STOP USING THESE

FILE FORMATS NOW

You could lose ALL your files p62
FIND FACES
IN PHOTOS
Superb FREE tool p38
PHONE
MAY 2025
ISSUE 708 ❘ 23 APR – 6

It’s happening
everywhere
– how to
every issue
STAY
Learn something new in
EBay sellers bid farewell
– page 9 SAFE! p60

WINDOWS
11
The 18 Things
It Does Much
Better Than
Windows 10 p50

1 Unlock hidden PC speed 10 Record parts of your screen

2 Stop software slowing your system 11 Add borders to screenshots
3 Make games load faster 12 Use AI to erase unwanted images
4 Use tabs in File Explorer 13 Improve Bluetooth audio quality
5 Extract more compression formats 14 Set audio for specific devices
6 Change metadata in image files 15 Make games look sharper
7 Control your PC with your voice 16 Snap windows on your screen
8 Get live video captions 17 Create multiple desktops
9 Make Narrator sound more human 18 Add superb new widgets

PLUS GENERATE CHATGPT

SKYPE IS DEAD! AI IMAGES — FOR FREE!
What to use instead p35 It’s very good, but there’s a catch p74
WELCOME
EDITORIAL
Content Director Marc Chacksfield
Group Editor Daniel Booth
From the Editor
Deputy Editor Robert Irvine
Production Editor Graham Brown When I was writing this issue’s Cover to regular updates, every aspect of the
Art Editor Katie Peat Feature I kept referring to Windows 10 in system is considerably better than what
Contributors Keumars Afifi-Sabet, Dinah Greek, Richard
Holt, Jonathan Parkyn, Nik Rawlinson, Andy Shaw the past tense. It was a telling mistake. The came before. My Cover Feature picks the
ADVERTISING
curtain is falling on my favourite ever top 18 reasons why it’s superior, but I could
Advertising Manager Alexandra Thomas operating system, with Microsoft ending have chosen many more.
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION support on 14 October. I’ll miss Windows 10, but it’s had a good
Subscriptions Sheri Taubes There are several ways you can keep innings. I know an over-excited Microsoft
PRODUCTION using Windows 10 safely after October, as employee once said it would be the final
Head of Production Stephen Catherall we’ll explain soon. But to make the most ever version (www.snipca.com/54441), but
Senior Production Manager Lawrence Brookes
of modern computing, you now need to that was never likely. I’ll continue to use it,
INTERNATIONAL LICENSING AND SYNDICATION
use Windows 11. When it launched in but we live now in the age of Windows 11.
Computeractive is available for licensing and syndication.
To find out more contact us at [email protected] or 2021 it was too similar to 10 to be worth Daniel Booth
view our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com. upgrading to. That’s no longer true. Thanks [email protected]
Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw

ONWARD RESALE
This publication may not be resold or otherwise
p38
distributed, whether at, below or above face value. Nor
can this publication be advertised for sale, transfer or
distribution.
p62 p60
PERMISSIONS
Material may not be reproduced in any form without the
written consent of the publisher. Please address such
requests to [email protected].

LIABILITY
While every care was taken preparing this magazine, the
publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy
of the information or any consequence arising from
it. All judgments are based on equipment available to
Computeractive at the time of review. Computeractive
takes no responsibility for the content of external websites
whose addresses are published in the magazine.

SUBSCRIPTIONS p50
For any enquiries and orders, email
[email protected], go to magazinesdirect.com.
Manage your subscription online with MyMagazine. Visit
www.mymagazine.co.uk/FAQ to view frequently asked
questions or log in at www.mymagazine.co.uk

FULL SUBSCRIPTION PRICES

UK £77.74, Europe €144, USA $163, Rest of the world £125

HOW TO ORDER PAST ISSUES

To purchase single past issues (print format only) visit:
magazinesdirect.com (click on ‘Single issues’ tab) – or
email: [email protected].
Magazinesdirect.com is owned and operated by Future
Publishing Limited.

© Copyright Future PLC 2024. All rights reserved

Images from Alamy and Getty Images p35 p74
Computeractive is a registered trademark. Neither the whole
of this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by
any means without the written permission of the publishers
THIS ISSUE IN NUMBERS HOW TO USE
Distributed by Marketforce
16 SNIPCA URLs
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2024 48,816
copies per issue. inches We use snipcas to turn long URLs
Screen size of that are hard to type into ones that
the Asus Vivobook are short and simple. They aren’t
16 Flip, our new websites themselves, which means
£2,437 favourite laptop – p23 they won’t be recognised if you type
Average them into Google. Instead, you need to
amount stolen 50th type them into your browser address
by WhatsApp Birthday that Microsoft bar, then press Enter. Doing this will
scammers – p11 has just celebrated – p8 take you to the correct website.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 3

 Contents
23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

6 News Check for broadband roadworks

near your home

10 Question of the Fortnight Can you still

install Windows without an account?

11 Protect Your Tech

WhatsApp scams targeting the UK

12 Letters ChatGPT is as creepy as

HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey

14 Consumeractive Can a website reserve

free delivery for ‘guests’?
p10
16 Grow Your Family Tree
Search courts martial and desertion records On no account

18 Best Free Software

Wintoys 2.0.81.0 Wired2Fire HAL 9000 Compact PC
21 Named & Shamed
p22
‘Have I been pawned?’s nasty typosquatting

Reviews
22 Wired2Fire HAL 9000 Compact PC
Gaming PC breaks all the rules

23 Asus Vivobook 16 Flip

Versatile laptop that’s flipping marvellous

24 GMKtec AD-GP1 External GPU

Docking station gets very graphic

25 Honor Pad V9
Android tablet takes bite out of Apple Asus Vivobook 16 Flip

26 Apple iPhone 16e p23

pxx
Cheaper iPhone retains Apple’s core values

28 Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

Laptop stand takes the heat
Huawei FreeArc
Over-ear buds are a sound choice

29 Sky Glass Gen 2

Sky’s latest TVs raise Glass ceiling

30 Buy It/Competition
Win a Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo video bird feeder

4 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 SAVE
Subscribe now! 35%
See page 58 for our special subs offer

Workshops & Tips Skype fall

p35
35 
How to… Switch from Skype and
master Teams

38 
Find faces in photos and put them
in groups

40 R
 eaders’ Tips Move brush to make
precise edits in ImageFX

42 Browser Tips Add a Downloads

button to the Chrome toolbar

44 Phone and Tablet Tips

Chat with Meta AI in WhatsApp

46 Make Windows Better Search your

PC using PowerToys’ version of Run

WINDOWS
47 Make Office Better Ignore white-
space characters in ‘Find and Replace’

48 In the Club

11
The 18 Things
Send certificates using Mail Merge

49 What’s All the Fuss About?

Green Screen of Death It Does Much
50 COVER FEATURE Windows 11: the 18
things it does better than Windows 10
Better Than FECAOTVUER
Windows 10 P50 E
R
As support for Windows 10 draws to a
close, we provide 18 reasons why you must
switch to its successor

60 Phone theft: what to do before

and after
We explain what you can do to mitigate the
theft or loss of your phone Phone theft:
62 File formats that will soon die
We list the nine file formats whose days are What to do before
and after
numbered and the best alternatives

64 Problems Solved What are these apps

that Chrome wants me to remove?

71 Reader Support Can I revert to classic

Outlook without a Microsoft 365 account?

72 Jargon Buster p60

74 Easy When You Know How Robert Good calls

Irvine creates higher-quality AI images

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 5

 News The top stories in the world of technology

Check for broadband

roadworks near your home
T
hinkbroadband has 2
added details of 1
roadworks being
carried out by broadband
firms to its popular map 3
showing UK broadband
coverage.
You can use it to see which
companies are laying fibre-to- 5
the-premises (FTTP) cables
near your home, indicating 4
they’ll soon be offering new
services. It covers only
England at the moment, but
Thinkbroadband says it will
add Northern Ireland, Providers are represented by Grey or black dots mean
WHAT WE THINK Scotland and Wales over the different coloured triangles – providers already offer gigabit
next few months. Openreach is purple, for or plan to do so within three
Having your road dug up by To use it, visit www.snipca. example, while Virgin Media years. Yellow dots mean no
Openreach or Virgin is a sure com/54492 and tick the box is yellow. Finally, click a gigabit network will be built
sign that faster broadband is ‘Telco Roadworks in England’ symbol on the map for in the next three years. Blue
on its way, so this map helps ( 1 in our screenshot above). details of the works 5 . dots are for premises that are
to ease the frustration of Search for your location at The information ‘under review’.
waiting. Start by choosing a the top left 2 then zoom into adds another layer of Thinkbroadband gets its
provider then leave only the your neighbourhood. interest to what is already a data from research conducted
Completed box ticked. If your Move the sliders to show the highly detailed and by the Government’s Building
home isn’t covered by those past 14 or next 40 days 3 , then customisable map. Digital UK (BDUK) agency,
works, try ticking only ‘In untick any providers Tick the ‘Project Gigabit which manages the rollout of
Progress’. If you’re still being (including mobile networks) OMR Status Map Scotland, broadband infrastructure
ignored, select only Planned. you don’t want to appear on England and Wales’ box on across the country.
And if that shows nothing, the map, and choose whether the right and you’ll see
How long have you been
try Cancelled to see if you’re you want to see works that are coloured dots indicating how waiting for FTTP broadband?
really out of luck. planned, cancelled, completed soon you could be upgraded to Let us know: letters@computeractive.
or in progress 4 . gigabit (1Gbps) broadband. co.uk

Pure adds internet stations to retro radios

B ritish digital radio
manufacturer Pure has
released two editions of its
internet radio as well as
DAB+ and FM. It has a 10-watt
mono speaker and a 2.4in
and has dual 15-watt speakers.
However, both cost more
than the original models
retro-styled ‘Classic’ radios colour screen that shows that don’t include internet
with access to internet what’s playing. radio. The Classic H4 costs
stations. Also updated with web £120 (up from £90), while the
The Classic H4 radio radio is the Classic C-D6i, Classic C-D6i is priced £220 available from Pure’s site
(pictured) can now play which doubles as a CD player, (up from £180) – both (www.pure-audio.com).

