ONLY £1.99 MASSIVE security flaws – what you must do now Full story page 6 2015 ISSUE 464 ❘ 9 – 22 DECEMBER Run this security Windows scan today Updates page 40 WHY IT’S An unexpected error has occurred p74 NOT SAFE TO IGNORE THEM ANYMORE p50 £1.99 p38 p35 C@ntrol MSS Welcome EDITORIAL Group Editor Daniel Booth From the Editor Features Editor Jane Hoskyn Technical Editor Sherwin Coelho Production Editor Graham Brown Art Editor Katie Peat Four months after Windows 10 launched, Sorry, no technical or buying advice. Microsoft’s strategy for pushing the upgrade on ADVERTISING to reluctant users has become clear. Th e Advertisement sales & media pack 020 7907 6799 company has realised that its greatest weapon Advertising Director Andrea Mason is the Update process, through which it will Deputy Advertising Manager Alexa Dracos – at some point next year – automatically MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Subscriptions Manager Sarah Aldridge download Windows 10 on to PCs running Here’s news of a more positive update. Many Senior Direct Marketing Executive 7 and 8. It’s a deplorably intrusive move. of you have asked us to publish a guide to Rachel Evans Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills We don’t blame Microsoft for bullishly Android 5.0 and 6.0 - respectively Lollipop and For subscription enquiries ring 0844 815 0054 promoting its new OS. We think it’s an Marshmallow (daft names, I know). Well, it’s PRODUCTION excellent system that everyone should, in due arrived: our new book Th e Defi nitive Guide to Group Production Manager Stephen Catherall course, upgrade to. But those in charge seem to Android 2016, is on sale now through Amazon Production Controller Anisha Mogra be suff ering from the delusion that they own (www.snipca.com/18829). your PC, and can do what they like with it. In Daniel Booth MANAGEMENT Managing Director John Garewal this issue we explain how you can fi ght back. [email protected] MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans Commercial and Retail Director David Barker Group Managing Director Ian Westwood COO Brett Reynolds Group Finance Director Ian Leggett Chief Executive James Tye Company Founder Felix Dennis p6 p40 BRAND USAGE AND REPRINTS Companies can obtain a licence to use approved quotations from articles, the Computeractive logo and Buy It! logo. Reprints of articles are also available. Please contact Wrights Media for more information and rates: UK: 877-652-5295 ext 164 International: 281-419-5725 ext 164 Email: [email protected] Requests to use quotations from articles will need to be approved by the editor. 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Doing this will take you to defence - p9 the correct website. 9 - 22 December 2015 3 Contents 9 – 22 December 20155 • Issue 46446 COVER FEATURE In this issue… P50 Stop and control 50 Windows updates Stop & Control Reclaim your computer from Microsoft’s intrusive – and unwanted – updates Stay mentally fi t with 59 brain-training apps Th e best software to give your WINDOWS grey matter the workout it needs to stay alert and agile Use multiple accounts 60 in Windows 10 We explain why creating separate UPDATES accounts for you, your family and your guests can make for a happy home Don’t let Microsoft make unwanted changes to your PC Train Use multiple accounts your in Windows 10 p60 brain p59 In every issue… Cracking the error-message code p74 6 News 32 Competition Win a 480GB Crucial 10 Question of BX200 SSD the Fortnight Why did Microsoft remove 49 What’s All the Fuss its November update? About? Surround Wi-Fi 12 Letters 64 Problems Solved 14 Consumeractive 69 Fast Fixes BBC iPlayer 16 Protect Your Tech 73 Jargon Buster 18 Best Free Software Opera 33 74 The Final Straw Stuart Andrews fails to 30 Buy It! compute error messageses 4 9 – 22 December 2015 Subscribe NOW!! See page 622 for our special subs offer Reviews BUY IT! 20 PC Specialist Cosmos IV ★★★★★ A Windows 10 laptop that’s certainly no slouch 21 Palicomp AMD Shockwave A Windows 10 desktop PC that’s reliably quick off the mark 22 Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Pro Home-entertainment tablet to projepr ct your ideas 26 Google Nexus 6P Google’s Android phone makes all the right calls Palicomp AMD 27 Acer Liquid Jade Z Shockwave p21 How old-fashioned! A budget phone that’s only good for calls PC Specialis Specialist Cosmos IV p20p20 Google 28 Magix Movie Edit Pro 2016 Nexus A video editor that cuts costs 6P p26 Magix Music Maker 2016 Th is software music studio makes for a sound investment 29 Veho Muvi K2NPNG An action camera for moving scenes BUY IT! ★★★★★ Workshops & Tips THE DEFINITIVE 14 pages of brilliant workshops and expert tips GUIDE TO ANDROID Our new 148-page book tells you everything 35 Fix Windows 10 problems 42 Download Google Maps you need to know about Android,, including in one click to use offline the best appss and tips for thhee 38 Resume broken downloads 43 Readers’ Tips Lollipop and Marshmallow Restore internet in Windows 10 updates. 40 Stop your router being hacked 44 Phone and Tablet Tips Tweak Google Photos to save space W! 46 Make Windows Better NE Make a panorama in Photo Gallery 47 Make Office Better Create cover pages in Word 48 Secret Tips For… BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) at www.snipca.com/18829 9 – 22 December 2015 5 News Th e top stories in the world of technology Dell admits PCs come with huge security fl aws ell has been forced to Dadmit it pre-installed COMMENT on millions of PCs and Some credit has to go to laptops a tool that hackers Dell for releasing a fi x so could have exploited to steal quickly, particularly given users’ bank details. It was one how reluctant Lenovo was of two serious security fl aws earlier this year to admit the identified on Dell PCs in the dangers posed by Superfi sh. space of days. But both scandals illustrate First, on Monday 23 that we can no longer take November, Dell acknowledged for granted the safety of new that a security feature on icon in the browser’s address eDellRoot (see box below), PCs. As well as considering some of its computers, fi eld convinces people that it’s and confirmed it won’t be price, hardware and operating known as a self-signed root safe to enter their username installed on PCs in the future. system when buying a certificate, contained a severe and password. If you fall It also issued a software computer, we now have to vulnerability. Self-signed root victim to this while banking update that will remove the wonder whether it’s riddled certificates are used to ensure online, hackers can gain certificate from affected PCs. with security holes big that data sent online is access to your bank account. enough for hackers to exploit. encrypted, and therefore safe. In a blog post admitting the Reminders of Is it any wonder that sales of But on some Dell PCs and fl aw (www.snipca.com/18928), Lenovo’s Superfish computers are plummeting? laptops (mostly the Inspiron, Dell said that eDellRoot was Th e second problem, which Precision and XPS ranges) added to make it “faster and emerged on 25 November, also sold since July this year, a easier for our customers to involved an unsafe security users a “more personalised certificate called eDellRoot service their system”. certificate, although it wasn’t experience” when contacting also contained the ‘key’ used Dell insisted that the tool pre-installed on computers. the company’s support to decrypt it (see screenshot). isn’t “adware or malware” and Th is one was unwittingly website. It has now been Th is meant hackers could that it allowed Dell’s customer added to PCs by users who replaced by a safer alternative.