - 3 November 2015 39 New Key. Name it ‘MTCUVC’ and, in The values are in twips (twentieth MINI WORKSHOP the right-hand pane, right-click and of a point). Roughly, -17 is equal to Edit the Registry using create a new DWORD (32-bit). Call 1 pixel and -28 equals 2 pixels. Regedit this ‘EnableMTCUVC’. Double-click it and make sure the value is 0. You Customise window borders don’t need to reboot your PC to see and scrollbars the change. In Windows 7, you can make the size of window borders and scrollbars super-thin. Go to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control 1 Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics and set ‘PaddedBorderWidth’ to -0, and both ‘ScrollWidth’ and ‘ScrollHeight’ to -200. As with icon spacing, these values are in twips. If you want super-fat borders, change You can make the Windows 10 the figure to -750, or anything less The built-in Registry Editor (Regedit) is a volume slider vertical again than that figure. 1good tool if you only edit the Registry occasionally. Click Start and type regedit Restore the old clock and into the search or Run box (depending on the calendar in Windows 10 version of Windows you have) and hit Enter. Clicking the time in your System You may need to OK a UAC prompt. The Tray in Windows 10 opens a Registry Editor will open showing the list of transparent clock and calendar HKEYs (Handle to Registry Key) on the left. 1 panel. We quite like it, but the ‘modern’ look won’t be to everyone’s taste. If you preferred the old design, you can get it back Make your window borders fatter so by navigating to: 1 they are easier to move around 2 HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ Add the Recycle Bin to CurrentVersion\ImmersiveShell Computer or This PC Right-click in the pane on the To save you returning to the 3 right and select New, DWORD Desktop to check the Recycle Bin (32-bit). Name it for your deleted files, you can add a ‘UseWin32TrayClockExperience’. shortcut to Computer (or This PC in Right-click the entry, select Modify Windows 10) by navigating to: and set the value to 1. Now, when HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Navigating the Registry is just a matter of you click the time, it will open a SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ 2clicking the little arrows (or plus signs) panel with the classic clock and CurrentVersion\Explorer\ next to each key 1 to open up that section. calendar interface. MyComputer\NameSpace As you expand the tree, you may run out of Right-click in the pane on the space, so use the divider in the centre 2 to Change icon spacing on the right and select New, Key. Name it resize the pane accordingly. You can search Desktop {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08- for a particular key 3 by going to Edit, Find. If you’re running Windows 8 or 10, 00AA002F954E}. Now, when you you can adjust the horizontal and go into Computer, you should see vertical spacing around icons on the Recycle Bin. This works in all the Desktop by tweaking the versions of Microsoft’s OS, from 1 Registry (Windows 7 offers controls Windows 7 to 10. to do this). Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics and look for the ‘IconSpacing’ 2 and ‘IconVerticalSpacing’ keys. Increase the number for each to pad out the spacing between icons.

Always back up the Registry before Create a shortcut to the Recycle Bin 3making changes. Right-click Computer 1 for easier access and select Export. 2 Choose a save location and name your backup. The full Registry Remove the arrows from backup will be very large, but you can just shortcuts back up selected branches, by right-clicking When you create a shortcut (or a and exporting those. If you need to, double- program creates one for you), the click a saved backup to import or restore it. Move your icons further apart to icon appears with a small arrow in prevent accidentally clicking them the bottom-left corner. Removing

40 21 October - 3 November 2015 Hack your own PC COVER FEATURE

change the Value Data to ‘C:\Windows\ trick works in all recent versions System32\shell32.dll,50’. of Windows. Close the Registry editor, click Start and type CMD. Hit enter. In the Add a custom message to your Command Prompt window, type: login screen taskkill /IM explorer.exe /F You can add a message of your choice and hit Enter. This will close Windows to the Windows 10 login screen that will Explorer, so don’t be alarmed when the be the first thing you see when it boots Remove the arrows from shortcuts to taskbar vanishes. Next, type the up. To do this, navigate to: make them look cleaner following three commands, hitting Enter HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ this will make shortcut icons look tidier. after each one: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ To do this, navigate to: cd /d %userprofile%\AppData\ Current Version\Policies\System HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ Local Double-click ‘legalnoticecaption’ and SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ del IconCache.db /a enter a title for your message in the CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons shutdown /r Value Data box. Click OK. Double-click (if you don’t see Shell Icons, you’ll This final command will restart your ‘legalnoticetext’ and enter your need to create this key). Right-click the PC. When it reboots, the shortcut message. Log out, and the message will right-hand pane to create a new String arrows will be gone. To restore them, appear when you log back in. To clear it Value. Name it ‘29’. Double-click it and simply delete the 29-string value. This each time, click OK.

IMPROVE HOW WINDOWS WORKS

Remove the Action Center from your PC, you may have noticed that it Windows 10 leaves newer files behind. You can force The Action Center is a new feature in it to clean up these more recent junk Windows 10 that displays notifications files in any version of Windows by from apps and your system. If you don’t navigating to: need it (and most people don’t), you HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ can remove it by going to: SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\ Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer. VolumeCaches\Temporary Files Right-click in the right-hand pane and Double-click ‘LastAccess’ and change select New, DWORD (32-bit) its value from 7 (days) to 0 to delete all Call it ‘DisableNotificationCenter’. newer files. Double-click it and change the Value Data to 1. Click OK and exit the Registry Clean up your right-click menu by removing unwanted entries Editor. The Action Center will vanish from the taskbar when you next restart themselves to the context menu will be your PC. displayed. To remove an entry, just select and delete it, but make sure you know what it is before you get rid of it. This works in all versions of Windows.

Disable Security Center notifications Make sure Disk Cleanup deletes the latest Windows runs regular checks to make junk files from your PC sure important security functions – such as your antivirus, firewall and Windows Stop Windows Update restarting Updates – are running, and alerts you if your PC Remove the Action Center to hide there’s a problem. If you’ve deliberately Being forced to restart your PC to install Windows 10 notifications turned off these security features, being updates when you’re in the middle of alerted to the change can soon become something can be annoying and Remove unwanted entries from annoying. To disable these alerts, go to: time-consuming, but Windows Update the right-click menu HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ is very persistent. You can stop it from The right-click ‘context’ menu gives you SOFTWARE \Microsoft\Security bothering you in Windows 7 and Vista instant access to various options that Center\Svc (later versions don’t have this problem) change depending on where you are in In ‘AntiVirusDisableNotify’, by tweaking the Registry. Go to: Windows and what software you have ‘FirewallDisableNotify’ and/or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ installed. The menu can become ‘UpdatesDisableNotify’, change the SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ cluttered over time and fill up with values from 0 to 1. This works in Windows\WindowsUpdate\AU entries you don’t use. To manage the Windows 7 and 8.1, but not in 10. then right-click in the right-hand context menu entries using the Registry, pane and choose New, DWORD navigate to Force Disk Cleanup to delete (32-bit) Value. Name the value HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shellex\ newer files ‘NoAutoRebootWithLoggedOnUsers’, ContextMenuHandlers If you use the built-in Windows Disk then double-click it, enter a value data A list of programs that have added Cleanup tool to remove junk files from of 1 and click OK.

21 October - 3 November 2015 41 If the WindowsUpdate\AU entry MINI WORKSHOP doesn’t exist, right-click Windows, Edit the Registry using choose New, Key and name the key Registry Finder WindowsUpdate. Now right-click this key, choose New, Key and name it AU.

Turn off the Aero Snap feature 1 2 In Windows 7, open windows snap Stop thumbnail previews appearing above taskbar items to the side of the screen. If you find this annoying, you can stop it helpful, you can disable it by happening by navigating to: navigating to: HKEY_CURRENT_ USER\Control HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Panel\Desktop Software\Microsoft\Windows\ Find the entry CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced ‘WindowArrangementActive’, Locate ‘ExtendedUIHoverTime’ double-click the value and change on the right (create it if it isn’t there) The Windows Registry Editor does a it to 0. and double-click it. Change the 1perfectly good job, but the free tool value to something like 10000. This Registry Finder (registry-finder.com) is a is the time, in milliseconds, before better option that makes it easier to find the preview appears, so a large specific keys and perform simple edits. It number will stop it popping up. looks similar to Regedit, with the list of HKEYs down the left 1 and the details on the Change Microsoft Edge’s right. 2 default download location Edge is still very much a work-in- progress browser, with many important features currently 2 missing. It’s possible to change the Prevent windows from ‘snapping’ to the side of the screen default download location but, frustratingly, not in the browser 1 Disable the Aero Shake itself. To get around this, go to: feature HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Windows 7 lets you grab a window Software\Microsoft\Windows\ by the CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell title bar, Folders and and locate ‘%USERPROFILE%\ shake it Downloads’ on the right. Double- Navigate the Registry in the same way, by about to click the entry and change the value 2clicking the + signs. 1 Registry Finder minimise to a new location, such as Desktop. displays the current location in a handy Turning off Aero Shake all other Restart your PC. address bar. 2 You can copy and paste makes you less likely to open strings into this box, which makes jumping to accidentally minimise windows open windows a particular point in the Registry incredibly on your simple. screen. It’s an amusing effect, but if you don’t need it, disable it by navigating to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ 1 3 Software\Policies\Microsoft\ Windows Right-click ‘Windows’, select New, Key, and name it Explorer. Right- click in the right-hand pane and You can change the location where create a new DWORD (32-bit). Call 2 Edge downloads files to it ‘NoWindowMinimizingShortcuts’ and change the value to 1. You need Remove OneDrive from File to restart your PC for the change to Explorer in Windows 10 take effect Microsoft’s cloud storage service is You’ll need to run the program in admin built into Windows 10. If you don’t 3mode to make any changes. Registry Disable or delay taskbar use it, you can prevent it from being tweaks can be undone and redone using the previews included in File Explorer (this tweak buttons on the toolbar. 1 The History strip at When you hover your mouse over won’t actually uninstall the service). the bottom 2 lets you view the changes an open program or folder in the Navigate to: you’ve made. The forward and back buttons taskbar, Windows displays a HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\ 3 work in the same way as their counterparts thumbnail preview. This happens in {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53- in a web browser. Windows 7, 8+ and 10. If you find 224DE2ED1FE6} this feature annoying rather than then double-click the value name