You’ll like this… but not this…

Google Messages is making it easier to block One in four Brits have lost money in ticketing
spam (www.snipca.com/54485) scams (www.snipca.com/54484)

6 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

Apple’s case against Govt IN BRIEF

‘snooping’ to be held in public SHARE PROTON DRIVE

FILES VIA LINKS
Proton Drive now lets you

A judge has ruled that

Apple’s legal action against
the Government’s request to
create links for sharing files
and folders, meaning you can
share them with people who
access users’ encrypted files don’t have a Proton account
will be held in public. (see screenshot below).
In February, the Home You’ll also now get emails
Office asked Apple to provide when someone makes a
access to its Advanced Data comment on a document
Protection (ADP) system, created with Proton Drive.
which protects your data with Read more at www.snipca.
end-to-end encryption. com/54464.
The Government said the
Investigatory Powers Act,
slammed by critics as the
snooper’s charter, gave it the
authority to do this. would damage national entirely in secret without any
But Apple refused to give security, and called for it to be public revelation of the fact
ministers a ‘backdoor’ into held in secret. But Apple, that a hearing was taking
encrypted files, saying it privacy campaigners and place” (www.snipca.
would seriously undermine news organisations – com/54486).
privacy, and instead chose to including the BBC – said that It added that revealing the UPDATE WINRAR TO FIX
turn off ADP for UK users would be against the public “bare details of the case” SECURITY FLAW
(pictured). interest. wouldn’t be damaging to the WinRAR users should update
In March, Apple launched The tribunal agreed, noting public interest or harm national their software now after a
legal proceedings with the that the case had already security. The date for the full security flaw was found that
Investigatory Powers Tribunal received wide coverage in hearing has yet to be set. hackers could exploit to install
to overturn the Government’s
request.
the media.
Its ruling said it would have
• How to encrypt all your
files – see Issue 706, page 62.
malware. Visit www.snipca.
com/54465 and download
The Government said that been “a truly extraordinary Buy a back issue from www. version 7.11. Windows 11 users
holding the case in public step to conduct a hearing snipca.com/54487. don’t need to use WinRAR
because the operating
system can now unzip RAR
Edge-blocking tool returns with first files – see page 52.

update since 2023 TOMORROW’S

WORLD
A program that stops
Microsoft forcing you to
use Edge and Bing when
the default browser
because it’s an “essential
component”, but Windows
This robot will be delivering
items in Barnsley over the
opening web links in users in the EU can now summer. It’s being tested by
Windows has been updated uninstall it, in accordance courier Evri, which says it can
for the first time since 2023. with the European wheel itself off trucks and sit
Version 0.8.0.0 of Commission’s Digital at a doorstep for a number of
MSEdgeRedirect modernises Markets Act. discontinuation are greatly minutes. It says this could be
the tool and fixes several bugs, To install the revamped exaggerated’. helpful for disabled people
though doesn’t add any major MSEdgeRedirect, scroll down The update gives Windows who can’t answer the door
new features. its GitHub page (www.snipca. users an alternative to quickly. Watch it at www.
Once installed, it lets you com/54490) and click GoAwayEdge (www.snipca. snipca.com/54462. Send us
choose alternative browsers ‘MSEdgeRedirect.exe’ under com/54491), which we a photo if you spot one.
such as Chrome, Brave or the Assets heading. Choose recommended as the best
Firefox when clicking links in ‘Active Mode’ during Edge-blocking tool in Issue
Windows search and widgets, installation (pictured). 703’s Cover Feature.
and on Microsoft’s support Its developer acknowledged Its latest version (2.0) lets
pages. You can also choose to the long gap since the last you replace Microsoft’s
Credit: Evri

open results in search engines update with this heading at Copilot with another AI
other than Bing. the top of the GitHub page: chatbot, such as ChatGPT,
Microsoft says it makes Edge ‘Reports of my project’s Google Gemini and Grok.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 7

 News
IN BRIEF
Copilot will remember your
DOUBLE-TAP TO TURN
KINDLE PAGES
name, interests and past chats
Amazon has released a
firmware update (5.18.1)
that lets you turn pages by
M icrosoft’s AI tool Copilot
will soon be able to
remember your name,
double-tapping the side or interests, preferences and
back of your Kindle. It also past conversations you’ve
scrolls down the Home/ had with it, and tailor its
Library pages. However, responses accordingly.
it works only on the 2024 The new feature, called
editions of the Paperwhite Memory, will also make
and Colorsoft. Other Kindle suggestions of tasks you might
models going back to 2018 like to perform based on your
also get the 5.18.1 update, past actions and questions. you online, such as book files or apps”.
but without double tapping. It’s among a host of new tickets, reserve restaurant Microsoft has tried to
Read more and download features for Copilot that tables and make purchases. preempt any privacy fears
them from www.snipca. Microsoft hopes will tempt Another feature, called Vision, about the new tools by
com/54432. users away from rival AI will “read” what’s on your stressing that you can “choose
chatbots like ChatGPT, screen and let you “change which types of information it
NETFLIX ADDS FULL Grok and Claude. settings, organise files and remembers about you or to
SUBTITLE LANGUAGES One new tool, called collaborate on projects opt out entirely” (see www.
Netflix has added the “full Actions, will perform tasks for without switching between snipca.com/54436).
list of available languages” The company’s aim is to
to its subtitles and dubbing make Copilot more like a
DOWNLOAD THESE TO CELEBRATE
options on TVs. This was personal ‘companion’, similar
MICROSOFT’S 50TH BIRTHDAY
already available when to the now-discontinued
watching Netflix on phones, • Dynamic backgrounds snipca.com/54439 Cortana but using AI to
tablets and web browsers.
Previously, Netflix on TVs
for Xbox, plus 50th
anniversary version
• Source code for
the programming
perform more advanced tasks.
The tools were announced
would only show “5-7 of Solitaire (pictured): language Altair BASIC, as part of the company’s
relevant languages” based on www.snipca.com/54438 written by Bill Gates and Paul celebrations to mark its 50th
your location and language
settings. See more details at
• Wallpapers of Windows
games and logos: www.
Allen in 1975: www.snipca.
com/54440
anniversary, alongside more
nostalgic releases (see box
www.snipca.com/54433. left).

THE WORLD’S
GONE MAD! Phone use in bed linked to sleep loss
It’s not as bad as ChatGPT
wrongly accusing a man of
murdering his kids (see Star
P eople who stare at phone
screens in bed are less
likely to get a good night’s
type of content people viewed
on their screens didn’t
influence their sleep.
Letter, page 13), but Google’s sleep, a study has found. Most phones and apps now
AI became an April Fool The research, carried out by come with a ‘night’ mode to
recently by presenting an old the Norwegian Institute of ease eye strain at bedtime,
hoax as news. It thought this Public Health, suggests that but previous studies have
2020 claim that Cwmbran had each additional hour of screen indicated these have little
set a record for the most time was linked to 24 minutes use and sleep patterns of more beneficial effect because
roundabouts per square km less sleep and a 63-per-cent than 45,000 students aged 18 disruption is more likely to be
(www.snipca.com/54431) increase in risk of insomnia. to 28. caused simply by scrolling and
was both real and current. This However, the researchers They were asked what kind engaging with a device.
AI lark still has some way to go. said their work only found a of content they watched in The research appeared in
link between using screens bed, with options including the magazine Frontiers in
and reduced sleep quality. watching films or TV, checking Psychiatry – read it at www.
They hadn’t actually proved social media and gaming. snipca.com/54434.
that the former caused the Of those who used screens,
Do you use your phone in bed?
latter. 69 per cent said they used Let us know: letters@
The survey analysed screen social media. However, the computeractive.co.uk

8 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

eBay sellers threaten to leave IN BRIEF
after courier options axed SUPERDRUG CUTS MOBILE
PRICES UNTIL 20 MAY

E Bay sellers are threatening

to boycott the site after it
forced private sellers to use
EBay claims sellers will
save 20 per cent on postage
costs, and will receive faster
Superdrug Mobile, an
MVNO on Three’s network,
has cut its prices for new
the company’s Simple Delivery payment from buyers. customers until 20 May.
method to post most items But many sellers have You can get 30GB for £7
priced over £10 or weighing slammed the decision because a month (down from £10),
over 100g. it limits them to using or unlimited data for £16 a
The company said the couriers approved by eBay, month (down from £20).
service is an “all-in-one such as Evri and Royal Mail. The deals include unlimited
delivery solution” that makes Some say that far from UK calls and texts, Wi-Fi
the process smoother and saving them money, Simple calling and 12GB of EU
saves customers money. Delivery will increase costs roaming data. For details visit
When you list an item because they can no longer www.snipca.com/54423.
via Simple Delivery, eBay post directly through Royal had over 1,000 replies.
recommends the size and Mail. Being forced to use Simple THUNDERBIRD TO
weight of the item. The seller Others are angry that they Delivery means sellers have to LAUNCH EMAIL SERVICE
needs to confirm this is won’t be able to use stamps wait two days after the courier Thunderbird
correct before they can post it. they bought before Royal Mail confirms delivery before has announced
Once items are sold, eBay increased the price in April. receiving payment. This might plans to launch
sends sellers a digital QR code Many sellers have prove longer than using an email
and prepaid printable label. complained on eBay’s untracked methods where service called
They then choose which to forums, and say they’ll move buyers could confirm receipt Thundermail
use, and either take the item to rival online marketplaces. earlier, triggering payment. to rival Gmail. It will work
to their courier’s nearest One post titled ‘No longer For more information on both within the Thunderbird
pick-up location or book a selling due to Simple Delivery’ how Simple Delivery works client and separately online
home collection. (www.snipca.com/54426) has visit www.snipca.com/54425. – join a waiting list at www.
thundermail.com. Also
coming soon is Thunderbird
Google permanently wipes Pro, a paid-for service that
adds meeting tools, a new
Timeline data going back years version of Firefox Send and
AI features.

G oogle has admitted it

permanently wiped Maps
Timeline data for some users.
your phone or tablet, then
tap your profile picture in
the top-right corner.
NHS SOFTWARE FIRM
FINED £3M FOR HACK
It uses GPS on your phone Now tap ‘Your Timeline’ The UK’s data watchdog
to track your movements and and check the top-right has fined NHS software
shows where you’ve been, corner for a cloud icon. provider Advanced Computer
stretching back to 2009 (see If it has a download arrow, Software £3m for a
https://timeline.google.com). you can restore your data. ransomware attack in
Many people use it to If there’s a line through it, August 2022 that disrupted
recall memorable holidays, your data has gone for services. Hackers also stole
walking routes and driving good. You can tap the icon details of nearly 80,000 in
patterns. to change your backup the attack. The Information
But Google was flooded settings. Commissioner’s Office
with complaints after users Google emailed affected google.com), meaning you’ll said a subsidiary of the
noticed their historical data users, saying it had “briefly only be able to use it through company “broke data
had disappeared. Only users experienced a technical issue the app. protection law by failing
who had online backups that caused the deletion of The change comes on 14 May, to fully implement
turned on will be able to Timeline data for some which is also the deadline for appropriate security
recover their account. people”. updating Timeline settings measures such as multi-
However, this option isn’t The error comes a few on your app. If you don’t do factor authentication
turned on by default. To check weeks before Google turns this you’ll lose all your data. coverage”. Read its verdict at
if you had it switched on, off the browser version of Read about the changes at www.snipca.com/54424.
open the Google Maps app on Timeline (https://timeline. www.snipca.com/54428.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 9

 Questionof
Question ofthe
theFortnight
Fortnight
Can you still install Windows
without a Microsoft account?
It has removed a popular workaround, but there remain tricks to try

