ONLY £1.99 THE WINDOWS 10 UPGRADE TRAP Microsoft’s latest trick to force it on to your PC Full story p6 Y 2016 ISSUE 466 ❘ 6 – 19 JANUAR Shameless con that exploits your sympathy p14 ogyy WARN Your friendly guide to technolog DO ING! anyway? p49 N’T TRUS What did Eins tein kno w MICR T OSOFT’S DEFAULTS The 52 hidden settings you must switch (because Microsoft’s defaults are not safe) p50 PLUS THE ONE-CLICK PC FIX WHICH SOFTWARE DO OTHER YOU NEED TO LEARN p35 READERS USE? Here’s their Top 10 p57 Our revolutionary NEW Web Hosting platform C@ntrol MSS 100% guaranteed UP TIME 100% guaranteed Smart SSD storage Dedicated SSL uptime! & intelligent load certificates balancing Web Hosting from: £1.99 per month ex VAT charged at 20% Call 0333 0142708 or visit fasthosts.co.uk/hosting SERVERS • WEB HOSTING• DOMAIN NAMES • EXCHANGE EMAIL Welcome EDITORIAL Group Editor Daniel Booth From the Editor Technical Editor Sherwin Coelho Production Editor Graham Brown Art Editor Katie Peat Sorry, no technical or buying advice. I’d like to propose a new truism: Hell hath no fury like a Windows 10 user whose settings ADVERTISING Advertisement sales & media pack have been changed by Microsoft. Snappy, don’t 020 7907 6799 Advertising Director Andrea Mason you think? I speak from experience, because I Deputy Advertising Manager Alexa Dracos was indeed furious when the fi rst big Windows MARKETING AND CIRCULATION 10 update, which arrived in November, reverted Subscriptions Manager Sarah Aldridge Senior Direct Marketing Executive many of my settings to Microsoft’s default. much depth as we should have. We rectify that Rachel Evans I wasn’t alone. So many of you emailed me in our Cover Feature, which recommends Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills For subscription enquiries ring 0844 815 0054 to complain that at times it felt like I was those you should tweak. I hope it helps to PRODUCTION working for Microsoft’s customer support. Not alleviate some of your fury. Group Production Manager that I minded, of course. We are here to help, Daniel Booth Stephen Catherall Production Controller and if we don’t, who will (certainly not [email protected] Anisha Mogra GuruAid – see page 60)? PS: I’m happy to say that our 2015 Back Issue MANAGEMENT As I changed my settings back, I realised that CD is coming soon. Please visit www.snipca. Managing Director John Garewal MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans Computeractive hadn’t explained them in as com/19124 for more details. 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 BRAND USAGE AND REPRINTS Companies can obtain a licence to use approved quotations from articles, the Computeractive p6 p14 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 - p58 the correct website. 6 – 19 January 2016 3 Contents 6 – 19 January 2016 • Issue 466 In this issue… CO FEATUREVER Windows 10 settings you P50 50 must change – now! Make your PC more secure by tweaking Microsoft’s default settings Your most popular 57 programs of 2015 Readers’ most clicked links Send massive fi les for free 58 How to transfer hefty fi les that email just can’t handle Why you should never 60 use GuruAid We investigate questionable practices by tech-support service GuruAid 10GB GuruAid: friend or Send massive files for free p58 foe? p60 In every issue… Stuart’s not ’appy p74 6 News 33 Competition Win a Veho Muvi K2NPNG 9 Question of action camera the Fortnight Would ISIS win a world war 49 What’s All the Fuss fought online? About? Quantum dots 10 Letters 64 Problems Solved 12 Consumeractive 69 Fast Fixes Android Marshmallow 14 Protect Your Tech 73 Jargon Buster 16 Best Free Software Paint.net 4.0.6 74 The Final Straw Stuart Andrews fails to see 30 Buy It! the point of many apps 4 6 – 19 January 2016 Subscribe NOW!! See page 622 for our special subs offer Reviews 18 Microsoft Lumia 950 A phone for fans of Windows 10 BUY IT! ★★★★★ 20 HP Pavilion 23 HP’s all-in-one is not one for all 21 Asus C201 Chromebook Asus’s nippy web-based laptop 22 Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 A gamers’ tablet fit for everyone 23 Apple iPad Pro A big tablet that’s quick on the draw Nvidia Shield Tablet K1 p22 24 Smartwatch round-up Th e latest models from Huawei, Samsung and Motorola Apple iPad OnePlus 2 26 Epson EcoTank ET-2500 Pro p23 p27 A printer that will slash ink costs 27 OnePlus 2 High-end phone for a low-end price 28 Corel PaintShop Pro X8 Ultimate Corel’s messy photo-editing suite 29 Philips Hue Go A smart lamp for some light relief Workshops & Tips Computeractive 14 pages of brilliant workshops and expert tips 2014 Back Issue CD Buy for £12.58* on Amazon 35 Add a one-click button 42 Create to-do lists from for PC help your emails Only 79 38 Edit your holiday videos 43 Readers’ Tips left! on your tablet Speed up your typing 40 Create your own 44 Phone and Tablet Tips online ququiziz Create a collaborative photo album (andnd answer ours!) 46 Make Windows Better Play Windows 7 games in 10 47 Make Office Better Turn bullet points into images OnOl sale now att 48 Secret Tips For… www.snipca.com/14981 Windows 10 Task Manager *At time of press 6 – 19 January 2016 5 News Th e top stories in the world of technology New Windows 10 upgrade message ‘as bad as malware’ icrosoft has been Mslammed by technology COMMENT experts and Windows 7 and 8 ‘Upgrade now’ or ‘upgrade users for its latest attempt to tonight’: what kind of a choice persuade them to upgrade to is that? Yes, there’s a small Windows 10. Some critics cross you can click to close have even compared the the message, but Microsoft company’s tactics to those isn’t stupid. It knows used by cybercriminals. thousands of PC users, Th eir outrage was triggered conditioned to click ‘upgrade by a new message appearing now’ to Windows updates, on Windows 7 and 8.1 PCs will instinctively select that that seems to suggest users button. Microsoft’s marketing have no choice but to upgrade. department may approve Under the heading ‘Upgrade Windows 10 forum (www. Microsoft is ‘lying of this upgrade trap, but it to Windows 10’ are two reddit.com/r/Windows10). He to its users’ could do lasting damage buttons giving the options wrote: “Assume the deal is Critics say that the message to the reputation of its new ‘Upgrade now’ or ‘Upgrade closed and offer them the car should contain a ‘no thanks’ operating system. Many tonight’ (see screenshot). in red or blue”. or ‘not now’ button. One tech won’t stick with Windows At fi rst glance, it looks like Microsoft uses another blogger said that Microsoft’s 10 if they feel they’ve been you have to upgrade by the salesman-like ploy in the marketing is “more reminiscent tricked into upgrading. end of the day. However, you message by saying that of malware than a leading can simply ignore and close ‘Upgrading to Windows 10 technology company”. Writing the message by clicking the will be free for a limited time’. on Forbes.com, Gordon Kelly, the website Th e Inquirer, the cross in the top-right corner.