42 21 October - 3 November 2015 Hack your own PC COVER FEATURE

CREATE YOUR OWN REGISTRY HACKS

Once you’ve applied a Registry tweak to one PC, you may want to repeat it on another computer. Instead of going through the whole If you don’t use OneDrive, you can remove process again, you can output your tweak as a Registry hack that can be run it from File Explorer elsewhere (this will merge the changes with the target device’s Registry). ‘System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree’ All you need to do is select the key you made the change to, right click it, and change the value to 0. Restart your choose Export and give it a name. If your tweak involves more than one key, PC to make the change. save each one, then right-click your first saved REG file and select Edit. Open the second key and paste the main [Hkey] part below the first. You will need Remove the Quick Access entry to have ‘Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00’ entered at the top of the from File Explorer page. This should only appear once in the REG file. If you’d prefer not to have your most recently opened files and folders appear in File Explorer, you can remove Quick ‘ShellFolder’, double-click ‘Attributes’, Disable the Caps Lock key in Access and keep that information and change data value to ‘a0600000’, Windows private. First, hide the feature by going then click OK. Restart your PC. It’s very easy to knock the Caps Lock to View, Options. Under the General tab, key accidentally, so that you end up change ‘Open File Explorer to’ from Remove low drive-space alerts TYPING WHOLE SENTENCES IN ‘Quick access’ to ‘This PC’. Next, open Windows will notify you when you’re CAPITALS. It’s not vital to have Caps Regedit and navigate to: running out of space on your hard drive, Lock enabled, because you can just hold HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\ which is down Shift when you need to type CLSID{679f85cb-0220-4080-b29b- helpful, upper-case letters. To disable the Caps 5540cc05aab6} but can Lock key, navigate to: Expand it and right-click ‘ShellFolder’. become HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ Select Permissions, then click the irritating CurrentControlSet\Control\Keyboard Advanced button. In the ‘Advanced – it’s Layout Security Settings for ShellFolder’ box, more Right-click anywhere in the right-hand click the ‘Change’ link, then click common pane and choose New, Binary Value. ‘Advanced’, click the ‘Find Now’ button on Stop Windows reminding Name the value ‘Scancode Map’ and and, in the ‘Search results’ box, select laptops you that you’re running out double-click it. Now comes the tricky ‘Administrators’. Click OK twice, then than of space part. On the first line, enter the value Apply, and hit OK until the box closes. In desktop PCs. You can disable this data: 0000 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 prompt in Windows 7 onwards by (the first four zeros will be filled in navigating to: automatically, then it’s another eight HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ pairs). On the second line 0008 will be Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ filled in automatically for you; after this, Policies type 02 00 00 00 00 00 3A 00. Finally, Right-click ‘Policies’ and select New, after the 0010 on the third line, type 00 Key. Call this new key ‘Explorer’, then 00 00 00. Click OK to save the data, right-click it and select New, DWORD restart your PC and Caps Lock will be (32-bit). Call the value disabled. To turn it back on again, just Protect your privacy by removing Quick ‘NoLowDiskSpaceChecks’. Double-click delete the Scancode Map value and Access from File Explorer it and change the value to 1. restart your PC. NEXT ISSUE on sale Wednesday 4 November 2015 BEST NEW APPS PLUS... DOWNGRADE SOFTWARE Undo updates to revert to your FOR ANY TASK preferred versions of programs HACK YOUR DOORBELL We round up the best free Avoid unwanted visitors – tools to make your phone screen them from your phone STOP YOUR PC DYING and tablet work faster, Spot when something’s wrong last longer and stay safe and act before it’s too late from security threats SUBSCRIBE TO WEB USER AT SUBSCRIBE.WEBUSER.CO.UK

21 October - 3 November 2015 43 Best iOS content blockers

With the release of iOS 9, Apple has opened up Safari to content- blocking software, to keep your mobile browser free of ads and other distractions. But which of these new apps is the best? Andy Shaw puts them to the test

Purify Blocker | £1.49 | bit.ly/purify382 | ★★★★★ FEATURES ★★★★★ PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ EASE OF USE ★★★★★ VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★★★

What we liked: UnUnllike many of the other content blockers in this test, Purify isn’t free. However, we think thathat £1.49 is well worth payiingng for its handy selection of configuration tools that let you set up the app so it blocks exactly the items you want to block. site’s intended There are five basic blocking options, layout remains with ‘Ads and Tracking’ selected by intact. default. You can also block ‘Social You can Buttons and Comments’ if you’re not in whitelist sites the mood for sharing. There are directly from additional options to turn off images, Safari by scripts and fonts, so you can strip tapping the a website back to its basic elements if Share button and selecting to add the social buttons and comments into you wish. whitelist icon to the row of tools. separate options, because you might Purify does a good job of blocking Whenever you want to add a site to the conceivably want to block one of these items, catching and removing all the ads whitelist, you just click the icon or while maintaining access to the other. on sites that use generic advert-hosting manage the list from the app’s systems such as Google’s, and also preferences. filtering out insidious and annoying ads OUR VERDICT that pop over or surround a site’s What we don’t like Purify has a good balance of content. YouTube ads are blanked out The app’s design is basic and functional, options. It offers more rather than removed, so you still have to which doesn’t make you feel as if you’re customisations than the basic ‘stop wait a few seconds before an ad- getting good value for your money. Also, everything’ apps without getting supported video plays. Similarly, on some of the options are linked, so you too complicated. It isn’t free, but we some sites, there are empty spaces in can’t block one thing without the other. think £1.49 is a small sum to pay for place of the blocked ads, so screen This makes sense with adverts and such a useful and configurable app. space is still wasted but at least the tracking, but it would be better to split

44 21 October - 3 November 2015 iOS content blockers

Adblock Plus | Free | bit.ly/adblock382 | ★★★★★ BEST OF THE REST FEATURES ★★★★★ PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ EASE OF USE ★★★★★ VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★★★ F-Secure AdBlocker | Free bit.ly/fsec382 What we liked: F-Secure’s AdBlocker has hardly AdAdbblock Plus has any customisation options, beyond its own content- turning it on or off. However, you blocking can tap browser and hold available for iOS Safari’s butbut is now also reload available as a standard iOS button to blocker for Safari. Like all the other How it can be improved: add sites versions of Adblock Plus, it’s free, and There aren’t many options to play with, to its makes revenue by charging publishers other than letting through advertisers whitelist, to join its ‘acceptable ads’ policy rather that subscribe to its ‘acceptable ads’ which is than making you pay for the app. This program. It also annoyed us that the handy if policy is implemented via a whitelist app itself tries hard to push you into you want to support a particular that’s switched on by default, though it switching to Adblock Plus’s own iOS site or find one that won’t otherwise can be adjusted if you still want to block browser. load properly. It blocked all the sites that Adblock deems acceptable. basic ads we tested it against, but it The blocker is relatively basic, didn’t block adverts on YouTube. concentrating on adverts and trackers, OUR VERDICT but nothing else. With the acceptable- Adblock Plus rules the roost when it Crystal | 79p ads filter in operation, you’re still faced comes to blocking ads in browsers bit.ly/crystal382 with a significant amount of advertising, and elsewhere, so it’s no surprise to Crystal did a good job of removing but we found during our tests that the see it win an award. It’s free to ads from most of the websites that most invasive ones were successfully download, so it’s a good option if we tested it on. It also squashes blocked. However, it also took out ads you don’t want to spend any money, sites up and over the gaps left by on the Guardian website, which but we preferred having the extra ads, so appeared no worse than some it blocking options offered by Purify. you don’t removed from other sites. see ugly empty spaces 1Blocker | Free (£2.29 in-app purchase) | bit.ly/1block382 where adverts FEATURES ★★★★★ PERFORMANCE ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ have been EASE OF USE ★★★★★ VALUE FOR MONEY ★★★★★ removed. Its tools are very basic, however, What we liked: with no extra settings to tweak and 1B1Bllockr is free if all you no option to whitelist pages that want to do is block you want to support, which is a bit adverts, but it also has a disappointing in a paid-for app. huge collection of other totoools available. You can Freedom | Free chchooose one of these to use bit.ly/free382 for free, or make an in-app Freedom is another free ad blocker purchase of £2.29 to use any or all of and, like most free options, it has no them at the same time. The list is settings to tinker with. It also failed impressive and far longer than any of to block all ads. When we tested it the other programs we tested, letting on the Sky News site, for example, it you block specific URLs, cookies, CSS most extras. If you don’t want to pay, only page elements, trackers, social media you could run it alongside another ad blocked widgets, custom fonts, Disqus blocker and just use one of its tools at one comments and more. a time. Google The app did a good job of blocking AdChoices most ads, including Google ads and the advert at a more invasive ones we ran it past. It also OUR VERDICT time blocked YouTube ads by adding a few This is (potentially) the most – when seconds of blank screen to the start of expensive app in this group but it one was videos. The extra blocks all appeared to also has the most options and, if blocked, work well when we tested them, too. you pay, you can run them all at the another appeared. Reloading the same time. If you want complete page caused the blocked ads to How it can be improved: control over what you see in your switch. It’s really not worth the time 1Blocker is the most expensive content browser, it’s worth the investment. you spend downloading it. blocker in this test, but it also has the

Discuss iOS content blockers at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 45 BOOST YOUR SECURITY using hacker tricks

Protect yourself from cybercriminals by using their own tools to fight them. Robert Irvine explains the best free and legal ways to turn the tables on the bad guys

TEST THE STRENGTH OF YOUR PASSWORD

It’s a common misconception that come up with the websites store their users’ login details strongest password – in plain text, which would mean that and therefore the most when passwords are stolen in a security ‘uncrackable’ hash breach, the hackers have instant access – possible, and we to your account. In fact, any site that don’t just mean using cares about security will convert your a mixture of numbers sign-up password into a string of and letters (we’re sure characters called a hash, which it stores you know that one in its database. When you sign into the already!). To find out site, it generates a hash of the password whether your password you type and compares it to the hash in can be easily its database; if the hashes match, then ‘unhashed’, type it into you’ll be logged in. Sadly, hashes don’t a secure online hash provide a failsafe means of protecting generator such as CrackStation instantly deciphered the hash of the most commonly used password your account, because hackers can QuickHash.com generate huge lists of every possible (https://quickhash.com), select an still 123456 – into QuickHash.com, and combination of password, generate algorithim with which to hash it (SHA- then copy the hash into CrackStation, it hashes for each one and then use the 256, SHA-512 and Whirlpool are among instantly comes up green and throws resulting database to crack the code. the most secure) and click the button to the weedy password back at us. In generate your hash. contrast, a combination of upper and Make sure your hash can’t Copy the string of characters to lowercase letters, numbers and symbols be cracked CrackStation (https://crackstation.net), is likely to leave it baffled. The best way to foil the hackers is to which uses a massive database containing billions of hashes Why your hash should to try to crack passwords with always be salted the same hashes (you may Naturally, many hackers have access to need to complete a CAPTCHA much more powerful tools with even first). If it succeeds, it will larger databases than CrackStation’s, so highlight the resulting hash this doesn’t mean your password can’t and the password in green, be cracked. This is why many websites and you’ll know that your use a process called ‘salting’ for login is weak and can easily additional security. This adds a random be cracked. If it fails, both will string of characters to the password be highlighted in red and you before it’s hashed, so the resulting hash can be fairly confident that is unique every time. Many big you’re using a strong companies that have been hacked, password. including Adobe and LinkedIn, were For example, if we type in heavily criticised for not salting their Type a password into QuickHash to quickly convert it the most commonly used hashes and have changed their security to a secure hash password of 2014 – yes, it’s measures accordingly.