H
istorically, Microsoft But having a local
has been far less account also means 2
restrictive than Apple, you can’t sync
letting you customise anything to OneDrive,
Windows in ways you’ve never nor access Microsoft
been able to in macOS. But Store apps across
since the launch of Windows multiple computers.
11 the company has been Also, if you have
limiting your choices more Windows 11 Pro, you
aggressively, most notably by can’t store BitLocker
forcing you to have the TPM recovery keys online.
2.0 chip and Secure Boot Many people are 1
enabled just to run the happy with this
operating system. trade-off because
Such restrictions always it means you store
motivate developers to find your username,
loopholes. They soon built password, files, settings and Its decision isn’t surprising
software that tricks Microsoft Windows preferences ‘locally’ to those paying attention. Last THE FACTS
into thinking your computer on your PC, rather than on year it scrapped the option to
has the elements needed to Microsoft’s servers. You also create a local account by using • Microsoft has removed
run Windows 11. Now they’ve avoid constant prompts to [email protected] or a workaround that let
discovered a way to install the subscribe to services such as [email protected] as your username. you install Windows 11
system without having to OneDrive, Microsoft 365 and What Microsoft hasn’t without first creating a
create a Microsoft account. Xbox Game Pass. yet removed is the registry Microsoft account
value associated with OOBE\ • It says that using Windows
BYPASSNROB, which with an account makes it
Many users prefer local means you can still type a easier to use OneDrive and
complicated command into security features such as
accounts because they store Command Prompt to create a BitLocker
local account (copy it from • You can still use
usernames, passwords and files on here: www.snipca. the command start
your PC, not Microsoft’s servers com/54499).
Microsoft will probably axe
ms-cxh:localonly to beat
Microsoft’s restrictions and
that too soon, so try the create a local account
This follows Microsoft’s For now, Microsoft has following trick instead. When
surprising decision in March removed OOBE\BYPASSNROB you’re installing Windows 11
to axe the OOBE\ only from preview builds and you reach the screen (www.snipca.com/54495).
BYPASSNROB command. of Windows 11, available to showing ‘Let’s connect you to However, given Microsoft’s
Typing this into Command Insiders, but it’ll probably a network’, press Shift+F10 to new restrictive mindset, we
Prompt when setting up axe the command from full open Command Prompt then wouldn’t be surprised if it
Windows let you skip versions too. Its reason was type start ms-cxh:localonly closed this loophole too.
connecting to the internet, almost comically vague, ( 1 in screenshot above) and With millions of people
therefore bypassing the saying the move would press Enter. buying new PCs before
need to sign in with a “enhance security and user This will take you to a ‘Create Windows 10 support ends,
Microsoft account. experience of Windows 11” a user for this PC’ window 2 , it’s the perfect time for
Instead, your PC created a (www.snipca.com/54496). where you can create a new Microsoft to exert more
local account that was tied That’s only true if you use local user account. The control over the operating
only to the computer you’re Microsoft’s online services, process was spotted by X user system. But that won’t stop us
using, with no connection to but doesn’t apply if you never Wither OrNot, who posted a looking for new workarounds.
Microsoft’s online services. use OneDrive or BitLocker. video showing it working We’ll tell you if we find them.

10 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

Protect your tech
Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools
WATCH OUT FOR...

WhatsApp scams targeting the UK

What’s the threat? cryptocurrency then
WhatsApp scammers are targeting the selling it for twice the
UK more than any other European amount soon after, or
country, with victims losing £2,437 on signing up for funds that
average. The figures come from UK promise double-digit
financial firm Revolut, which has more returns every month.
than 11 million British customers. Its
research found that WhatsApp scams How can you stay safe?
made up 21 per cent of all reported UK Revolut says scammers are exploiting
fraud cases in 2024. the fact that WhatsApp uses end-to-
The most common scams offer fake job end encryption, and is therefore
offers and investment schemes (51 and 38 perceived to be safer than other
per cent of total cases respectively). The messaging apps. But full encryption
former advertise basic admin roles for doesn’t block scams arriving in
unrealistically high pay, and ask for an your account.
upfront payment (around £100-£300) to You can however stop scammers
receive “training materials”, “background adding you to random groups where they from adding you.
checks” or “equipment”. Other job ads promote fake schemes. Tap the menu Interestingly, Revolut’s figures show
trick you into laundering stolen money, (three dots, top right), then Settings. Now that as WhatsApp scams rose in 2024,
such as by asking you to transfer money tap Privacy and choose who you’ll allow Facebook scams fell by a similar amount.
to an account while keeping some as to add you: Everyone, ‘My contacts’ or ‘My That’s not surprising because scammers
commission. contacts except’ (see screenshot). The last were managing to steal ‘only’ £478 on
Investment scams typically say you’ll of these is the most secure because you average in the latter, much less than
‘get rich quick’, usually by buying can choose to prevent all your contacts when using WhatsApp.

New tools Use Brave

in Zorin 17.3
ScamWatch
Readers warn readers

Microsoft would like but it has replaced ‘DVLA payment

you to think you have this with Brave in unsuccessful’
only two options version 17.3. Zorin said In mid-March I received an email with
when it ends support Mozilla’s changes to its the correct GOV.UK logo at the top
for Windows 10 in privacy policy (www. telling me my “latest vehicle tax
October: upgrade to snipca.com/54384) payment to the Driver and Vehicle
Windows 11 or buy means it can “no Licensing Agency (DVLA) was
a new computer longer feel assured unsuccessful”. I knew for a fact this
running it. But for Firefox aligns with our was wrong, so smelt a rat straight
some a better commitment to protect away. But I can easily imagine how it
alternative is to install your privacy”. might fool those who were less sure.
a version (or distro) of If you install Zorin The email was well written with no
Linux. Most are continuously updated, 17.3 from scratch, Brave is included as errors that I could spot, and the threat
so you don’t need to worry about your default browser. If you already run of being fined £1,000 if you don’t act
support ending. Zorin you’ll need to install Brave from will scare some into clicking the
One of the best distros is Zorin, the built-in Software store (www. ‘Update Now’ button. Judge for
which has LibreOffice for working with snipca.com/54385) or from Brave’s site yourself at www.snipca.com/54362.
Microsoft Office files, and lets you (https://brave.com/linux). Visit www. Do you think it would have fooled you?
install Windows software (see www. snipca.com/54383 to find out what else Chris Winters
snipca.com/51972). Until recently its is new in version 17.3, then scroll down Warn your fellow readers about scams
default browser was Mozilla’s Firefox, and click the blue Download button. at [email protected]

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 11

 Letters
Tell us what’s on your mind

UK security is more important will face some resistance from viewers somewhere. I had to wait five days
than Apple’s independence like Vince, but it’ll simply plough on for the bank to verify my identity
Gareth Newcombe might trust with plans to stream all content until manually and restore my access.
Apple more than he trusts the there are just a few hundred thousand Thankfully my travel colleagues helped
Government (Letters, Issue 707), but I Freeview diehards left. Fast-forward me out financially, but it was still a
think his faith is entirely misplaced. 20 years – or maybe only 10 – and stressful time. I’ve now gone back to
Thankfully, we still live in an age Freeview will be a distant memory, passwords and will only use passkeys
where governments can tell companies just like Betamax, MiniDiscs and again if I’m given no choice.
what to do, not the other way around. PalmPilots. Gordon Shackleton
Apple may be one of the world’s Richard Clark
biggest and most influential companies, We rely on copper lines,
but it’s not going to be around forever. I went back to passwords despite BT’s ‘arrogance’
The security of the United Kingdom following passkey disasters In Issue 706’s news
– which has been and will be around for I agree with your analysis that the story ‘BT tells small
much longer – is of far greater tech industry has “overestimated” firms to ditch the landline’,
importance than Apple’s business the appeal of passkeys (Issue 707, page 6). Kerry Small from the
independence. Tech companies need to The public has been put off using them company shows the usual
be reminded who’s in charge. because they’ve read too many horror arrogant attitude that any
Chris Hedges stories like mine. business still using copper lines is
My first realisation that passkeys are out of date.
far from perfect came when I needed to My wife and I live and run a micro
check my emails while staying at a hotel. business in the Cornish countryside.
I’d left my phone charging in my room, When we’re lucky enough to get a mobile
so I tried logging into my account from signal it’s very poor. We still need a
the hotel’s public computer in the copper phone line and our provider Zen
reception. Instead of a simple password understands this. Because we are both
prompt, an on-screen message told me I 70, the company is obliged to keep the
needed to approve the login using my copper line until there is a reliable mobile
saved passkey, which was on the phone signal (which will probably be never).
that was now eight floors away. A neighbour who switched to a fibre
Fine, that was just a minor landline was left without a telephone
Freeview will be a distant inconvenience. But worse followed when a tree fell and pulled down the
memory within 10 years several months later when – after line. Openreach took six weeks to fix it.
Vince Bracewell’s passionate setting up a passkey because my When our fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)
defence of Freeview aerials bank encouraged it – I lost my phone broadband went down, Openreach took
seems a little delusional to me (Letters, while travelling. I had no way of 28 days. It was only our copper line that
Issue 707). He says he hopes he never logging into my account. The bank’s saved the business. I now use Starlink
has to take his down, but hoping doesn’t support team told me I needed to use satellite broadband in parallel with fibre,
halt the march of progress. I’ve spent my registered device, but that was and use copper for the telephone.
much of my life hoping things don’t now in an airport lost property bin Oliver and Giselle Rogers
change, but where does that get
you? It just means you get left behind
What’s the Issue…?
?
using obsolete technology that is
never updated and eventually goes
in the bin. I’m performing a security CA SAYS Yes, in
The TV industry decided years ago check-up and want to read Issue 688, page 62.
that streaming was the future. Just look your article on what not to save in a
at the astonishing growth of Netflix. It password manager. When did you I’m frustrated by how few apps I
publish that? can use on my new Amazon Fire
Computeractive is a member
Dennis Cowley tablet. Didn’t you once explain how I
of the IPSO (Independent Press can hack it to install more apps?
Standards Organisation) which
regulates the UK print and digital CA SAYS In Issue 678, page 62. Mick Highsmith
news industry. We abide by the
Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding
the highest standards of journalism. If you think that Scammers seem to have stolen CA SAYS Yes, in Issue 684’s How To
we have not met those standards and want to make a
complaint, please contact [email protected] my phone numbers. Didn’t you (page 35). Read it and the features
If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would advise how to prevent this? above on our 2024 Back Issue Stick:
like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code,
contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk
Jack Fletcher www.snipca.com/53180.

12 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive
@ComputerActive
www.x.com/ComputerActive

I was boosting TV sound with

hi-fi years before soundbars STAR LETTER
I had to smile at Issue 705’s feature
on boosting your TV’s audio with a
soundbar (page 62). Many years ago my ChatGPT is as creepy as
TV had awful sound quality. The best
speakers and amp I had were in my hi-fi,
HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey
so for about £1.99 I bought a cable and In Issue 707
plugged it into the TV’s headphone (page 8) you
socket. The other end plugged into the asked whether
Aux phono sockets on the amp. My ChatGPT accusing a
speaker enclosures had at least three man of murdering his
cones each: a tiny tweeter, mid-range and children puts us off
a huge bass speaker. It was much better. using the tool. Yes,
Now we have soundbars with tiny you could say that! AI chatbots have ‘old-fashioned’ search engines
speakers that are only slightly better than been sold to us as a way of making our and AI. The former are based on fact.
those built into TVs. No one would lives easier, largely by eliminating Sometimes they might provide false
pretend a tiny soundbar is anything like boring tasks and speeding up those we information, but that’s the fault of the
as good as a real hi-fi speaker set-up. have to do. I must have missed the websites they get their results from.
Plus, with a Wi-Fi connection, you can memo that warned they might also But chatbots are glorified ‘guessing
get speakers in every room, so when think you guilty of one of the worst machines’, and we’re wrong to assume
someone pops into the kitchen for a cup crimes imaginable. they ‘know’ anything in any
of tea, the speakers there can ensure they I thought it was interesting that the meaningful sense. Making stuff
don’t miss any of the dialogue. same issue’s Workshop (page 38) up is what they’re programmed to
Hugh Rogers explained how to use Google’s new tool do. Worse, they try to cover their
for removing personal details from tracks. I asked ChatGPT why it made
PowerPoint is no replacement search results. Your writer said it had the false accusation, and it claimed
for Publisher found comments he’d left 15 years ago. ignorance (see screenshot). I then
Like Jack Lewington in Issue 705’s Google may have refused to remove showed it a link to the story, and it
Letters, I was somewhat annoyed these for your writer, but I was simply said it was “apparently” the
when Microsoft emailed me to say it was impressed that it could locate them work of a former version. Why do
raising the price of a 365 subscription after all this time. such creepy responses remind me of
because Copilot had been added! I never Google gets a lot of criticism, but this the computer HAL in 2001:
asked for Copilot. I have no use for it and new tool is genuinely useful. Its actions A Space Odyssey?
have now deleted it. Microsoft has at least highlight the difference between Ralph Johnson
had the decency to let me roll back my
subscription to what it calls ‘Classic’. The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug!
However, it’s the announcement that
Publisher is being scrapped that really
irritated me (www.snipca.com/54411). such as Word and PowerPoint. Word I CA SAYS Several readers have
Microsoft said Publisher will reach its end can just about accept, but PowerPoint? emailed us to reject Microsoft’s
of life on 1 October 2026, after which “it Until last year I was producing a suggestion that Word and PowerPoint
will no longer be included in Microsoft newsletter three times a year for a are viable alternatives to Publisher.
365, and existing on-premises suites will ‘Friends of’ group. I regularly received We agree. In Issue 707 (page 20) we
no longer be supported. Microsoft 365 information produced in PowerPoint, and recommended Affinity Publisher (www.
subscribers will no longer be able to open it was only because I had it installed on snipca.com/54183, pictured below left)
or edit Publisher files in Publisher.” my computer that I could open the as a better replacement: a one-off
Microsoft then suggests using 365 apps document – and it wasn’t easy, either. payment costs £67.99 on Windows or
My wife and I have Mac and £17.99 on iPad. The best free
been using Publisher alternative is Scribus (www.scribus.net),
since around 2010 and which has a wide range of image and text
it does a great job. formats, and CMYK colour output for
Some of its functions professional printing. Before switching,
are easier to use than read Microsoft’s guidance on what to
Word’s, such as placing do with your existing Publisher files –
images. This is a typical visit www.snipca.com/54184 and
case of ‘if it ain’t broke, expand the section ‘How to prepare
don’t fix it’. Microsoft before October 2026’. You can export
could at least keep it PDFs into both Affinity Publisher and
going without updates. Scribus. Please let us know if you have
David Buckley any other alternatives.

Views expressed don’t necessarily reflect those of Computeractive Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 13
 Consumeractive
We stand up for your legal rights

Can a website reserve LEAD Why is TalkTalk

free delivery for CASE saying I owe £71?
‘guests’? Q
TalkTalk keeps demanding I pay
£70.98, even though I switched
to Sky in December. TalkTalk’s
I saw a coffee machine I customer team have told me three times
Q liked on Tassimo’s
website (www.tassimo.
that I’m no longer a customer and don’t
have any outstanding bills, but I keep
com) priced £44.99. It clearly getting emails demanding payment.
stated that orders over £25 have What’s going on?
free delivery, but the company Margaret Taylor
tried to charge me a £5.99
delivery fee. I contacted the site, This sounds like an
and it suggested I try paying as a
guest rather than signing in. I did
A administrative error, because
Margaret left TalkTalk at the end
this and wasn’t charged for delivery. pods. We said it should state this, and of her contract so doesn’t have to pay an
Surely Tassimo is guilty of mixed – or that not doing so is misleading and early-termination fee. TalkTalk has
even misleading – messages. breaks the new Digital Marketing, acknowledged that she returned all its
Claire Bodemeiad Competition and Consumers Act – and equipment including the router.
would’ve broken the Unfair Trading Margaret sent us screenshots of her
Yes, it certainly is. If there are Regulations that it replaces. Hopefully the chats with customer service, in which
A any restrictions to free delivery,
Tassimo must state this clearly
company will change the message soon.
There’s nothing illegal about Tassimo
they confirm she doesn’t owe any money.
There’s no point in us sending those back
and prominently with the message. We offering free delivery to guests but not to customer service because they’ll just
visited the site to check (www.snipca. account holders. Discriminating against agree with us. Instead we’ll aim higher
com/54414) but found no such caveat. regular customers seems a perverse and email them to TalkTalk’s press office,
Scrolling down, it merely says ‘Receive business strategy to us, but it’s not against asking it to sort out the problem.
free shipping on all products above £25’ the law. Giving special treatment to guests If TalkTalk’s customer service has
(see screenshot). There’s no indication isn’t the same as offering new customers got it wrong and Margaret does owe the
that you might not be eligible. an introductory discount, as broadband company money, it needs to explain
Tassimo told us free delivery isn’t and phone companies often do. There’s where this amount came from and
available in some instances, such as offers no guarantee that a guest will make more why it has repeatedly given her incorrect
that include both coffee machines and purchases later. information.
CASE CLOSED CASE ONGOING

CASE UPDATE

Lidl gets lamp fixed after coupon confusion

We can finally competition prize, meaning it had While we’re glad Jenny will now get a
close Jenny Beady’s no monetary value. working lamp, it shouldn’t have taken her so
case against Lidl We didn’t think this was fair, so long. Lidl needs to train its store managers
after the company we asked the company to clarify. It better. In particular, they should know that
agreed to send her a replacement said that because the lamp is faulty if an item bought with a coupon (partially or
lamp (see original case in Issue Jenny should contact its customer fully) proves to be faulty, they must refund
704 and update in 705). service team instead (020 3966 the value of the coupon, or reissue a new
Jenny put a £10 coupon towards the 5566), rather than ask a store manager. coupon of the same amount.
lamp’s price of £11.99. She sought a refund This turned out to be good advice. After However, all retailers can refuse to accept
when it turned out to have a faulty USB Jenny explained the situation, Lidl agreed coupons when you purchase because
charger, but a Lidl store manager offered to contact the lamp’s manufacturer, and it’s legally they are seen as an ‘invitation to treat’
her only £3 because the coupon was a going to send her a replacement. and don’t count as an offer.

14 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Contact us so we can investigate your case
Email: [email protected]
Please include your name, phone number and address.

Can a retailer resell returned goods as ‘new’?

I seem to have the same problem been used. What counts as ‘use’ is open to
Q as John Barker (Issue 706), who
thought Currys had sold him a
debate, but legally you’re allowed to open
the box and switch on a device, despite
second-hand Lenovo laptop as new. I bought retailers often objecting.
a Lenovo laptop from Argos on 11 March, However, retailers can’t describe a
but when I registered it Lenovo told me returned device as new if it’s been used
the 12-month warranty would expire in for a particular purpose, such as emailing,
five months. I’ve often wondered what browsing the web, downloading software
happens to goods that are returned to and more. In such cases, retailers must
retailers. Can they be resold as ‘new’? specify the device is second-hand or has
Steve Pack been used. Likewise, if they’ve repaired a sold second-hand devices as new. We’re
device they must sell it as ‘refurbished‘. waiting to hear back from Currys, Argos
This is a very good question. Both John and Steve’s laptops were and Lenovo to find out what’s happened.
A Retailers can resell returned
goods as new only if they haven’t
registered before they bought them,
supporting their suspicions they’ve been
There are worrying signs that it’s a
widespread problem.
CASE ONGOING

Must I give a poor badly that it will be impossible for them

to fix.
service the chance You can also seek a refund if for
whatever reason it’s inconvenient for
to put things right? you to hire the company again. Bear in
mind that the company might offer you
a partial refund, reflecting the original
If I buy a faulty product, I know service you received, however sloppy it
Q that after 30 days the retailer has
the right to offer a replacement Generally yes, you must give the
was. Alternatively, if you haven’t paid yet
for the service, you can refuse to do so or
or attempt a repair. But what about poor
services? Can I ask for an immediate
A company a chance to put things
right. But there are instances
ask for a discount.
Also remember never to say
refund, or is the company allowed a when you can demand a refund straight immediately that you’re satisfied with
chance to fix things, no matter how bad away. These include when it’s going to work, in case problems show up later.
their first attempt was? take too long for the company to rectify Companies can use this against you if you
Mark Truman the problem, or if they messed up so try to seek redress.
CASE CLOSED

CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE

Amazon issued fast refund when phone didn’t arrive

On 1 March I ordered the order was out for delivery. When him my contract was with Amazon, not with
a Samsung phone it didn’t arrive I contacted the supplier the supplier. He said he would deal with the
from Amazon. The and received a revised delivery date claim that day, and within five minutes my
confirmation email of 17 March, with a message that I’d refund had been processed.
said delivery would be later in the be refunded if this was missed. Again, Arnold Kingston
month, which was much longer nothing arrived.
than I’d expected. Then I realised that the I asked Amazon to call me, which it did Contact
phone would be supplied by an Amazon
partner supplier.
within five minutes. The helpful assistant
said he’d contact the supplier, but I reminded
Amazon
I subsequently received a new delivery Has a company impressed you with its • Online www.snipca.com/54416
date of 8 March. However, I was concerned customer service? Please let us know: • Phone 0800 496 1081
that the tracking information didn’t show that [email protected]

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 15

 Grow Your
Family Tree
If your British Army ancestors were tried for an offence,
follow Richard Holt’s advice to…
Search courts martial and desertion records
I
f an ancestor in the army committed Search courts
offences under military law, they may martial
records on
have been tried at a court martial. 1 Ancestry
These courts could be held at home or then click
overseas and produced a number of through to
Fold3 to see
records including papers, proceedings and the original
registers. Soldiers deserting was also a big 1 image
problem, so these cases were often
reported in newspapers.