46 21 October - 3 November 2015 Hacker security tricks CHECK WHETHER YOUR ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED

Hackers love to boast about their version of its Email Watchdog service, exploits, but the companies they attack which costs from $10 (£6.50) per year. If aren’t always as forthcoming about you stick with the free option, it will still security breaches and sometimes don’t track one email address and notify you tell users their details have been immediately if it appears in a breach. compromised for days, weeks or even If you’re not convinced about the months. If you’re worried that one of trustworthiness of these sites, you might your accounts has been hacked and prefer PwnedList (pwnedlist.com), your email address and password stolen, which lets you look up a hash of your there are several tools that can tell you. email address rather than the plain-text Oh no! Our email address was ‘pwned’ in This information is particularly important the Adobe security breach version. Again, this tells you when rather if you use the same login for more than than where your account was hacked, one website (we all do it!). Our favourite Been Pwned is adamant that it doesn’t which might not sound like much use is Have I Been Pwned (haveibeenpwned. store any passwords or log any user but at least prevents other hackers from com), which claims to have details of data. We were annoyed to find that our knowing the exact details and using the more than 222 million accounts from the email address was one of the 153 million information to their advantage. It also leaked databases of 54 ‘pwned’ websites included in the Adobe security breach in means you’ll know to change your (‘pwned’ means ‘gained ownership of’). November 2013. password. Enter your email address or username If your account has been ‘pwned’, to see if they’ve been compromised – you’re advised to change your password this may sound risky in itself, but Have I pronto, not just on the hacked service but on any others that use the login. To stay informed of future hacks, you can receive notifications when your email address appears in a leaked database. Find out when (but not where) you were hacked BreachAlarm (breachalarm.com)– formerly Shouldichangemypassword .com, works in a different way to Have I Been Pwned. It tells you when your Have I Been Pwned tells you if one of your password was compromised but not Some tools tell you the date you were accounts has been hacked where, until you upgrade to the paid-for hacked but not the website SHARE SENSITIVE FILES SECURELY ONLINE

Most web users know that BitTorrent is to the intended recipient of your data an effective means of sending files and that no-one else will ever know. You directly to other people without anyone can find a guide to getting started with else knowing, which is why it’s used by Syncthing at bit.ly/syncthing382. many hackers to share content illegally. But last year, hackers from the Hackito Don’t let your BitTorrent Ergo Sum community thoroughly client be exploited analysed the security and privacy of the In August this year, researchers found Syncthing lets you share your sensitive official BitTorrent Sync tool (getsync files securely over the web that several popular BitTorrent clients, .com) and found several vulnerabilities including uTorrent and Vuze, contained in the service. Their conclusion was: “do want to prevent third parties from flaws that could make them vulnerable not use for sensitive data” (you can read intercepting your private data? The for use in Distributed Reflective Denial the full results of their tests at bit.ly/ Hackito Ergo Sum hackers recommend of Service (DRDoS) attacks. The hackito382). a free tool called Syncthing which, hackers could source bandwidth from So what should you use instead, if you despite being open-source, is BitTorrent ‘peers’ to flood the sites they “preferable to BitTorrent Sync”. were targeting with 50 to 120 times Available for Windows, Linux and Mac more data, and bring them down OS X, Syncthing stores files securely on without detection. For this reason, it’s your computer, rather than a central essential to update your BitTorrent server, and encrypts them when sent to software to the latest version, to patch other people by using TLS (Transport the vulnerability, or you risk being Layer Security) “to prevent any exploited by hackers. We wouldn’t eavesdropper from ever gaining access recommend using uTorrent, anyway, to your data”. It lets you share as many because of the rubbish it now comes folders as you need and doesn’t reveal bundled with. Deluge (deluge-torrent BitTorrent Sync is fast and easy use, but it your IP address; instead, your computer .org) is a safer alternative and has a may not be completely secure is identified by a unique ID that you give similar, simple interface.

Discuss security tools at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 47 LEAVE IT ON OR SWITCH IT OFF?

There’s much debate about whether you should leave your devices switched on all the time or turn them off when they’re not in use. Rob Beattie weighs up the pros and cons

YOUR PC Why leave it on? on. That ‘kick’ also causes the Turning off your machine may save Mainly, for convenience.Despite recent components – including SSDs – to heat electricity, but it’s a negligable amount improvements to Windows’ boot-up up, and overheating is one of the main when compared with other kilowatt- speed,it’s still not fast enough, and causes of PC breakdown. Meanwhile, a guzzling appliances in your home. we’ve got better things to do than hang lot of system software (Windows, about waiting for a PC to start up or antivirus, online backup, browser Verdict: shut down. The popularity of tablets add-ons) goes about its business in the On, but restart it a couple of and smartphones that turn on instantly background, and turning off your times a month has made us even more intolerant of machine prevents this from happening. slow startup, and it’s more convenient to simply nudgeyour mouse or tapthe Why switch it off? spacebar to coax your desktop PC back You often need to switch off (or into life. at least restart) your PC to finish Switching your PC on and off all the installing software updates that time also leads to wear and tear on its otherwise sit there waiting to components, especially if you’re using complete. These days, Windows an older machine with mechanical is such a complicated beast that drives that need to spin up and spin an occasional restart will solve down. Every time you switch on your niggling problems such as low PC, it gets a little electrical ‘kick’ from memory, and generally benefit the mains supply as everything grinds performance and into gear, and this uses the components improve more than if the machine is always left stability.

YOUR PHONE OR TABLET Why leave it on? notifications – even old-fashioned disappear – at least temporarily. If One of the main advantages of phone calls – the moment they arrive, you’re not bothered about staying in owning a tablet or smartphone is that you’ll need to leave the device switched constant contact, turning off your you’re always connected, so if you on. Both iOS and Android are pretty device while you charge it overnight want to receive important emails, good at limiting the problems that can speeds up the process and keeps the Facebook messages, WhatsApp be caused by buggy apps, so there’s not temperature down. On a less much benefit in restarting your device if technological note, you should also something goes pear-shaped. It’s far consider switching off your phone more convenient to ‘force stop’ the when you’re out for the evening individual app, then start it because there’s nothing sadder than again. a table of people in a pub or restaurant all looking at their phones Why switch it off? instead of each other. And if you If you don’t want to be leave it on in the cinema, you deserve tracked by your friends and to be kneecapped by the usher. family using an app such as Apple’s Find My Friends, Verdict: for example, then just turn On. But give yourself, your off your phone. It’s the device and those around simple, foolproof way to you the occasional ‘off’ break.

48 21 October - 3 November 2015 Leave devices on or off

device connected to your network. Moreover, every time you turn your router off and back on again, it has to resynchronise with the local exchange and there’ll be some back and forth of data before it achieves the fastest, most stable connection again.

Why switch it off? Merchants of doom warn about unnecessary electricity consumption YOUR ROUTER (by our reckoning about £1 per month Why leave it on? – tops) and hint that older models may Following a query from Web User forum be a fire hazard (in which case,just get member The Badger, our Practical rid of the device and buy a new one). pages have been full of discussion about this. The main benefit of leaving it Verdict: on is, obviously, that you can instantly On. And that’s our final word access your beloved internet from any on the subject, The Badger!

YOUR PRINTER OR SCANNER Why leave it on? Because printers, scanners and all-in-ones are designed to be left YOUR WIRELESS alone to look after themselves. Most TECHNOLOGY modern devices of this type will go Why leave it on? to sleep if they haven’t been used for So many different services and about 20 minutes, but keep just enough devices rely on technologies such juice running so they can ‘hear’ an switch rather than turning it off at the as GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth – incoming fax (remember those?) mains or yanking out the cable, because including maps, social networks, coming through or, more commonly, a most devices go through a proper shut photo tools, weather apps, dating print request from your PC. down/startup process to make sure services and many more – that their print heads are safely ‘parked’. you’ll miss them when they’re not Why switch it off? available. And although each of If you’re not going to be using the device Verdict: those apps sucks a little bit of life for a day or two, you might as well turn On. The electricity you’ll out of your battery, the whole it off because you’ll save a little bit of save is hardly worth the point of mobile devices is their power. Always use the proper on/off trouble of switching it off. connectivity, so why on Earth would you want to turn them off?

Why switch it off? YOUR LAPTOP You should turn off Bluetooth (the Why leave it on? world’s least favourite wireless Laptops share many of the same technology) unless you’re using an characteristics as desktop PCs, so much external mini keyboard or hands- of the same advice applies. The only free headset with your phone, special consideration is battery life. because it makes big demands on Laptop manufacturers consider the battery. For the same reason, batteries to be consumables (like printer lose the Wi-Fi because your device cartridges) that have a will otherwise be constantly finite number of looking for hotspots and trying to charge cycles, so it’s connect to them, even when it to your advantage to can’t. You can also save battery life leave the laptop plugged in and running through those charge cycles like it’s by turning off Location Services, off the mains whenever you can, supposed to. with the added benefit of not because this will extend the usable life informing Apple, Google and the of your battery. Verdict: rest of the world where you are at Both, but the every given moment. Why switch it off? question is not so Laptop batteries are designed to be much ‘on or off?’ as ‘mains or battery?’ Verdict: charged and then discharged; if you The answer is: mains when it’s Off. Save battery life only ever run your computer off the available, battery when it’s not. All and protect your privacy mains, then the battery life will degrade batteries degrade but balanced usage until you need to use the apps. more quickly because it’s not running will make yours last longer.

Discuss switching off gadgets at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 49 Broadband Deals

tle In the next issue of our sister ti Computeractive… SNEAK PREVIEW!

• WINDOWS 10: THE FIRST 100 DAYS • Don’t buy Office 2016 – The full story behind Microsoft’s the best free alternatives controversial new operating system • Boost your PC using the • What you must never, ever click online new CCleaner Cloud On sale Subscribe at www.getcomputeractive.co.uk Weds 50 00 - 00 Month 2015 Find broadband help at forum.webuser.co.uk 28 Oct Take a Screen Break

Give your eyes a rest from your browser by taking our fiendish fortnightly challenges. Can you unravel our gadget- themed word search and guess our TV-show emoji?

PIGPRSOIBZJL WEB USER WORD SEARCH JLCTUOANFZYE Can you find the following devices in the grid on the right? Names may appear ISAXVTKFMPXC vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and forwards or backwards MCEYJEOUAQBH

CHROMECAST KNKASXLPFQOR GOPRO UVZTQTEDPEXO IPAD IPADKRAPNIEM IPHONE KINDLE AHZLWSOTOIEE NEXUS ENOHPIRDIEKC PAPERWHITE PLAYSTATION CDIQTEPMDOVA ROKU MTKDTJOCFMNS XBOX EKGENYGEIQBT

CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE TV SHOWS FROM THE EMOJI?

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Get the answers online at www.webuser.co.uk/quiz382 COMPETITIONS WO RTH WORTH £69.99 £99.95 WIN 1 OF 5 EACH WIN 1 OF 3 EACH MAGIX Music Maker 2016 Live Pinnacle Studio 19 Ultimate MAGIX Music Maker 2016 Live lets you The latest version of Corel’s Pinnacle bring your musical ideas to life. You can Studio Ultimate is packed with new use drag-and-drop tools to combine tools to boost your videos, including sounds and loops, record your own multi-camera editing, which lets you studio-quality vocals and compose work with footage from six cameras, melodies with the MIDI editor. It and Audio Ducking, which lowers includes ‘soundpools’ for hip hop, rock, background noise when it detects pop and chillout, among other genres. audio and narration. To enter, email To enter, email your address to webusercomp@dennis your address to [email protected] with .co.uk with ‘music’ in the subject line. For more info, visit ‘pinnacle’ in the subject line. For more info, visit www www.magix.com/gb and follow @MAGIX_INT on Twitter. .pinnaclesys.com and follow @corelsoftware on Twitter.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/webusermagazine 21 October - 3 November 2015 51 Practical 16 pages of workshops, tips, projects and problem solving

Extend Paint.NET with Photoshop filters | www.getpaint.net You can now use image-editing filters designed for Photoshop in Paint.NET, and it won’t cost you a penny. Here’s what you need to do

dobe Photoshop costs hundreds plug-ins, so you can extend its of pounds, which is far more than capabilities further. With the right A most of us would be willing to plug-in installed, you can use filters spend on image-editing software. designed for Photoshop to create Paint.NET – originally designed as a professional-looking works of art with basic replacement for Windows Paint – is the minimum of effort. While all the a free alternative that offers many of the filters should work without any same tools, including support for layers, problems, the software suffered from the levels, unlimited undo and special occasional crash when we used it, so effects. It even supports third-party make sure you save your work regularly.

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First, install the PSFilterPDN plug-in. You don’t need to run the 1 Download the latest version from 2 PSFilterShim.exe file, just copying it psfilterpdn.codeplex.com. Open and the DLL into the folder is enough to Paint.NET’s effects folder in Explorer. It’s install it. Open Paint.NET and click usually at C:\Program Files\Paint.NET\ Effects. 1 You should see a new 8bf Effects. Unzip the plug-in and copy Filter entry. 2 This shows that the plug-in PSFilterShim.exe 1 and PSFilterPdn.dll 2 is working as intended. If you don’t see it, to the Effects 3 folder. Click OK. close Paint.NET and repeat step 1.

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There’s no point in running the Unzip the download and drag the .8bf Download and install any other filters 3 plug-in until you’ve installed some 4 file to Paint.NET’s Effects folder. Open 5 that take your fancy. You don’t need filters. You can install any Photoshop a photo in Paint.NET and go to Effects, to restart Paint.NET each time. Box filters with the 8bf extension. Richard 8bf Filter. In the window that opens, click Fitting uses different-sized boxes to Rosenman’s site (richardrosenman.com/ the plus sign next to Richard Rosenman make up your photo. You can change the shop) has several free ones. Browse and and select the filter to apply. 1 Click the number 1 and size 2 of the boxes. Seed download any of the free choices, such Run Filter button, 2 adjust the settings 3 3 displays different variations. You can as Pixelate. 1 and click OK 4 to apply the effect. alter the colour of the boxes, too. 4

52 21 October - 3 November 2015 Workshop 1

FLAMING PEAR FILTERS Flaming Pear’s free collection offers 72 different filters, most of which are excellent. We’ve used Zephyr on this picture

PROGRESS BAR Some filters can take a long time to apply, so keep an eye on this bar to make sure it’s working and hasn’t crashed SHOW ABOUT BOX Tick this to bring up a splash screen showing the creator of the selected filter

KYOTO COLOR Kyoto Color is one of a few Flaming Pear filters to offer settings. Use the sliders and Glue menu to change the look of your image

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Not all Richard Rosenman’s filters are Buddhabrot produces stunning Flaming Pear (bit.ly/pear382) also 6 designed to be applied to existing 7 abstract fractal art. Select the type of 8 has several free Photoshop filters. photographs. The Barnsley Fern Fractal, fractal 1 (Mandelbrot is a good choice) ChromaSolarize 1 applies a light- for example, generates fractal art from and adjust the sliders 2 to change the sensitive contrast to the colours. There scratch. You can adjust the settings, 1 settings. Clicking Rnd 3 produces a are no settings to play around with – just scale 2 and colour. 3 The default design random result. Adjusting the Preview and make a selection and click Run Filter. 2 is a fern, but it can be manipulated to Final Render 4 time improves the quality Some filters take a while to apply, so be create different variations. 4 of the preview 5 and finished artwork. patient.

Subscribe to Web User at www.dennismags.co.uk/webuser 21 October - 3 November 2015 53 Workshop 2 Get personalised news updates in your inbox

TaskPipes: taskpipes.com | 10 mins | Any browser

askPipes is a powerful, free service that lets you extract data from a web page, email or spreadsheet, then T manipulate it in any way you like before exporting it using a range of options. There are endless uses for such a tool but, in this Workshop, we’ve shown you how to create a ‘pipe’ that extracts news stories and their URLs from Alphr’s Technology feed (www.alphr.com/technology), then emails you an update at the same time each day. RSS feeds are interpreted by TaskPipes as several columns of data, which you can clean and standardise so they are presented exactly how you want. You can delete and rearrange columns as required, sort the data and even filter entries you don’t want to see, giving you an unparalleled level of control over what you receive. By understanding what TaskPipes can do, you should be able to take advantage of the service’s impressive tools to automate other data-related tasks, which can save you an enormous amount of time.

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Visit taskpipes.com, click ‘Use now’ 1 and enter your Paste the RSS feed address of a website you follow (for details to set up an account. You’ll receive an email example, www.alphr.com/technology/feed) into the box 2 labelled ‘Enter the external URL...’ 1 1 containing a link; just click it to confirm. Next, click My and click the Accept Pipes and select View next to New Pipe. Data button. 2 A preview of the feed appears below.

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Because we’re only interested in the RSS feed’s ‘title’, To move the ‘title’ column to the left-hand side, click Add ‘pubDate’ and ‘link’ fields, the remaining columns can be New Step, More and Move Column. Choose ‘3: title’ from 3 hidden. To do this, click Add New Step, 1 4 the first drop-down menu 1 More, then and leave the second as Remove Multiple Columns. 2 Select the appropriate Start Start. 2 Click Save. 3 Column and End Column, then click Save.

54 21 October - 3 November 2015 Workshop 2

EXPERT TIP Edward Munn says Using the Trigger outlined in Step 9, you can run your pipe by simply sending an email to a specified address. To make this even quicker, try using IFTTT’s Do Button (bit.ly/do382) to send the email directly from your smartphone’s home screen.

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To sort the articles by date, click Add New Step and Sort. You can use TaskPipes to filter any content that you don’t Choose ‘3: pubDate’ from the Column drop-down menu 1 want to receive from the RSS feed. If, for example, you’re 5 and select Descending 2 as the Order before selecting 6 not interested in reading stories about Apple, click Add Save 3 again. New Step and select Filter. Next choose ‘1: title’, 1 Does Not Contain 2 and type Apple in the Value field. 3

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To have the results of your pipe emailed to you each time Once you’re happy with your pipe, you can rename it to it’s run, click Add New Step, then select More and ‘Send something more memorable by clicking the Edit button. 7 email’. Enter your email address, 1 subject 2 and 8 1 To set the pipe to be run on a schedule or when you message, 3 then click Save. To test the pipe, click Run. 4 send an email to a specified address, click Triggers. 2

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TaskPipes shows the ‘Send an email’ option 1 by default. If you want your Pipe to run on a schedule, click the Choose a memorable email address that describes your ‘Run on a Schedule’ tab 1 and choose Daily, Weekly 9 2 10 2 pipe to prefix the @run.taskpipes.com ending. You can or Monthly from the drop-down menu. Make sure run the pipe at any time by simply sending an email to this you remember to click ‘Change time zone’ 3 because it is set address. to UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) by default.

Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 55 Workshop 3 Find Windows 10’s hidden recovery tools n previous versions of Windows, you could get to Safe Mode troubleshooting tools – it’s just not by booting up the PC and pressing one of the function keys. obvious how you get to them. In this I Although this no longer works in Windows 10, the OS still has Workshop, we’ll show you what recovery a Safe Mode, along with a range of other handy tools are available and how to find them. Windows 10: bit.ly/win382 | 20 mins | Windows 10

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Open the Start menu and click Settings, then ‘Update & On the ‘Choose an option’ screen, click Troubleshoot. security’. Click Recovery 1 and, under the ‘Advanced Choose to ‘Reset this PC’ or select ‘Advanced options’. 1 2 2 start-up’ section, click the ‘Restart now’ button. ‘Reset this PC’ refreshes your Windows installation but Alternatively, click Start, Power, then hold down the Shift key removes apps and settings. Use ‘Keep my files’ 1 or ‘Remove and click Restart. everything’, 2 but use both options with caution.

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Less drastic tools are available in the ‘Advanced options’ Click System Restore 1 to access your recent restore menu. System Image Recovery 1 can restore a snapshot points, which might be enough to roll back your PC if 3 of your hard drive created with Backup & Restore. 4 you’ve installed something and you’re having trouble Start-up Repair 2 is an automatic process that can scan and fix reversing it. If you’ve had enough of Windows 10, use ‘Go back any problems Windows is having when loading. to the previous build’. 2

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Start-up Settings can help you get Windows going, even if If you can’t boot into Windows, you can’t reboot into there’s something wrong with it. Select the option from these recovery tools – unless you’ve got a Windows disc 5 the Advanced menu to see a list of options, including 6 or a USB recovery drive. Download a Windows ISO for various types of Safe Mode. 1 Use the F1 to F9 keys to select writing to a DVD at bit.ly/winiso382 or create a recovery drive an option or press F10 to see even more options. 2 on a USB stick by searching for ‘create a recovery drive’. 1

56 21 October - 3 November 2015 Workshop 4 Make and share your own online quiz here are loads of entertaining quizzes on the web, but if In this Workshop, we show you how to you want to add to the fun, it’s remarkably simple to create a free account on the site and start T create one of your own. QuizUp makes this very easy to making quizzes that you can challenge your do, letting you set up quizzes on any topic. friends and family with. QuizUp: quizup.com | 10 mins | Any browser

1 1

Visit QuizUp and click Sign Up to create an account. Choose a tagline for your topic, 1 then follow the From the homepage, click ‘Start here’, 1 then ‘Let’s do on-screen steps to select its language, category and an 1 this’ to create your own quiz topic. Enter a descriptive 2 icon. After confirming this information, you can begin name for your quiz topic and then click Next. writing questions for your quiz.

1 2 1

3 2

Click Add New Question to enter your first question. All questions are multiple choice and are randomly The question must fit within the top box, 1 which is selected and displayed when your quiz is played. To 3 limited to 150 characters. Below it, you need to write a 4 give users a pictorial hint, you can click the picture icon single correct answer in the green box 2 and three incorrect 1 to add an image to the question. Once you’re happy with a answers in the remaining boxes. 3 question and its answers, click Save Question. 2

3 2

1

1 2

Repeat this process until you have added at least seven Use ‘Share URL’ 1 to share your quiz with your friends questions, then tick the box to agree to QuizUp’s terms and family. Their Rankings will appear on the Rankings 5 and conditions. 1 2 2 3 Click Create Topic. To test your 6 page. Click the Questions tab to add, delete or completed quiz, click Play from the ‘Topic page’. edit your questions, and use the Settings page to tweak your quiz’s name, tagline and icon.

Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 57 Weekend Project MTWTFSS Get to grips with some serious PC DIY to boost your computer’s performance

to... Build your own How cloud storage

Why limit yourself to a few gigabytes of cloud storage when you could have terabytes? Wayne Williams shows you how

toring files in the cloud is a great idea because it keeps them safe in the event of problems with your S PC, and means you can access them from anywhere. There are loads of cloud storage services to choose from including Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, Apple iCloud and Microsoft OneDrive. Each offers a certain amount of storage for free, and there’s nothing to stop you from using multiple services. At some point, however, you might find yourself running out of space, and will be faced with the choice of either clearing out some files or upgrading to a paid-for account. There is a third solution, though, which is to build your own secure cloud storage.