Access Ancestry’s 3
1806-1930 registers 4
To start, read this guide from the National
Archives explaining the different types of (www.snipca.com/54342), which costs of the registers: www.snipca.com/54281.
courts martial: www.snipca.com/54276. £24.99 a month or £224.99 a year. It contains an additional 6,182 register
Some of the registers from these in the I searched the Ancestry index for the entries dated 1851-1900.
WO 68, WO 92 and WO 213 collections surname Wingrove, which features in
have been digitised. See what’s available my family tree. I clicked on the result Browse Police Gazette
online at www.snipca.com/54277. for James Wingrove, which told me he records of deserters
If you subscribe to Ancestry, you can was tried on 21 November 1892 ( 1 in Details of deserters were published in the
access indexes to the registers in the our screenshot above) at Cork 2 , and newspapers Hue and Cry and the Police
‘UK, Naval and Military Courts Martial that he belonged to the York and Gazette. Ancestry subscribers can search
Registers, 1806-1930’ collection (www. Lancaster Regiment 3 . Clicking the latter (1812-1927) at www.snipca.
snipca.com/54278). To see images of the the Fold3.com link 4 took me to the com/54331) though again you’ll need a
registers you’ll also need to subscribe to original record on that site. Fold3 subscription to see the actual
Fold3, which is owned by Ancestry. You can also search entries in courts records.
There’s a seven-day free trial, after martial registers from WO 90/3-4, When you search for an ancestor
which it costs $79.95 (about £62) a year which are not included in the Ancestry you’ll see their personal details appear
or $7.95 (£6.16) a month – see www. index. This is thanks to Canadian on the left ( 1 in our screenshot below).
snipca.com/54280. Fold3 records are historian Amy Milne-Smith, who has These include the regiment they
available at no further cost if you have published a free downloadable Excel belonged to and their number, as well
an Ancestry All Access subscription spreadsheet containing transcriptions as desertion date.
There’s more information in the record

Your Genealogy Problems Solved

on the right, including occupation,
height, and eye and hair colour. The
person we searched for, Henry Witney,
Before he died 20 years ago, my father 1945-1946’, which were published in late was a 5ft6in chairmaker, with dark-
said he filled in a questionnaire after being 2023. Visit www.snipca.com/54270 then brown hair and eyes 2 .
released from Stalag X-B in Germany, where search by name and date of birth. It would
he was kept as a prisoner of war. Would help if you knew your father’s unit, service
2
these be available to search anywhere? branch, service number and rank. You
Roy Kennedy can search for free, but you’ll need a
subscription to view the questionnaire. 1
You might find your father in Ancestry’s
Have a genealogy question for Richard?
‘UK and Allied Countries, World War II Email [email protected] with
Liberated Prisoner of War Questionnaires, ‘Grow Your Family Tree’ in the subject line. Fold3 lists personal details on the left, and
more information in the record on the right

16 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708 Next issue: Find ancestors who were freemasons
 Best Free Software
Robert Irvine recommends new programs that won’t cost you a thing
SYSTEM TOOL

Wintoys 2.0.81.0
www.snipca.com/54456
What you need: Windows 10 or 11

Wintoys is one of our favourite tools for optimising, Tweaks section. These include switching
customising and removing junk from Windows, but it’s been the new File Explorer in Windows 11 to
a while since its last big update. So we’re pleased to report ‘Classic view’ and removing the Home and
that the new version of the app (it’s available from the Gallery shortcuts from its left-hand menu. In both
Microsoft Store rather than as a traditional program) has been Windows 10 and 11, you can now show file extensions and
worth the wait and is packed with useful new features. hidden files without refreshing File Explorer.
A new ‘welcome experience’ introduces you to Wintoys, A new Superuser option includes advanced settings such as
explaining the benefits of the app and encouraging you to enabling God Mode and reducing the number of notifications
create a system restore point in case of problems. This is from User Account Control. You can also now add seconds to
complemented by a new Restoration option in Wintoys’ the taskbar clock without restarting File Explorer.
Settings, which instantly reverts any changes you’ve made. Perhaps the most interesting addition unlocks the ability
The Home screen has been updated to provide at-a-glance to uninstall Microsoft’s Edge browser. Click ‘System’ on
information about different elements of your system when the Tweaks screen, select ‘Digital markets act’ and restart
you hover your cursor over the relevant cards. For example, your PC. When you go to the Apps screen in the Windows
the Storage card shows you how much free space is available Settings app (not within Wintoys itself), the Uninstall
on each drive and partition, while the Windows card tells button for Edge will no longer be greyed out.
you the current version of your operating system. See our Cover Feature on page 50 for more Windows
Most of the new options in Wintoys can be found in the tweaks.

1
3
4

1 Wintoys makes it easy to 2 You can use Wintoys to 3 Wintoys includes a handy 4 To remove junk files from
block Microsoft’s annoying uninstall software by startup manager, which Windows, click the Health
ads and ‘suggestions’ clicking the Apps tab in lets you prevent certain tab, select Cleanup and
in Windows 10 and 11. the left-hand menu, then programs and apps from click the bin icon next to
Select ‘Ads’ on the Tweaks clicking the three-dot button running automatically when Junk. Choose which data to
screen to disable options next to a program or app Windows starts. Click the delete, such as ‘Temporary
including ‘Tailored and choosing Uninstall. If Performance tab followed files’, ‘Windows updates’ and
experiences’, ‘Advertising you’re unsure what an item by ‘Startup apps’ and ‘Browser caches’. The latter
ID’ and ‘Windows tips and is, click Search to look up deselect unwanted entries now includes Brave and
suggestions’. information about it online. in the list. Opera.

18 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

VPN
SHOULD I PAY FOR…?
Proton VPN 4.1.10 Choose the right version of software
www.snipca.com/54474
What you need: Windows 10 or 11
Stardock CursorFX
Proton has www.snipca.com/54475
redesigned its VPN Price: £4.99 Free trial: 30 days
app for Windows What you need: Windows 10 or 11
(plus its mobile apps,
which we’ll cover in If you’re bored of pointing and clicking with the same old
our next issue) to white-arrow cursor or find the default Windows pointer
make it easier to use. difficult to see, CursorFX offers a host of more interesting
Its powerful privacy and accessible designs. Unlike many free cursor packs you
tools are now can download from the web, it’s completely safe to use and
instantly accessible its changes are easy to undo.
from the home screen. They include its NetShield feature for On the My Cursors tab, you can choose from more
blocking ads and trackers; ‘Split tunneling’ for limiting VPN than two dozen animated cursors – some with quirky
protection to specific sites and apps; and ‘Kill switch’ (see designs that resemble drops of water, grinding gears and
screenshot) for protecting your IP address when you lose your spaceships, while others are more practical. Click the lens
encrypted connection. However, only the latter is available to button next to a cursor to view all the variations within
free users. Proton subscribers can also now create profiles that that theme, such as for when you click a web link, select
automatically connect to favourite servers. An improved map text or crop an image. Click ‘Apply’ (see screenshot) to
shows the precise location of the server you’re connected to set that cursor theme – press Ctrl+Shift+C to restore the
and its current speed – note, however, that the free plan doesn’t Windows default.
let you select a location. Additionally, you can now apply a CursorFX also lets you customise the trails that appear
light theme in the app’s Settings. when you move the cursor to show, for example, bubbles
or smoke, and apply effects to specific actions such as
IMAGE VIEWER when you double-click the left or right mouse button.
Interestingly, you can also apply sounds to mouse actions,
PicView 3.1.0 ranging from distinct clicks to musical noises.
www.snipca.com/54457 Select ‘Settings’ to customise the colour, size and opacity
What you need: Windows 10 or 11 of cursors, and adjust the smoothness of their movement.
You can download thousands of additional designs from
At its most basic, www.snipca.com/54483.
PicView lets you
browse pictures
in a folder at their
original size, but
by digging into
the options in its
toolbars and
right-click menu
you can perform
all manner of
useful actions. These include viewing photos in a slideshow,
side by side or in a strip of thumbnails; cropping, resizing
and rotating images; and setting pictures as your desktop
wallpaper. Click the magic-wand icon on the bottom toolbar
to access the Effects option (see screenshot), which lets you
adjust the brightness and contrast of photos, and apply filters OUR VERDICT: Pay for it
including blur, pencil sketch and old movie. PicView supports Though not an essential program, if you want to customise
a wide range of image formats and even lets you view pictures your cursor, you won’t find a better tool than CustomFX.
stored in ZIP and 7z archives. The latest version speeds up its It only costs a fiver, is very easy to use and also lets you
loading times and improves its Gallery view – press G to design your own cursor themes by importing PNG files.
switch to this.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 19

 Best Free Software

What should I download?

We advise you which software and apps to use
Can I print web pages without
How can I erase the usual clutter?
photo metadata? 3
In my part-time job I have to upload lots of photos
Q taken with my camera to social-media sites and
forums. I make sure there are no personal details 1
in them, but I’m aware that they contain metadata that
could give away details like location and when the photo
was taken. Can I erase this before uploading?
Liz Barton 2
Yes, you can do this either on your phone, or on
A your computer. To do the former, install Photo
Metadata Remover for Android (www.snipca.
com/50166) and Exif Metadata for iOS (www.snipca. I have to print a lot of web pages, but they all contain
com/50167) – both are free.
You can remove metadata within Windows by right-
Q clutter like adverts and banners that I don’t need. I’m
sure there’s a program that could remove these before
clicking the file, then selecting Properties followed by the printing, but would a browser extension be quicker?
Details tab. Now click ‘Remove Properties and Personal Chris Rogers
Information’ at the bottom, then ‘Remove the following
properties from this file’. Finally, tick what you want to Yes, it would be and we recommended the excellent
erase, then click OK. This removes lots of data, including
time and location, and might be enough for you.
A Print Edit WE (Chromium www.snipca.com/50428;
Firefox www.snipca.com/50429). Click its toolbar icon
However, ExifCleaner (https://exifcleaner.com) is more ( 1 in our screenshot), then hover over any elements you want to
powerful because it removes every last inch of metadata. remove and click them. A red tint and dotted border will be
It’s also easier to use. Instead of all the clicking described added to them 2 . Now click Delete and they’ll disappear 3 .
above, you simply drag and drop files into the program’s Alternatively, to print only selected elements, click Delete
box (see screenshot). It works with images, videos and Except or Hide Except.
PDFs. The #Exif Before and After columns show you how
much metadata was in the image, and how much is
remaining (it should be zero). ExifCleaner overwrites the
original file, so you don’t need to download it afresh.
How can I keep my laptop cool?
It’s not been updated since 2021, but it’s still safe. Visit I’ve just bought a 2
www.snipca.com/54286 then click the ‘ExifCleaner-3.6.0.exe’
link under Assets.
Q refurbished Lenovo laptop
that gets very hot. I might
return it because this doesn’t seem
normal, but first I want to know
whether there’s any software that can
cool a laptop. Any suggestions?
Damien Grainger
1
Try Camomile (https://
A camomileapp.com), which
was among our readers’ top 20 programs of 2024 (see
Issue 700’s Cover Feature – buy a back issue at www.snipca.
com/54285). It measures your PC’s CPU, GPU and SSD
temperature, then cools it when you turn on Cooling Mode ( 1 in
our screenshot) – you can also set a keyboard shortcut to do
this. You’ll see the overall temperature at the top 2 .