Why create your own storage? smartphones, it will soon start to fill up. length of time, there’s always the There are lots of reasons why you might The beauty of a do-it-yourself cloud possibility. Are you happy to trust those want to set up your own cloud: it’s easy service is that you don’t have to worry companies with your personal data? to do, it’s cheaper (in the long run) than about limits; you can have several subscribing to a paid-for service, it’s terabytes of storage at your fingertips. What you’ll need more flexible and you can have as much There are two other big reasons to Creating your own cloud storage simply storage as you like. OneDrive gives new consider running your own cloud storage requires you to connect an external drive users 15GB of storage for free, which – security and reliability. While it’s to your router. There are two ways of sounds generous, but once you’ve unlikely that OneDrive or Google Drive doing this. If your router has a USB port uploaded the photos from one or two will be hacked or disappear for any great (not all of them do), you can connect a

58 21 October - 3 November 2015 Weekend Project

You can buy pre-configured cloud storage drives in a variety of shapes and sizes

drive. There are numerous makes and NAS drives connect to your router via models to choose from, but our top Ethernet and often have USB ports, recommendations are WD My Cloud which can be used to back them up to an (bit.ly/wd382), Seagate Personal Cloud attached external drive. Once the drive is (bit.ly/seagatecloud382) and LaCie set up, you can automatically back up CloudBox (bit.ly/cloudbox382), which and access content from any PC or Mac, come in a range of capacities starting as well as from smartphones and tablets from 2TB and going up to 6TB. They are via a free app. available as single-drive and dual-drive NAS drives are essentially mini systems – with the two-drive models, you computers in their own right, with their can either have double the storage or use own operating system, so they can USB drive to it. Alternatively, you can the second drive as a backup copy for control what happens on the drive and connect a Network Attached Storage the first. Prices start around £99 for a provide access to its contents. We show (NAS) drive via Ethernet. The latter 2TB WD My Cloud. you how to set up a Seagate model in option is best and offers two further our Mini Workshop, below. choices: you can either buy a ready-made cloud storage solution or Make your own storage you can use a spare internal hard If you have a spare internal hard drive drive to create your own NAS. You lying around, you can use it to create will need to buy an enclosure if you your own NAS drive. You will need to want to go down the second route, buy a NAS enclosure in order to but these are affordable and come connect the drive to your router via with free mobile apps, so you can Ethernet. The D-Link ShareCenter access your data from anywhere. 2 Bay Cloud Network Storage Enclosure (bit.ly/sharecenter382) is Buy ready-made cloud very good and has a free app you can storage download that lets you access and The easiest and least problematic NAS drives can be controlled from a web interface, stream your content on a mobile solution is to buy a ready-made NAS such as this one from the Western Digital My Cloud device. As the name suggests, the

MINI WORKSHOP | Connecting a NAS to a router

3 2

2

1 1 3 1 2

Getting started couldn’t be simpler. You can access Seagate Personal First, install any available firmware 1 Connect the Seagate (or any other 2 Cloud through Windows Explorer. 3 updates. The web interface displays NAS) to a spare Ethernet port on your There are folders Music, Photos and a selection of icons – Device Manager, router using the supplied cable 1 and Videos, ready to drag content into. The Download Manager, Backup Manager, attach the power supply. 2 The device Public folder under Network/ App Manager, Sdrive and Seagate will automatically configure itself, PERSONALCLOUD 1 also has subfolders Media. Sdrive is a Windows/Mac taking around 10 minutes to complete. for content. 2 Double-click the Personal program that offers secure access to The drive will be ready to use once the Cloud internet shortcut 3 to launch the your content. 1 Seagate Media 2 is light on the front stabilises. 3 Setup Wizard. the app used for mobile devices.

Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 59 Bookstore

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D-Link has ready-madey-made NAS drives availablee but will also This device from Addonics supply an empty enclosure if can connect eSATA you have your owwnn drives drives to your router

enclosure accepts two 3.5in SATA isn’t being used, you could consider to just that drive, which would be an even drives, and you can hot-swap them turning it into a NAS device using an smarter option. Tonido Server (www (replace the drives without needing to adapter. The Addonics NAS 4.0 Adapter .tonido.com) is a free tool that turns your power down or reboot). A USB 3.0 port (www.addonics.com) lets you plug in PC into a web server and lets you lets you connect additional external either two eSATA or two USB 2.0 storage securely access your files from anywhere, storage or a USB printer, and you can devices at one end, and then link the share content with friends and stream use it to copy the contents of a USB device to your router using an Ethernet music over the internet. You can mount flash drive at the press of a button. cable at the other. If you get a USB hub, the server as a drive in Windows; sync This enclosure is currently for sale on you can connect up to 16 drives. The other computers with it; and access the Amazon for just £40, and there are also adapter will set you back £77 from content on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry 4TB, 6TB and 8TB bundles available if Aimtec (bit.ly/addon382). and Windows Phone devices. you’d prefer to get an enclosure with There’s also a portable version of the drives included and already set up The software-only option Tonido Server for USB drives, as well for use. However, these are quite The cheapest way to create cloud-like as versions for Mac OS X, Linux and expensive and prices start from £210 storage is to make all the files on your PC Raspberry Pi. We show you how to for the 2TB version. accessible over the internet. If you have a set it up on your PC in our Mini If you have an external USB drive that spare internal drive, you can limit sharing Workshop, below.

MINI WORKSHOP | Share your PC’s files over the internet using Tonido

2 1 2 3 1 3 4 4 1 2 5 3

Download and install Tonido Server Follow the onscreen instructions to You can download an app for your 1 (www.tonido.com) on the computer 2 finalise the setup, and choose which 3 mobile phone or tablet. Once you want to use for your cloud storage, folders to use for remote access and you’ve finished, the web interface will and grant it access through the sharing. Tonido will index files on your open. You can log into this from Windows firewall. Choose an account hard drive to make them easier to find. anywhere. Here, you can browse the name, 1 which will be used to access 1 It will index the default Videos, Music drives; 1 view Music, Photos and your files remotely, and a password. 2 and Pictures folders, 2 but you can add Videos in your library; 2 share content, Enter your email address. 3 More additional locations if required. 3 3 stream media in the player; 4 and Options 4 can be used to recover an sync files with other computers. 5 existing account.

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Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 61

Web User’s TopTips Our experts take a fresh look at CCleaner, and explore its lesser-known, new and advanced tools

TOP TIPS FOR CCLEANER

Remove unwanted browser add-ons

ost browser add-ons enhance your enjoyment of the web, but some Mdisplay adverts and redirect you to websites you don’t want to visit, which is just irritating. All the main browsers have options that let you disable or delete add-ons, but sometimes the add-on prevents you from doing this or cannot be removed for some other reason. CCleaner (bit.ly/cclean382) can override this and remove any add-ons you don’t want. Select Tools, then Startup, to see tabs for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. Click a tab to see a list of the add-ons for that browser. Select an add-on to activate the Enable, Disable and Delete buttons. Use Disable first, then check that this doesn’t cause problems with the browser. If everything is working, you can return to CCleaner and hit Delete. Clean up your web browsers and remove unwanted extensions

Always make a backup want them properly gone, you There are two golden rules for using need to erase the free space to CCleaner and other tools of this overwrite any deleted files. type. The first is to only fix a small Go to Tools, then Drive Wiper. number of problems at a time. Don’t Select Free Space Only for the try to fix everything at once Wipe option and Simple Overwrite because, if a problem arises, you for the Security setting, then won’t know what caused it. Select select the drive you want to wipe. just a few items in the left panel, Bear in mind that if you have a 1TB then use your computer for a while drive that’s only lightly used, it will to check that everything is working have a lot of free space, so wiping properly. it could take a very long time. The second rule is to create a Using the top security setting of backup whenever possible. When 35 passes is unnecessary and may Always click Yes when asked if you want to make a using the Registry Cleaner, for take several hours to run. backup example, CCleaner prompts you to You can also choose to erase an save a backup (the default save location is the Documents folder). Do not skip entire drive. You might want to do this this step. Again, use your computer for if you have bought a second-hand a while afterwards before you clean any drive, such as an external USB drive, more unused or faulty Registry entries. or if you are disposing of one. The If you see words that look like Windows drive (usually C:) cannot be they’ve been typed in a Wipe your hard drive erased. typewriter, follow the instructions When you delete a file, it actually and type them exactly as they remains on your hard drive until the Securely erase with every appear, paying close attention to space it occupies is used for something clean spaces and punctuation. else. With the right tools, your deleted Once the free space on your hard files can still be recovered, so if you drive is cleared, you can keep it clean

64 21 October - 3 November 2015 Web User’s Top Tips

by securely erasing files from within CCleaner. Go to Options, Settings and TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL select ‘Secure file deletion’. Set it to More advanced tips for when you’re feeling brave Simple Overwrite so that every time you use CCleaner to clean-up junk files, it will securely erase them. The 35-pass Stop scheduled tasks you can also create them manually, option is not required because it’ll just Some programs on your PC are and CCleaner provides an easy way to make deleting files extremely slow. scheduled to run and certain actions manage them. can be triggered by specific events. If Click Tools, then System Restore to Use the portable version something is loading with Windows see a list of restore points. Any of If you are trying to clean up a computer, and doing something you don’t want, them can be selected and deleted. you may not want to install even more such as displaying adverts, it could be Usually, Windows will delete the software, in which case you can use the a scheduled task rather than a startup oldest one when the allocated drive portable version of CCleaner. It is item. Programs and tasks can be run space is used up, but CCleaner lets supplied as a Zip file and, after automatically with Windows’ built-in you choose which ones to keep and extracting the contents, it can be run by Task Scheduler tool, but it’s not easy which to remove. opening the folder and clicking to use. CCleaner offers a simpler way CCleaner or CCleaner64, depending on to access it. Delete duplicate files whether you have the 32- or 64-bit Select Tools, Startup, then the Transferring files from online drives, version of Windows. It then works ‘Scheduled tasks’ tab. Some of the downloading photos from cameras exactly like the regular installed version. items can be difficult to identify, but if and phones, and editing files and Another advantage of the portable you see something obvious, such as a photos can mean you end up with version is that it can be copied to a USB program you don’t use or want, select duplicate copies of files in different flash memory drive and used on other it and use the Disable button. Delete it places on your hard drive. Duplicates computers without having to be after testing your PC to make sure it is waste space, so it’s worth removing installed. Get it from bit.ly/ccport382. running properly without it. them, but it can be a hassle trying to track them down. CCleaner can do Restore Registry changes Edit the right-click menu this for you. CCleaner is fairly safe to use but, on rare When you right-click files or folders, Go to Tools, Duplicate Finder and occasions, after you have used the either on the Desktop or in Explorer set the options before starting the Registry Cleaner tool to remove windows, the context menu appears. search. You want to look for Registry entries, you might find that Some of its items are useful, such as duplicates of documents, photos, something is not running correctly. the option to scan for viruses or to videos and music, but it’s best to clear Restoring the last Registry changes will compress files into a Zip archive, but the ticks against ‘System files’ and cure the problem. if you spot any that you never use, ‘Hidden files’. Click Search. To do this, open an Explorer window CCleaner can remove them. Go to If you find duplicates of system files, and go to the folder where the Registry Tools, Startup and select the Context such as DLLs, it’s best to leave them backup is stored. Right-click the file and, Menu tab. Select a menu item and alone. Removing them can lead to on the menu that’s displayed, select click Disable. If your PC works fine problems because a program may Merge. This puts everything back that without it, return to CCleaner and hit expect to find the DLL in a specific was removed or changed. Delete to remove it completely. place. Only enable the System and Hidden options if you are an expert, Clean up restore points and back up everything first, then System Restore is a Windows feature take care to test the PC afterwards to that performs a limited type of make sure everything is working. backup. It saves your PC’s current state to the hard drive whenever Create a shortcut something major happens, such as a If you like to tidy up your PC after a Windows update. Some programs day’s work, you can create a Desktop save restore points automatically, but shortcut that cleans it and then switches it off. Right- click the Desktop and select New, then Shortcut. Click Browse, then find and select CCleaner.exe. To the Right-click a Registry backup and select end of the command Merge to undo changes line, add /AUTO /SHUTDOWN. Click Next Stop startup programs and name it ‘Clean and Not only does CCleaner remove junk shutdown’. When this from your hard drive, it can also be used shortcut is clicked, to stop junk from loading with Windows. CCleaner will use Select Tools, Startup, then the Windows whatever options are tab. As with browser add-ons, select currently set to clean something on the list to activate the Remove any System Restore points you no longer need the PC, then turn it off. Enable, Disable and Delete buttons.

Visit our Hints & Tips forum at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 65 Ask the Expert Roland Waddilove, computer programmer and PC journalist since 1981, answers all your technical questions. Email us for help at [email protected]

an Intel Core i5-3470 processor and 6GB WINDOWS 10 of memory. I cloned the 1TB hard drive on to a new 4TB model using the free Stop Windows 10 version of HDClone (bit.ly/hdclone382), updates but the new drive is only showing 1.83TB. E Foster, via email I recently read that you can turn Q off automatic updates by going to There are several different drive- Settings, ‘Update & security’, A partitioning and formatting options, ‘Advanced options’ and ticking the and each has its limits. The MBR type has ‘Defer upgrades’ box. I followed the been used for years and is very common, instructions but I couldn’t find a ‘Defer Stop Windows 10 downloading updates but it has a maximum size of 2TB, so if a upgrades’ box to tick. by turning on ‘Metered connection’ drive exceeds this capacity, any storage Colin Ormesher, via email over 2TB becomes inaccessible. allowance, you can set your network The solution is to convert the drive to a Windows 10 has had several connection as metered, which makes scheme called GPT, which provides A updates and this option may have Windows ask permission before it support for higher-capacity drives. This been removed. It’s certainly not there downloads updates. At the prompt, can be carried out using the Disk in the current version of the Home you can either put them off till later or Management tool in Windows, but edition. But there is another way to download them. It’s not a perfect EaseUS Partition Master (bit.ly/ease382) stop updates. solution, but it’s the best we’ve got! is free and makes it even easier. Run it Some people have a metered Click the network icon in the and it will display the drives attached to internet connection, which means notification area and click ‘Network your PC. Right-click a drive and select there is a limit on how much data they settings’, ‘Advanced options’, then ‘Convert MBR to GPT’. are allowed to download. To avoid turn on the switch to ‘Set as metered We haven’t tried it ourselves, but you Windows Update using up your data connection’. probably can’t convert the C: drive while it’s in use. This means booting up from the old drive and attaching the new one MUSIC copy them back afterwards. You must as a second drive to convert it. It might Back up Windows Media also do this with your drivers – and be erased in the process, so you may Player’s library because all your software will be erased, have to clone the old drive’s contents to I want to upgrade my 32-bit version it too must be downloaded and the new drive again afterwards. Q of Windows 7 Ultimate Edition to reinstalled on the new PC. It’s a lot of make full use of the memory I have effort for not much benefit. installed, which is more than the 32-bit The 32-bit version of Windows can version can handle. However, I’m not access 4GB of memory, but some of this ready to take the plunge with Windows is reserved for the PC to use so, in 10, so I’m considering Windows 7 64-bit. practice, there is less than 3GB available. I’m planning to do a full backup first, but However, 64-bit Windows and its I was wondering if I could back up my software require more memory to run, so entire Windows Media Player 12 music any gain is offset by higher usage. That library as it appears right now, rather said, if your PC can take it, installing 8GB than dragging music folders one by one of memory and running 64-bit Windows to the open window of WMP 12 after I would make a big improvement. Use EaseUS Partition Master to convert have upgraded? Getting back to your original question large MBR disks to GPT João Rua, via email about Media Player, the music database cannot be transferred. You have to back SECURITY It isn’t possible to convert 32-bit up your music files and import them Office documents won’t copy A Windows to 64-bit – you have to again after upgrading. I can’t copy some of my Word and erase the hard drive and install a fresh Q Excel documents to another drive. To copy of Windows. This will wipe HARDWARE remedy this, I have to right-click the everything, so you should back up your Cloning to a larger hard drive problematic document and select music, photos, videos and documents to I have a Dell Optiplex 3010 running Properties, then the Security tab, then an external drive before you start, then Q 64-bit Windows 7 Professional, with click Edit, Add and type au (for ‘all

66 21 October - 3 November 2015 Ask the Expert

users’), then click Apply. Is there some GENERAL PC way of overriding this? It only happens Fixing a DLL error on documents I have recently edited. Periodically, the following message Adrian Bonnington, via email Q appears on my Windows 7 PC: “TaskSchedulerHelper.dll. The special The Windows security system module could not be found.” It doesn’t A includes a set of permissions that is Save the positions of desktop icons and do any harm but I find it irritating, and I different for each user. It’s not letting you restore them with DesktopOK don’t know how to stop it. Any ideas? copy the file because you don’t own it Peter Kaldor, via email and do not have permission to copy it. By because I usually arrange my 25 or so changing the ownership of the file to ‘all icons in groups and now they are This file is not part of Windows. users’, you can copy, move and delete it. continually being reset. A Some other piece of software has Instead of doing this for each Barrie Ellison, via email told Windows to look for it, but it now individual file, you can take ownership of can’t be found. It may be that the the folder and everything it contains, This problem has been around for a software that used it has been including subfolders and files. Repeat the A decade or more. It only occurs after uninstalled but there is still a reference to procedure for the folder and tick the installing software, but there’s no it somewhere within Windows. option to apply it to all subcontainers agreement on which program might be Auslogics BoostSpeed (www.auslogics and objects. the culprit. However, a tool called .com) has been known to use this file. If DesktopOK (bit.ly/dtopok382) can you had this and removed it, reinstalling WINDOWS 10 provide a workaround. it again and then uninstalling it with a Upgrading a Sony Vaio When changing screen resolutions, tool such as IObit Uninstaller (www.iobit I upgraded my Sony Vaio laptop from Windows will automatically rearrange .com) should solve the problem. You Q Windows 7 to 10, not long after it the icons to fit the new size. This small could also scan your system with came out. But then, while perusing the program allows you to save icon AutoRuns (bit.ly/runs382), then use the Sony website, I noticed that it said that positions and to restore them. Click the search tool to find the reference to it. It Vaio users shouldn’t upgrade their icon in the bottom-left corner of the will probably be highlighted in yellow to laptops to Windows 10 under any program window and select English indicate the file cannot be found. circumstances because Sony still needed when you first run it. Right-click it and delete it. an update to make it compatible. “Uh oh,” I thought, “too late”. I have to say, however, that so far it is working fine. GENERAL PC Have I done any harm by upgrading to Restore lost Windows 10? Kaye Bell, via email thumbnail images

The warning not to upgrade is I use Windows 7 and have A probably down to a compatibility Q suddenly lost all the thumbnails in problem with a driver. It won’t harm your my Pictures folder. Now I just get the computer, but it could prevent Windows filenames. What has happened? from running properly. Since you haven’t Jo Pester, via email noticed any problems, it may not affect Make sure Windows is set to show every laptop. You might have been lucky. There are several possibilities. thumbnail images and not icons Support for hardware in Windows 10 is A First, open the Control Panel and very good and it is possible that click Folder Options, then select the windows. If there are no thumbnails, Microsoft has installed alternative drivers. View tab. Find ‘Always show icons, then it might mean there is no Either way, there is no need to worry never thumbnails’ at the top of the list associated program. This can happen about your laptop. and make sure that the option isn’t when a photo editor or paint program ticked. Some people have found that is installed, becomes associated with WINDOWS 10 clearing the tick solves the problem. image files, and is then uninstalled, Stop automatic Desktop Another option is to select the leaving the system without an reordering General tab and click Restore associated program. I was happy using Windows 10 for Defaults. Go to Control Panel, System Right-click an image, such as a JPG Q the first three weeks after I and click the ‘Advanced system file, and select ‘Open with’. Select upgraded, but now my Desktop keeps settings’ link. Select the Advanced tab ‘Choose default program’ and select rearranging my icons on the left in and click the Settings button in the one, such as Paint, Paint.net or alphabetical order every 20 minutes or Performance section. There may be Windows Photo Viewer. Click OK and so. I have checked everything and can’t another option to enable or disable the thumbnails should reappear in find out why this has suddenly started thumbnails. Make sure thumbnails are your Explorer windows. happening. ‘Auto-arrange Icons’ is enabled. There is also a ‘Fix it’ tool you could unticked and ‘Align icons to grid’ is A program must be associated with try at the Microsoft website (bit.ly/ ticked. I’m not using a second monitor image files in order to generate the fixit382). Just click the button to and my resolution is set to 1080p, fed via thumbnail images in Explorer repair several faulty Explorer settings. an HDMI cable. I’m at my wits’ end

This fortnight Roland has been using Windows 10 on an Apple Mac – it runs well and you can choose which OS to boot

Find more solutions to PC and web problems at forum.webuser.co.uk 21 October - 3 November 2015 67 Your Top Tips Our pick of the best advice from our readers. To get help or offer it to others, visit forum.webuser.co.uk

Mug TOP TIP winner WINDOWS 10 Easier access to multiple Desktop programs Although it’s not particularly difficult, I thought it might be worth sharing. There’s a new feature in Right-click one of the items (including Windows 10 that lets folders) in your Favourites list and select you work with multiple ‘Create new folder’. By default, the folder Desktops, and it’s very appears as ‘New folder’, but you can useful. The only minor type any name and press Enter to irritation I found was confirm. Once the new folder has been that I could not easily created, you can drag and drop switch to programs that bookmarks to add them to it. It’s a were on a different helpful way of organising your favourite Desktop. You can configure the multiple Desktops options in the websites into categories, if you’ve got Pressing Alt+Tab Windows 10 settings lots of them. works as it always has, Tornado, Web User Forums letting you switch between programs see two options under ‘Virtual on the current Desktop, but it doesn’t desktops’. One is about app icons in give access to programs that are open the taskbar and the other is for the on other Desktops. Alt+Tab program switcher. For both I eventually found an option buried options, you can choose to either show in Settings that lets you see and switch only windows on the current Desktop to all windows, which is much more or all windows on all Desktops. The convenient. Click the Start menu, then latter setting is much more useful, but Settings, and click System. Click Multi- it wasn’t the default on my PC. tasking on the left. On the right, you’ll Dave Ivory, via email