20 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708 Email us your questions at [email protected]

Named & Shamed
Keumars Afifi-Sabet puts the boot into tech villains,
jargon-spouting companies and software trying to trick you

SOFTWARE WARNING!
‘Have I been pawned?’s nasty typosquatting

W
hat difference can a mistyped
‘a’ make? Quite a lot actually,
as reader Mel Taylor recently
found out. He thought he’d typed https://
haveibeenpwned.com – the invaluable 2
database of stolen email addresses and
passwords run by security guru Troy
Hunt. But he accidentally added an ‘a’ 1
to make it pawned, and ended up
somewhere far less helpful.
The site showed a warning that
impersonated Microsoft and claimed 3
that his PC was corrupted. When I visited
the site (see screenshot right), it showed Has Keumars been ‘pwned’? He would’ve
the Edge logo 1 and prompted me to been had he clicked ‘Allow’
take a ‘Microsoft Edge security check’ 2
– whatever that meant. Clicking ‘Allow’ bought the URL and paid Bodis to fill it to
3 would not have been a good idea. the brim with dodgy links and adverts.
When I tried again later I found a This is classic typosquatting – where
page with sponsored search results scammers exploit a misspelt web address.
for ‘Cyber and Data Security’ (see Famous examples include Bitwariden,
screenshot far right). Goggle, Faceboook and Microosft.
I dug deeper and found the site is To avoid the scam, type the correct
managed by a US firm called Bodis, URL above (or our most recent shortened
which specialises in “smart domain version: www.snipca.com/54375) very Typosquatting scams typically stuff pages
monetization”. In other words, somebody carefully then bookmark it. with dodgy links and adverts

WHAT ARE THEY KEUMARS’ VILLAINS OF THE FORTNIGHT

TALKING ABOUT?
Parcel-stealing Birmingham gang
WHAT THEY SAY
Facebook www.snipca.com/54372 If a laptop you ordered stolen items in
“Connecting with friends has been a a few years ago never some of the gang
part of Facebook since it launched. Over arrived, it might have members’ homes, and
the years, Facebook evolved to meet been nabbed by a more than £37,000 in cash.
changing needs and created best-in- parcel-stealing gang from They’ve been jailed for
class experiences across Groups, Video, Birmingham. Between over 30 years combined,
Marketplace and more, but the magic of September 2022 and though we’ve chosen to
friends has fallen away. We’ll be adding February 2023 the picture only Marius Marin
several ‘OG’ Facebook experiences eight-strong team for two reasons. One, he
throughout the year, beginning with the working at a courier firm received the joint longest
Credit: Warwickshire Police

revamped Friends tab.” in Kingsbury redirected items to sentence (six years for conspiracy to
addresses under their control. steal). And two, he’s absconded to
WHAT THEY MEAN They also stole PCs, TVs and electric Romania and hasn’t been seen since.
We’re too cool to say ‘original’, so we’ll use bikes, worth £820,000. The company If you’re over there, keep an eye out.
an abbreviation that no one uses anymore. became suspicious and intercepted You’ll see the rest of the gang at
No wonder we don’t have any friends. some of the deliveries. Police found www.snipca.com/54374.

Issue 708 • 23 April - 6 May 2025 21

 Reviews
New products tested by our experts New products tested by our experts

DESKTOP PC | £1,924 from Wired2Fire www.snipca.com/54359

Wired2Fire HAL 9000 Compact PC

Game changer

Gaming PCs tend to come in larger cases,

offering plenty of room to house all the
hardware and cooling components they
require. Wired2Fire has squeezed its HAL
9000 into a relatively small (‘compact’)
box – 377x185x295mm (HxWxD) –
that should sit neatly to the side or
under your desk.

Played 4K games
with Ultra or High
graphics settings at an
excellent frame rate 7 9700X processor, backed up by 32GB of ports (pictured left). There are three USB
RAM and a nifty 2TB SSD. Our test unit 3.2 ports, two USB 2.0, and one more
The Cooler Master NR2300P Max V2 also had an Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti graphics USB-C, as well as a 2.5Gb Ethernet port.
chassis is finished in an anodised grey card, but that’s fallen out of stock and has Wireless connectivity is provided by
that looks much better in the flesh than been replaced – at the time of writing it Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
in our photos. The front-mounted USB came with an RTX 5070 Ti, which will If you’re hoping that such an expensive
ports (one USB-C, two USB-A) sit neatly provide an even faster performance than PC will last, then the five-year warranty
next to the power button and a 3.5mm our tests show here. will be reassuring. The first two years
audio jack socket. Most of the time That said, the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X covers collect and return, which includes
during our tests the HAL 9000 ran near was already one of the fastest we’ve tested parts and labour. The remaining three
silently, with the fans disturbing the to date – outmatched only by the Intel years are labour-only, where you will
peace only when we pushed the Core Ultra 9 185H chip in the PCSpecialist need to pay courier costs. Wired2Fire also
processor or graphics card to their Nebula Goliath, but that cost nearly promises lifetime phone support.
limits when playing games. £500 more and is no longer available on While the price is at the upper limit of
The PC is built around the AMD Ryzen PCSpecialist’s website. what most people will be prepared to pay
We tested the HAL 9000 with four for a new PC, we can’t fault the build
current games, played at 4K with Ultra quality or components, which are worth
or High graphics settings. It managed an paying for if you want a state-of-the-art
average frame rate of 106 frames per gaming machine.
second, which is an excellent result at
this level of resolution. With its newer
graphics card we’d expect this to VERDICT A powerful PC that will
improve significantly. run your favourite games smoothly at
The main downside of buying a high resolutions and maximum detail
gaming PC in a smaller case is the space settings
restrictions. This means there are no
spare PCIe expansion slots inside, and the
★★★★★
smaller backplate limits the room for ALTERNATIVE Palicomp
AMD Destiny £1,350
SPECIFICATIONS Uses older, less powerful
Eight-core AMD Ryzen 7 9700X processor • components to keep the
32GB RAM • 16GB Nvidia GeForce RTX5070 Ti
graphics card • 2TB SSD • Windows 11 Home •
price down, but can manage
377x185x295mm (HxWxD) • Five-year warranty high-resolution gaming
www.snipca.com/54359

22 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 HOW WE TEST
Computeractive is owned by Future PLC,
LAPTOP | £1,300 from Asus www.snipca.com/54366 which employs a team of specialist
technical reviewers. You’ll often read

Asus Vivobook 16 Flip references to our benchmark testing,

which is a method of assessing products
using the same criteria. For example, we
Bends over backwards test the speed of every PC and the battery
life of every phone and tablet in exactly
the same way. This makes our reviews
authoritative, rigorous and accurate.
This versatile machine has a screen Future PLC also owns the magazines
that can be angled like any standard Maximum PC, PC Pro and T3, and the
laptop or flipped all the way back to websites Laptop Mag (www.laptopmag.
be used as a tablet – or positioned com), TechRadar (www.techradar.com)
anywhere in between. and Windows Central (www.windows
Its OLED touchscreen measures 16in central.com). This means we can test
across the diagonal, and with its sharp thousands of products before choosing
2880x1800-pixel resolution and 120Hz the most relevant for Computeractive.
refresh rate, it’s ideal for watching TV and
movies in the right environment. The FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
panel provides near-perfect contrast Our writers follow strict guidelines to
and covers an impressive 84 per cent of ensure the reviews are fair and impartial.
the DCI-P3 colour standard. That said, browsing), but offers around the same The manufacturer has no involvement in
its maximum brightness level is modest, limited performance level in more our tests.
at 356cd/m2, which is enough to demanding tasks. As such we wouldn’t
overcome a little glare, but harsh recommend this for serious gaming or OUR AWARDS
overhead lights can make it hard to video editing, but it’s a belter for general We award every product
see everything onscreen. Windows jobs and streaming videos. that gets five stars our
It also means battery life is great, Buy It! stamp of approval.
helping to compensate for its OLED It means we were
A flexible laptop with screen which drain power faster than extremely impressed by the product, and
IPS panels. We used the Flip through an we think you will be too.
a stunning screen and average day of office work, with video
Every product that gets a
calls, some light lunchtime gaming
nifty performance and a bit of photo editing, and it had
four-star review is given the
Recommended award. We
40 per cent charge left after eight
highly recommend these
Inside, the Flip is built around an Intel hours. In a test that simulated typical
products, although they just fail to meet the
Core Ultra 7 258V processor, alongside productivity work, the battery lasted 13
high standard of our Buy It! winners.
32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. This hours 47 minutes. It’s an impressive
processor has eight cores, which is a result for a laptop with such a large PRICES
step down from the 16 you’ll find in the OLED screen. Our reviews contain a link to the best price
Core Ultra 7 155H chip in our previous With a generous selection of ports we found online at the time of press.
favourite laptop, the Dell Inspiron 14 (two USB-C, one USB3.2, one HDMI, a
(£799 from www.snipca.com/51831, microSD card slot, and one 3.5mm audio
reviewed in Issue 683). jack), its large keyboard with a number
As a result, the Flip is faster on basic pad, and an expansive trackpad, this VERDICT A versatile laptop with a
activities (such as office software and web laptop is a superb all-rounder. If your stunning screen, decent performance
budget doesn’t stretch this far, the Dell levels and excellent battery life
Inspiron 14 remains a great, cheaper
alternative, but this has won us over to
★★★★★
become our new favourite laptop. ALTERNATIVE Dell Inspiron 14 Plus
£799 A smaller, cheaper alternative,
with similar performance but an inferior
SPECIFICATIONS
Eight-core Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor • screen
47 TOPS • 32GB RAM • Intel Arc 140V graphics •
16in 2880x1800-pixel 120Hz OLED screen • 1TB
SSD • 2x USB-C ports • 1x USB3.2 port • 1x HDMI
port • 1x microSD card reader • 1x 3.5mm audio
jack • Wi-Fi 7 • Bluetooth 5.4 • Windows 11 Home
• 17.4x355x244mm (HxWxD) • 1.78kg • One-year
warranty www.snipca.com/54366