EMAIL you have forwarded or replied to an Add a Gmail signature above email, because you have to cut the quoted text signature from the bottom and paste it in Edge lets you sort your favourite websites For as long as I can remember, Gmail has the correct position. into different folders had the option to add a signature to the Thankfully, a solution to this frustrating bottom of your emails. To do this, simply problem now exists via a tool that was EMAIL open Settings and look for Signature previously only available in Gmail Labs. Log into Gmail more quickly under the General header. Under the text box in the settings where You don’t have to type your full email The only problem with the feature is you type in your signature, there’s a tick address to log into Gmail. Simply enter that it adds the signature to the very box that lets you ‘Insert this signature your user name without the bottom of emails, after any quoted before quoted text in replies...’ Tick it, ‘@gmail.com’ ending, then click Next, correspondence. This isn’t much good if scroll down and select Save Changes. enter your password and click ‘Sign in’. Your signature will now appear below Jack Gold, Web User Forums your response but before the rest of the email conversation’s history. SOFTWARE Ed Wright, via email Share Word documents Did you know that you can share a BROWSERS document with someone and both of Create folders in Edge’s you can edit it? I am co-authoring an favourites ebook with a friend and we often work I recently received a phone call from a on the Word document together. Tick ‘insert signature before quoted text’ relative asking how to create a new You could do this by working on a to ensure it appears near your reply folder in Microsoft Edge’s Favourites list. document on your computer and

68 21 October - 3 November 2015 Readers’ Tips

emailing it to the other person for about, I’ve managed to get a screen that updates. However, this would be a lot of gives me the choice again. It’s not as hassle and could lead to confusion if your pretty as the original but it works fine. emails overlap. To get it, run the Command Prompt as What I did instead was to create a file an administrator and type the following: on OneDrive using the free Word web bcdedit /set {bootmgr} app. Clicking the Share button at the top displaybootmenu yes of the page lets you invite someone else Press Enter and close the Command to edit your document by entering their Prompt. When you next restart your PC, email address. They will then receive an a menu will appear letting you select the email with a button that can be clicked operating system you want to use. to open the document. Dave Cooper, via email It is even possible for both of you to WhoCrashed helps you identify programs or drivers that cause your PC to crash edit the same document at the same ANDROID time. A coloured cursor shows where the you can try removing the culprit to see if Give your phone a new lease other person is typing and it appears in your PC becomes more stable. of life the document with their name next to it. WhoCrashed (resplendence.com/ I recently noticed that my Android phone However, we found it got confusing when whocrashed) is a lightweight, free had slowed down significantly and the both of us were editing at the same time, program that takes care of all this battery was draining more quickly than it so we generally avoid this. The document detective work for you. It’s now used to.I would expect this to happen in shows up in the other person’s Shared compatible with Windows 10, so if you an ageing device, but I wasn’t yet ready folder if they use OneDrive. have had any teething issues with the to give in and buy a brand new handset. Ryan Winston, via email new operating system, it’s certainly To try and fix the battery problem, I worth giving it a try. first checked the usage details in Tom Wilson, via email Android’s Battery menu. No single app or process stood out as using more than its GENERAL PC fair share of power but I wondered Remove automatically- whether a large number of apps each downloaded Windows 10 files using a small amount of battery power I’d like to say thanks to Web User for might collectively have a big impact. alerting its readers to Microsoft With this in mind, I went through my downloading the Windows 10 upgrade to app drawer and uninstalled any that I Share documents on OneDrive and invite their PCs without consent (Issue 380, bit don’t use regularly. Amazingly, it’s other people to edit them .ly/webuser380). When the files are improved the battery’s performance by downloaded, they’re saved to the as much as fifty per cent, so it was well WINDOWS 10 directory $Windows.~BT, which I found worth the Swipe through your mail on my C: drive. Unfortunately, I was time spent After swapping an old PC running unable to remove the files manually but I uninstalling Windows XP for a new Windows 10 found some very clear instructions on things. computer, I have finally switched from how to do so at Bleeping Computer (bit Funnily Outlook Express to the new Mail app. My .ly/windows382) and I thought these enough, shiny new laptop has a touchscreen and might be helpful to anyone else I think the Mail app lets you deal with messages experiencing the same problem. it’s also in the inbox using swipes. You can swipe Dick Greener, Web User Forums fixed the left or right over an email, and each problems direction performs a different action. SOFTWARE I was Click the gear icon, then select Options Half-price Office 365 having to choose which action a left- or right- Last week, Microsoft announced that with my swipe should perform. For example, the Windows 10 users with Office 2010 or phone message can be deleted, archived, earlier can get 50 per cent off their first slowing moved, have a flag set or unset, and year’s subscription to Office 365 Personal down. It more. There may be more touch actions via the pre-installed Get Office app that transpired The Battery menu shows the in Mail, so it’s worth experimenting if you comes with the operating system. I have that I had amount of power used by have a touchscreen. Office 2007 installed and the second less than different apps Simon Hannon, via email time I opened Get Office, the special 1GB of offer appeared, as promised. To read the spare space on the device, and although SOFTWARE Microsoft blog post, visit bit.ly/office382 that still sounds like a reasonable Diagnose PC crashes DavidNewton, Web User Forums amount, the effect of having more When your PC crashes, you won’t storage space and fewer apps using necessarily know what’s caused the GENERAL PC processor power has been very problem and, more often than not, you’ll Choose an operating system noticeable. go back to using your computer as I have Windows 7 and Windows 10 Before you consider chucking away normal. However, your PC will have installed on different partitions of my your phone or tablet in a fit of rage, created various dump files when it hard drive. This worked well for a while, make sure you try clearing out all your crashed and, with a bit of detective work, but then it stopped giving me a choice unused apps to see if it makes a you can work out which program has and just booted straight into the default difference. been causing the crashes. This means operating system. After a lot of fiddling Richard Willier, via email

Send your tips to [email protected] – win a Web User mug! 21 October - 3 November 2015 69 Readers’ Helpdesk Our pick of the best solutions posted on our reader forums. Visit forum.webuser.co.uk – it’s friendly and free!

WINDOWS 10 Can I stop Edge opening in SECURITY Why can’t I uninstall my different positions and sizes? anti-virus program? I can’t seem to keep I uninstalled Avast Free Antivirus Q my Edge browser in Q (www.avast.com) using Revo the same place. I don’t Uninstaller (www.revouninstaller.com). mean it moves around the Although it no longer appears in the screen, but if I have it open Control Panel, I can still open it from my in the lower three quarters taskbar. Can anyone help please? of the screen and then Parbuster, Web User Forums close it, the window reappears anywhere but Did you carefully follow the process where I left it when I open A in Revo Uninstaller to remove the browser again. Registry entries associated with Avast? It Moreover, it’s often much would have shown the Registry entries in smaller, although it bold and you would have needed to tick occasionally loads full these for removal. Also, have you tried screen. Back in the days of using the Avast uninstaller? You can XP, I seem to remember download it from the Avast website (bit there was a way of locking WindowManager can be used to set the position and .ly/avast382), and I would definitely a program window’s size size of your programs’ windows recommend trying it. and position. Is there an For future reference, there’s a helpful equivalent tool for doing this in I can’t say whether it will work with list of links to the uninstallers for all the Windows 10? Edge. However, the application’s major anti-virus programs at bit.ly/ dave1510, Web User Forums developer recommends using a tool antivirus382. Personally, I always use called WindowManager (bit.ly/ IObit Uninstaller (bit.ly/iobit382) and I’ve I’ve used ShellFolderFix (bit.ly/ desksoft382), if you want something never had any problems. If you’d rather A shellfolderfix382) for a few years, that will work with all programs. not download another uninstaller, there but it’s made for Windows Explorer, so Moonshine, Web User Forums are some handy instructions on the AskVG website at bit.ly/askvg382 that guide you through uninstalling software followed various guides available on the key and download the ISO, but it looks manually. internet but nothing I’ve tried has like this has been scrapped and they are Stewart40, rogerman40, Cantrel and managed to resurrect it. I eventually gave no longer selling anything Windows yodelcontact, Web User Forums in and bought a new laptop but my 7-related. You can try other ways to get daughter has been asking for a PC and hold of a Windows 7 ISO disc, but I wondered if I might fix up the old one to although the licence code on your laptop save some money. Unfortunately, the casing should start the installation, it restore options I created when the laptop might not be able to activate the OS if it was new have been lost. If I buy a new is a different version to the one installed hard drive, how can I put the OS and on your PC by the manufacturer. This other necessary software on it? means it will only work for the 30-day I have the licence details for the OEM trial period and you’d then have to version of Windows 7 on the certificate contact Microsoft to ask if they’ll activate Most security programs, including Avast, of authenticity underneath the laptop, so it for you. can be removed using their own tools would I be able to download and install it A good alternative might be to contact to the new hard drive? Or am I better off the vendor and buy the OEM recovery GENERAL PC installing a version of Linux? disc, which will factory reset the PC. How do I reinstall an OEM Jptykes, Web User Forums When I did this for one of my Toshiba version of Windows? PCs, it cost about £30 and it came on a My laptop recently packed in after Microsoft used to have a site where single disc. Q some kind of hard-drive failure. I’ve A you could enter a valid Windows 7 Cantrel, Web User Forums

70 21 October - 3 November 2015 Inbox Inbox

Mug Star Email winner Protect us from the ravages of Microsoft

eb User readers will show these updates (I found them Ke n

already be familiar with by using CCleaner). I believe Wo

W the underhand antics of Microsoft has plummeted to the Shutters / lter a friendly little company called depths of desperation by Microsoft. I recently had a chance deliberately crippling its own experience that highlights the programs to keep the profits

depths it will sink to. rolling in. to ck.

After I read the news story in In the days ahead, I will have to com Issue 380 of Web User concerning spend my valuable time carefully the sneaky download of Windows inspecting all Microsoft updates 10, I followed the instructions for on both machines. I have always removing the Windows 10 icon been aware of sneaky online from the taskbar. I’m pleased to say updates relating to Windows 10, tricks, but it never occurred to me that that it worked well. But, earlier this I noticed that one update, namely a time would come when the ravages week, a simple search brought KB2553347, which is connected to Office I needed to protect myself against something else to my attention. 2010, came up twice. Following a search, would come from Microsoft itself. It I have a laptop and a PC both I found no less than 22 identical updates, appears that Windows is now an running Windows 7 Professional. I use of which I removed 21. I then turned on operating system that may decide to Office 2010, which mostly works well my PC and – to my horror – discovered sabotage your own paid-for software and just needs the customary updates. 20 more of these KB2553347 updates. and hardware. While I was looking on my laptop for A general duplicate fi le fi nder does not D Moran, via email

Technology comes at the comes out, or an idea for new tech is leaking data, and so on, presented under cost of privacy announced, and even the poorest of lurid headlines. MI5, CIA and nations ggo mad for it. Why is it that we Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little Windows 10 put technchnology before people and and there are still many good articles in – spot the hunhunger? It seems that we are willing the magazine, but I do feel that there difference. to destroy ourselves for the sake appears to be a crusade against these How many of cutting-edge technology. terrible people who want to see my times have wee Terry Bradley, Milton Keynes holiday snaps and know if I have visited been warned,in Tesco. Incidentally, my own view is that television, fi lmsms Dropp your obsessive I’m happy to let companies such as and books, thahatt paranparanoia about privacy Google get their hands on my data in we are being I hhaaveve bebeen a subscriber to Web User for return for my being able to use their spied on? Andd not some yyears but, sadly, I’m strongly excellent software ‘free of charge ‘. only by ourPCs, considerinsidering cancelling my subscription. Keeping the readers informed is one because the As I have enjoyed the magazine for so thing, but building up fear is another. governmentt now has long, I ffeel I owe you the courtesy of Please can we get back to items about plans to gain more power to monitor telling you my reasons. the actual technology and website mobile phones, listening and waiting for It’s my perceptionthat the concontent, and leave the paranoia to keywords. We are well past 1984 and well magazine has the newspapers. into Big Brother territory. But the spying become obsessed Roger Venison, via email does not stop there; think about all the with privacy. Of things we buy that are now course, I understand WWindows 10 gives me computerised in some fashion – the importance of nno reason to moan televisions, cars, fridges and CCTV privacy but, lately, I aam writing to complain about cameras – and all in the name of security. Web User has run youyour magazine and, in particular, We also have to think about the money stories about this on the people who write to it. Their side; we have Mr Gates, who is one of the virtually every page. letletters are making me feel left out richest people on this planet; he’s rich Microsoft and and isolated. enough to buy an entire country, so how Windows 10; almost For instance, why is it that I have much influence does he wield? every aspect of had no problems upgrading four Every day, some new form of tech Google; the NHS comcomputers to Windows 10,

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You can let us know your views and opinions via: [email protected], www.facebook.com/webusermagazine, www.twitter.com/webusermagazine and forum.webuser.co.uk

On Webuser.co.uk this Your Shout fortnight we asked…

More often than How often do I used to 18% Less often than I you use eBay 22% used to

these days? 11% About the same as ever

I’ve never used 49% eBay

including one old laptop of very low NEXT FORTNIGHT Is Google getting too big for its boots? specification? What am I doing wrong? Vote online at www.webuser.co.uk Why is it that I am completely happy about the small amount of advertising in free apps and the Start Menu. If I was My old Nokia phone has still excellent afterter all upset about the apps, then I would lasted for eight years these years; text probably pay the money to have an Barry Collins is quite right in his column messaging is eassyy ad-free version. in Issue 381 (bit.ly/webuser381) to call and doesn’t entailail a Why do I feel pleased that Microsoft attention to the increasing problem of tiresome processs of chose to let me have free upgrades to all people throwing away their gadgets just jabbing at a screen;reen; my computers and has offered to even because they’ve gotten a bit slow. I still and it fi ts snuglyin upgrade the software without me having have an old Nokia 6300 phone that my pocket withoutut to do anything? Do I need therapy for my works perfectly fi ne eight years after I squeezing behaviour? bought it, and I wouldn’t dream of everything else I really wish I could join in with the throwing it away. Some of my friends against my thigh. moaning and feel disgruntled, because have got through three or four phones in More importantlyy,, it’s not fair that I am missing out. the time I’ve owned it, which has cost the battery lasts forfor I doubt that I will be renewing my them a pretty penny. three days – nott a subscription to Web User unless you Sure, my old Nokia may not have the matter of hours, start producing articles that show me ‘smart’ features that everyone demands like an iPhone’s. how to get it all wrong. Then I might` today, such as apps and Wi-Fi and a So yes, Barry iss have some ammunition to be able to decent browser, and its camera is only right that there’sa lot more life left in write in and moan. 2-megapixels. But – and this is a ‘but’ as your old gadgetss than you probably Paul Hildreth, via email big as an elephant’s – the call quality is realise. Don’t bin them, just keep them clean and don’t drop them in the toilet. You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. ON SALE NOW! Toby Parry, via email We should have a choice The about Flash I was interested to read in your FAQ in Issue 381 about the web turning its back Defi nitive on Flash. Although I can understand there are good reasons for this, such as GuideTo that it poses a security risk to browsers, I will be disappointed if I can no longer play the Flash videos and games that I Windows 10 regularly enjoy online. I think we should have a choice about BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON whether we see Flash content or not, at at bit.ly/guidetowindows10 least until all websites have had time to convert their videos and games into

72 21 October - 3 November 2015 Inbox

HTML5. I really don’t like the What ever happened to Aussie grit? thought of Richard Bond Google and What you Mozilla taking The PC brigade strikes again? away that option, say... Bob Walker especially because – as you say in your article – BBC iPlayer still uses WITTER IS APPARENTLY Flash. I think there would be uproar from O YOU TRUST MICROSOFT’S TCONSIDERING EXTENDING viewers if we woke up one morning to DCLAIM THAT WINDOWS 10 ITS 140-CHARACTER LIMIT. IS fi nd that our browsers were stopping us (bit.ly/msprivacy382) DOESN’T THAT A GOOD IDEA? from watching our favourite shows. SPY ON YOU? Provided we continue to use the latest Noooo! The joy of Twitter is its brevity. version of Flash, I really don’t see the I wouldn’t believe a word Microsoft Caitlin @grimbletweets harm, and I think the web might be says. They said Edge was the best overreacting about the risks. ever browser. Obviously, it’s not. The Brain overload! Any more than 140 Ellis Gilbert, via email lies continue. characters and I’ll spontaneously Jason ‘Boz’ Bowyer combust! Why can’t I download Roger Whitcomb @milairpix Kaspersky 2015? Microsoft and Google both do it. Does After purchasing Issue 380 of Web User, it stop me using their services? No! No. Trashing its unique selling point I saw an advert for Kaspersky 2015 for Martin Phillp just makes no sense. It would make £17.99 - a big saving on the full price of the feed a nightmare. £39.99. However I am unable to I will refrain from accusing them, but it John Moore @ondrive download it from the Kaspersky website. might be nice to know more! Can anyone tell me why this is? Joe Friswell Yes, but I think you should be allowed Dave Fairhurst, Facebook one URL, one photo and still only 140 They do spy on you, but loads of characters. Web User says: Hi Dave. Kaspersky is people won’t believe that. I’ll never RaspberryPi-Spy @RPiSpy now selling its 2016 antivirus software, trust them. which is compatible Shawn Adams I think it would ruin the creativity of with Windows 10. Twitter. Packing as much into one We would tweet is what makes it fun! recommend that S IT BULLYING TO UNFRIEND Ian Phipps you install this ISOMEONE ON FACEBOOK, AS instead. It’s RULED BY AN AUSTRALIAN available for £19.99 JUDGE (bit.ly/bully382)? ILL YOU BUY THE NEW (50% off) from WCHROMECAST AUDIO www.snipca If I unfriend someone on Facebook, (www.google.com/chromecast/ .com/17874 - see it’s probably because I don’t wish to speakers)? our Best Buys see them on my Wall anymore. If I section on page 25. wanted to bully then, I could keep No. I’ve got the fi rst Chromecast and them there and make fun of them don’t use it. It was a waste of money. Where are the quiz answers every day – but I’m not 12 years old. Donna Drummond-Berry for Issue 377? Joanne Evans While looking for something totally Yes. I’ve been meaning to get one for unrelated, I happened upon my copy of Give me strength. This reminds me of ages and I love the idea of an audio- Issue 377 of Web User, which was open a story I heard about a school that streaming device. I really don’t want to at the Take a Screen Break quiz page. I said all kids had to be invited to replace my hi-fi, but it has no wireless wrote down my answers and then went birthday parties. What happened to connectivity, so the new Chromecast to check online but there were no choosing your friends? Audio would be just the job. answers to be found at the link provided! Paul Hughes Wood Spoon Does anyone know where they are? Leopold, Web User Forums Surely “unfriending” someone is the Probably not. The two I have work complete opposite? Does that mean I okay. Since I got my Fire TV box, I no Web User says: Hi Leopold. Apologies was a bully when I deleted my longer stream Amazon Prime, Netflix for the late posting of the quiz answers Facebook account? or photos. for Issue 377. You can now fi nd them at Dave McAlister @dpmcalister Harvey @haskipsey www.webuser.co.uk/quiz377.

Air your views, write to us at [email protected] 21 October - 3 November 2015 73 Page 404

Barry Collins is tired of companies stealing bandwidth for software updates and patches Beware of the bandwidth thieves

ere’s a simple maths puzzle. If I’m sick to death of picking up my iPad over the weekend, only to find it your monthly broadband data to find a dozen different apps “needed” a 2.2GB update. You should cap is 10GB and Microsoft downloading updates. And when you be even more wary if the kids ask you to H secretly swallows 4GB of that click to see what’s included in those download the game itself from the Xbox without your permission, how angry updates, it’s risible. “General Store – it weighs in at a colossal 45GB. would you be (show your working)? improvements,” say the update notes These multi-gigabyte patches for That’s the very scenario facing some for Skype 6.2, which came down the products are sheer sloppiness from Windows users, who’ve been hit with pipe in September, and was seemingly software developers, who push extra bills from their broadband no different to products out the provider because Microsoft decided to Skype 6.1. “Bug door before download the installation files for fixes” claimed Windows Update is they’re ready, safe Windows 10 to their PCs, even if they Netflix, for an designed to deliver critical in the knowledge would rather share a bath with a toaster update that they can fix the than run Microsoft’s new operating came two days security updates, not gigabyte bugs after us poor system. These massive files were previously. And upon gigabyte of operating- mugs have paid. downloaded in the background, with no while a 40MB Indeed, if you’re on warning whatsoever – they were simply update here and system files a limited data cap, shoved down the pipe to anyone who a 78MB update you could literally had switched on Windows Update, a there might seem trivial, they soon add end up paying for their mistakes. system designed to deliver critical up. Especially in households where That’s if you can download the patch security updates, not gigabyte upon everyone has their own phone and in the first place. If you’re one of the gigabyte of operating-system files. tablet. Which, these days, is pretty millions stuck on a slow broadband And so the poor folk on BT’s cheapest much every household. connection of, say, 2Mbps, it would take broadband package, paying £5 per Games consoles are massive data almost five hours of absolutely flat out month for an ADSL line with a 10GB cap, thieves, too. The PlayStation and Xbox downloads to even get that 2.2GB Forza not only get their speeds choked by frequently require system updates that update. It could take all day to Microsoft clogging up the line with are hundreds of megabytes in size, but download the unwanted Windows 10. unwanted downloads, but have to pay they’re nothing compared to the Software makers are behaving £1.50 for every gigabyte by which they updates for the games themselves. recklessly with our bandwidth. It’s time exceed their monthly allowance. “Sorry, A colleague of mine popped the new they upped their game, instead of our kids, you can’t download Horrible Forza 6 racing game into his Xbox One broadband bills. Histories on iPlayer: Microsoft’s chewed through our quota with an operating system we didn’t want.” It’s not only Microsoft that plays fast and loose with your bandwidth. ens rr To ew Andr ion: at tr Illus

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