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 23

 Reviews
EXTERNAL GRAPHICS HARDWARE | £360 from GMKtec www.snipca.com/54378

GMKtec AD-GP1 External GPU Docking Station

In graphic detail

Most of the mini PCs we’ve reviewed the AD-GP1, and setup is just a
recently have not been designed for matter of plugging it in. With
serious video editing or gaming, Intel PCs you may need to download
because their small size doesn’t allow the relevant driver to make everything
room for the requisite graphics hardware. work, though that too is a fairly
A couple of recent models, however, have straightforward process. Power on your
included an OCuLink port, including the PC and the AD-GP1 will automatically
GMKtec NucBox K11 (£700 from www. switch on. Your PC should then run as
snipca.com/54341, reviewed in Issue normal, except with extra graphics
707). An OCuLink port lets you connect processing power and a huge leap in
an external graphics device, essentially performance levels.
giving you a graphics card that you can In fact its RX7600MXT graphics high-resolution video in
plug in whenever you need it. processor is powerful enough to let DaVinci Resolve. Photoshop already
you play most modern games at 1080p worked well on this PC, but adding the
resolution with high detail settings. AD-GP1 made every job noticeably
For those who It can also support 4K monitors with smoother and faster.
refresh rates of up to 120Hz and 8K What it didn’t do was improve the
want a significant monitors up to 60Hz. performance of Windows generally. In
We tested it with the GMKtech EVO-X1 tests that measure everyday tasks, such
boost to editing AI Mini PC, which has a powerful AMD as office work and web browsing, the
Ryzen Al 9 HX 370 processor. This already AD-GP1 brought no benefit.
and gaming, it’s an has decent built-in graphics, but it Overall, the AD-GP1 provided an
absolute godsend switches to the graphics hardware in the
AD-GP1 when connected. The difference
excellent boost to the graphics of our
mini PC. However, it’s worth noting that
in performance was startling. a desktop PC with a built-in graphics
GMKtec’s AD-GP1 is a great example In graphics benchmarking tests card is still recommended if you have
of this type of graphics device, and at performance levels increased by 180 per the space to keep one, as the balance
40x164x111mm (HxWxD) it won’t take up cent. We were able to turn up the detail between price and performance will
much desk space and weighs just 708g. It level and resolution when gaming, and generally be better than you’ll get with a
comes with the cables and ports you’ll play at higher frame rates, which made mini PC and external graphics.
need to connect it to a host PC via OCuLink movement look much more fluid.
or USB 4.0. It also has two HDMI and two We also tested it with other software SPECIFICATIONS
DisplayPort sockets (pictured below), so tools that could benefit from this AMD Radeon 7600MXT graphics • 1x OCuLink port
• 1x USB 4.0 port • 2x DisplayPorts • 2x HDMI ports
you can easily connect it to a maximum type of boost, including Adobe • 1x DisplayPort • 2x HDMI ports • 1x DisplayPort •
of four monitors. Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom 40x164x111mm (HxWxD) • 708g • One-year warranty
If your mini PC has an AMD processor and DaVinci Resolve. The difference with www.snipca.com/54378
it will already have all the drivers it and without the AD-GP1 was marked.
needs to operate with the AMD Ryzen Rendering 4K video footage in Premiere
RX7600MXT graphics hardware inside Pro was significantly faster, as was editing VERDICT An external graphics card
for compatible mini PCs that provides a
significant performance boost to video
editing and gaming
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE
Minisforum MGA1 eGPU Dock Station
£449 A similar device with the same
graphics hardware and more
USB 3.2 ports, though
it lacks a USB 4.0
option

24 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

TABLET | £400 from Honor www.snipca.com/54419
CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPECS
Honor Pad V9 Dual SIM
Medium rare phones
What are they?
A SIM is a small plastic card provided
Honor offers a range of Android tablets by your mobile-phone
and the Pad V9 sits bang in the middle. In network that tells your
terms of price it’s between the Honor Pad phone which number
9 (£220 from www.snipca.com/54427, to use and connects it to
reviewed in Issue 682) and our current the network’s services.
favourite Android tablet, the Honor Most phones use a
MagicPad2 (£500 from www.snipca. single SIM, but some can
com/53150 – see page 30). Honor often accommodate two, so you
has good deals, however, and we’ve can run two numbers from
seen the MagicPad 2 as low as £400. the same handset. Dual SIM
phones – like the Motorola
E14 (£60 from www.snipca.
Mid-range tablet actually measured it a fraction higher in com/54422, pictured) don’t
our tests. Audio quality is also impressive, have to be expensive.
offers handy features with eight speakers dotted around the
edges, which helps create the sense of a How do they work?
and a sharp screen spacious soundscape. With two SIMs installed you can choose
Inside there’s a MediaTek Dimensity which one to make calls from. This
The V9 is smaller than the other two, 8350 Elite processor. This isn’t cutting- can help you to manage work and
with an 11.4in screen, while the Pad 9 is edge, and is fine for browsing, emailing personal calls from the same phone,
12.1in and the MagicPad2 12.3in. The V9 and office work, but it struggled to run for example, so you don’t have to carry
is perhaps aimed at those who want to the latest games at a decent frame rate. two phones around. When a call comes
replicate the feel of the standard 11in iPad The camera setup is similarly in, you’ll see immediately which SIM is
(£329 from www.snipca.com/54420), but modest, with a 13-megapixel rear and handling it, so you can ignore work calls
in Android. And in some ways it 8-megapixel front. They’re fine for after office hours.
compares well with the iPad, given its scanning documents and carrying out You can also control your mobile data
slightly larger screen and double the video calls, but don’t expect sharp, in the same way, which can be handy
storage for only around £70 more. detailed snaps. when travelling. For instance, you might
What you get with the iPad, however, The V9’s 10,100mAh battery is a use a secondary local SIM in your phone
is iPadOS, which is still slightly slicker similar size to the iPad’s, and it got us while on holiday to avoid expensive
and better supported by app developers. through about two days of heavy use roaming fees, while still receiving calls
That said, Honor’s MagicOS 9 – which is before the tablet needed a recharge. on your usual number.
built on Android 15 – works well, and Overall this is an impressive tablet, but
has a few apps and tools that make we think it still lags behind the larger What are the specs?
certain tasks much easier. It has its own Honor MagicPad2, particularly if you can Some dual SIM phones have two
Office-like productivity software, for catch it when it’s on offer. slots where you install both SIM
example, that lets you convert your cards. Others offer the option of an
docs into PDFs (or other file formats), eSIM, which is a file you can download
compile documents from certain apps VERDICT A decent Android alternative from your phone provider that
and mark up PDFs. to the basic iPad, with useful apps, a contains all the information stored on
The screen has a sharp 2800x1840- sharp screen and impressive audio a SIM card.
pixel resolution and a nifty refresh rate of
up to 144Hz. Honor claims a 500cd/m2
★★★★★ Can I change them later?
maximum brightness, although we ALTERNATIVE Yes. The benefit of a dual SIM phone is
Honor MagicPad2 £500 Its larger that you can swap the SIMs as often as
SPECIFICATIONS screen is more luxurious, whether you like – you simply remove one SIM
Eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 8350 processor • you’re watching and replace it with another. With eSIMs
8GB RAM • 11.4in 2800x1840-pixel resolution IPS films or you may even be able to have more
screen • 256GB storage • 13-megapixel rear camera working. Often than two saved at a time, so switching
• 8-megapixel front camera • Wi-Fi 6 • Bluetooth
5.2 • Android 15 with MagicOS 9 • 176x259x6.1mm
discounted to between multiple SIM cards is easier
(HxWxD) • 475g • One-year warranty www.snipca. £400 than ever.
com/54419

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 25

 Reviews
SMARTPHONE | £599 from Apple www.snipca.com/54407

Apple iPhone 16e

Core appeal

The iPhone 16e has replaced the iPhone which can be set to carry out functions
SE, which was Apple’s most affordable you perform often (see them all at www.
phone. As its name suggests, it’s a closer snipca.com/54429). It also has the full
relative to the current iPhone 16 than the suite of AI tools that are exclusive to
SE was to previous generations. The SE iPhone 16 models.
typically just adopted the components Its 6.1in OLED screen is much bigger
and designs from older iPhones to keep and better than the 4.7in IPS screen of
its price down. the iPhone SE. We measured a peak
Not surprisingly then, this brightness level of 1028cd/m2, which playing the latest games.
costs more at launch than its makes it much easier to see everything In battery tests the iPhone 16e lasted 12
predecessor, which arrived on the onscreen when using it outdoors. hours 41 minutes between charges,
market for £419 in 2020 (reviewed The most obvious cost saving relates to which is almost as good as the standard
in Issue 630). The 16e costs £599 the single rear camera, compared with iPhone. Charging is also quick and can be
for the cheapest model, which has two on the iPhone 16. This essentially done wirelessly, though it lacks a MagSafe
128GB of storage. That’s only £200 ditches the option of ultrawide angle connector for magnetically clipping on to
less than the cheapest iPhone 16. shots, but there’s no compromise on the compatible wireless chargers.
There are also 256GB and 512GB remaining camera, which takes great
versions of the 16e, but at £699 pictures in all lighting conditions.
and £899 respectively, they’re Inside you’ll find the same Apple A18 VERDICT One way to get the iPhone
significantly more expensive. Both processor, and our benchmark tests 16’s features for less, with only a few
options remain £200 cheaper than showed the basic performance level is minor compromises
an iPhone 16 with the same identical, which means navigating iOS
capacity, though. in everyday use feels snappy. However,
★★★★★
The 16e is marginally (less than Apple has reduced the graphics capability ALTERNATIVE
1mm) shorter and 3g lighter than on the 16e, so it’s not as slick when Google Pixel 9a £499
the iPhone 16 but keeps most of Google’s new low-cost
the same design elements, SPECIFICATIONS Pixel alternative is
including the flat outside edge Six-core Apple A18 processor • 8GB RAM • 128GB, cheaper and promises
(pictured left), the strong 256GB or 512GB storage • 6.1in 60Hz 2532x1170- to be excellent value
pixel AMOLED screen • 48-megapixel rear camera
aluminium frame, an impressive • 12-megapixel front-facing camera • Wi-Fi 6 •
for money – we’ll test
IP68 rating and the new Bluetooth 5.3 • iOS 18.3 • 147x72x7.8mm (HxWxD) • it soon
programmable Action button, 167g • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/54407

WHAT SHOULD I BUY? We solve your buying dilemmas

How good is the Dell OptiPlex Micro 7020 PC?

I am a volunteer at our local stars. The 7020 (pictured) is an updated 512GB SSD, and costs
Q library, where we’ve started
using Dell OptiPlex Micro
version. It looks largely identical, though
the allocation of ports have changed – an
£645 from www.snipca.
com/54410. It comes
7020 PCs. I assume our IT people are HDMI socket has been added; two of its with a one-year
reasonably savvy when purchasing three DisplayPorts removed; and it has warranty, but we’d
equipment, but do you have any info one less USB 3.2 port but adds two USB expect it to last way
on the merits of this PC, as I am 2.0 ports. beyond that. It will be
looking to replace my ageing desktop PC? It’s available in a range of configurations. fine for office work and
Neil Howells If you want it to last as long as possible, web browsing, but we
we’d recommend the most expensive wouldn’t recommend it for video
We tested the Dell OptiPlex version you can afford. The costliest editing or serious gaming.
A Micro 7000 in Issue 657 and
awarded it four out of five
specification currently has an Intel Core
i5 14500T processor, 16GB of RAM and a
Do you need advice on what you should buy?
Email us at [email protected]

26 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Reviews
COOLING PAD | £24 from Amazon www.snipca.com/54389

Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad

The heat is off

The Liangstar Laptop Cooling Pad is a We put it through its paces using a levels – from both a few inches away and
stand designed to prevent your laptop gaming laptop – an Acer Predator Helios at around head height. We recorded 59dB
from overheating while it’s working (or 300 with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and 45dB respectively, which is acceptable,
playing) hard. It has six fans of varying graphics card. We ran tests that pushed and roughly equivalent to the fans of the
sizes – three 100mm, two 80mm and a the laptop to its limits in an attempt to Acer Helios 300 itself.
70mm in diameter – and is compatible raise its internal temperature. After
with any laptop with a screen between 12 running this for 15 minutes without the
and 17.3in, though it works best between cooling pad, the temperature rose by VERDICT A low-cost cooling pad that
15.6 and 17in. 31.9oC. We switched it off, allowed it to works hard to significantly reduce the
It’s well constructed, with a sharp, cool down naturally, then ran the test temperature of your laptop
angular design and feels comfortable. again, this time with the cooling pad in
While testing we were able to tilt it to the place. It did the trick. From the same base
★★★★★
correct angle for our wrists. The monochrome temperature and running for the same ALTERNATIVE TopMate C12 Laptop
lighting is more subtle than the RGB type length of time, the cooling pad limited Cooling Pad £30 Has a control panel
common to many cooling pads. the temperature increase to an with a screen and a phone holder,
impressive 15.3oC. but costs more
SPECIFICATIONS
3x 100mm fans, 2x 80mm fans, 1x 70mm fan • Fits Given its effectiveness, we were and is no
laptops with screens from 15.6-17in • 2x USB 2.0 ports pleasantly surprised by how quiet the better at
• Suitable for desk and lap use • 30x420x300mm fans were. Ten minutes into the test we cooling
(HxWxD) • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/54389 used a sound meter to measure noise

EARBUDS | £100 from Amazon www.snipca.com/54390

Huawei FreeArc
In the loop

If you don’t like sticking tiny buds deep sound as good as in-ear buds because Google Play Store. The process is much
into your earholes to stop them from they don’t sit as close to the ear drum, easier on Apple devices. The buds work
falling out, but want to avoid big, bulky but these are the best we’ve ever tested. It without the app, but it does provide extra
headphones, then open-ear earbuds separates different sounds effectively, features such as sound profiles and the
could be the sweet spot you’re looking keeping them delicately tuned and ability to locate the buds should you
for. These clip around your ear, hanging maintaining a bristling energy. We often misplace them.
close to but not inside the ear canal. forgot we weren’t wearing regular
Huawei’s FreeArc buds have a standard tighter-fitting buds.
open-ear design: the main body is similar There are a few downsides, though. VERDICT High-quality, comfortable
to standard buds but this is attached to a The earbuds themselves last seven hours over-ear buds at a reasaonble price, but
loop that circles and slips behind the ear. between charges, but the case only provides there are a few drawbacks, particularly
Each one weighs 8.9g, so they aren’t the 28 hours of total listening time, which is for Android users
lightest buds we’ve tested, but this is relatively short. It will get you through a
barely noticeable when worn. full day of listening, but will need regular
★★★★★
We were very impressed with the audio recharging if you use them a lot. ALTERNATIVE Sony
quality. Open-ear buds don’t typically We also found it hard to install the app WH-CH720N £100
on Android, requiring us to download the Standard headphones
SPECIFICATIONS Huawei AI Life app from Huawei’s own for over the ear at a
17mm dynamic drivers • 28-hour battery life with
case • USB-C cable • IP57 ingress protection •
AppGallery (which itself had to be similar price, but they
Bluetooth 5.2 • 8.9g • One-year warranty www. sideloaded on to our device from an APK offer noise-cancelling
snipca.com/54390 file) because it wasn’t available on the

28 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Reviews
SMART TV | From £29 a month from Sky www.snipca.com/54430
DO I REALLY NEED...
Sky Glass Gen 2 An audio
Dish out streamer for
old speakers?
In 2021, Sky shook up its entire
offering with Sky Glass. It’s both What is it?
a 4K-resolution TV set and a Swedish company Atonemo
subscription to Sky’s TV has announced its £99
services, delivered through your Streamplayer, a pocket-sized
broadband connection rather device that streams audio to
than via a satellite dish. any hi-fi system or speaker.
Now Sky has launched Glass
Gen 2, which replaces the How does it work?
previous version. As before, The device has a USB-C port to power
there’s a choice of Sky-branded TVs anti-reflection finish and higher it and an AUX port that connects to
in three different sizes (43in, 55in or brightness levels, while audio quality any speaker or amp. It then connects
65in), and you can choose whether to has been boosted through extra built-in wirelessly to your phone, from where
buy the screen outright or pay monthly. speakers. you can control playback and adjust
Then there’s a monthly subscription It’s a smart-looking design that’s the settings. It supports Apple AirPlay
to pay on top, to get the usual Sky available in silver, grey, or blue. This isn’t 2, Spotify Connect, Google Cast, Tidal
channel packs. the very best TV you can buy for the Connect and Auracast, so will work with
money but that isn’t really the point. virtually any music streaming service.
What you’re actually buying is an
Has a better screen integrated TV system that provides What’s the catch?
immediate access to Sky and any There aren’t many. It’s good value, the
and more speakers to streaming service you can think of, design is classy, and it’s easy to use.
from Netflix to BBC iPlayer. There’s no launch date yet, but you can
boost audio quality What you really need to think about sign up for updates at www.atonemo.
is whether Glass will be the best Sky com.
Breaking those costs down, you pay a option for you. If you already have a good
£20 setup fee, then with a 48-month TV, a Sky Stream box can plug into its So can I do without it?
contract, you can pay £14 a month for the HDMI port to deliver similar content – Yes, if you’ve already ditched your old
43in TV; £19 a month for the 55in; or £24 and this will cost you less overall. And if hi-fi system. Otherwise, it’s a great way
a month for the 65in. You can shorten you have Sky Glass 1, there’s not enough to stream music through it.
that to 24 months by paying double the here to justify upgrading.
monthly cost. Either way, the TV is yours
at the end of the contract. If you’d prefer, SPECIFICATIONS NEXT ISSUE
43in, 55in or 65in versions • 4K Quantum Dot display
you can buy the TV upfront for £699,
• HDR • Built-in Dolby Atmos soundbar • 3x HDMI
£949 or £1199 respectively, which also ports • 2x USB-C ports • Wi-Fi 6 • 780x1229x48mm On Sale Weds 7 May
forgoes the setup fee. (HxWxD, 55in screen including stand) • 21.9kg (including
You also need to pay for your Sky stand) • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/54430
Lenovo Idea
package. The basic Sky Essential TV starts Tab Pro
at £15 a month on a two-year contract, Lenovo’s Android
but there are plenty of other VERDICT Improved TV hardware with tablet offers a
tempting add-ons, such as Sky’s programming, delivered without large screen
the Ultra HDR and Dolby installing a satellite dish and stylus
Atmos pack, Sky Cinema,
Sky Sports and Sky Kids.
★★★★★ PCSpecialist
Fusion 16
Once you have decided ALTERNATIVE Sky Stream
Copilot+ laptop
what you want, however, £15 a month If you’re happy assembled in
Sky Glass is easy to order and with your existing TV, the UK
set up, which the delivery this provides a similar
team does for you. service you can These and much more...
We tested the 55in model, plug into your Subscribe to Computeractive at
which has a superior screen existing set www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
with an improved

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 29

 Buy It Find out which other products we liked.
Buy our 2024 Back Issue CD:
£19 from www.snipca.com/53433

Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award

LAPTOP ENNEW DESKTOP PC APPLE iPAD
TR
Y
Asus Vivobook 16 Flip Palicomp AMD Cobra Apple iPad 10.9in
£1,300 from www.snipca.com/54366 £400 from www.snipca.com/43515 £329 from www.snipca.com/53977
Tested Issue 708 Tested Issue 643 Tested Issue 646

Versatile device that can be used like a The price of the 10th-generation iPad,
laptop or flipped over like a tablet. It’s released in 2022, has fallen far enough
faster than the Dell Inspiron (below) This fast PC is a mouth-watering that it’s the best-value model. The link
with office software and web browsing, bargain, with 16GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD above takes you to Apple, but also
has a stunning screen, and lasts nearly and a six-core processor – though it check John Lewis where it’s been as
14 hours. Worth the money. lacks USB-C ports and built-in Wi-Fi. low as £309.

ALTERNATIVE Dell Inspiron 14 Plus ALTERNATIVE Wired2Fire Ultima WS ALTERNATIVE iPad mini 7 The 2024
Comes with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD Home Office Workstation Blisteringly version of the mini improves the colour
and a 14in 2240x1400-pixel screen. fast PC, powered by an overclocked accuracy on the 8.3in screen and has a
Great value. £699 from www.snipca. eight-core processor and 1TB SSD. more powerful processor. £499 from
com/51831 £675 from www.snipca.com/41500 www.snipca.com/52573

ANDROID TABLET P APPLE iPHONE ANDROID PHONE P

DRRIC DRRIC
OP E OP E
Honor MagicPad2 Apple iPhone 16 Google Pixel 7a
£399 from www.snipca.com/53150 £799 from www.snipca.com/53981 £279 from www.snipca.com/53388
Tested Issue 700 Tested Issue 695 Tested Issue 660

With a larger screen (12.3in) than the

Galaxy Tab S9 (below) and a similar
performance for less money, Honor’s
MagicPad2 is a superb new tablet. The This is the best new iPhone for years, A cheaper version of Google’s flagship
OLED screen has a strikingly sharp boosted by a processor that’s as fast as phone, this uses AI to add clarity to
resolution, and yet battery life is a much more expensive models. The screen photos, and lasts an impressive 10
mighty 18 hours. is excellent, while the new Camera Control hours. Has a fast processor and 8GB
button gives lots of ways to take photos. RAM to supercharge performance.
ALTERNATIVE Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
Has a much brighter screen than its ALTERNATIVE iPhone 14 Now heavily ALTERNATIVE Nothing Phone 2a Don’t
predecessor, making it ideal for watching discounted, this remains a speedy be put off by the odd name. This has a
TV. Also has a faster processor, speeding phone with great features and an distinctive design, superb camera and
up tasks. £799 (128GB) from www. impressive camera. £499 (128GB) from decent battery life. From a UK company
snipca.com/50039 www.snipca.com/53982 too. £279 from www.snipca.com/49930

30 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Buy It
Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award
MINI PC EBOOK READER SECURITY SOFTWARE

GMKtec NucBox K11 Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Norton 360 Premium

£700 from www.snipca.com/54341 £160 from www.snipca.com/52730 £19.99 from www.snipca.com/33247
Tested Issue 707 Tested Issue 698 Tested Issue 629

Norton has always performed

strongly in our antivirus tests,
A fast and powerful machine, but The sixth version of the Paperwhite regularly making the top three.
what really sets it apart are the ports has a larger screen (7in), faster page Owned by US firm NortonLifeLock,
letting you upgrade it – such as the turns and longer battery life (12 weeks it’s available at a discount on our
OCuLink connection for graphics – up from 10). Its glare-free finish Software Store. Use the link above
cards. Also has six USB ports, 32GB RAM means you can easily read it in bright for a 10-device, two-year licence.
(upgradeable to 96GB) and a 1TB SSD. sunlight, and its 300ppi resolution Other versions are available, including
makes text a joy to read. Norton 360 for Gamers.
ALTERNATIVE Geekom A8
Too small to accommodate many ports, ALTERNATIVE Kobo Libra Kobo’s first ALTERNATIVE Bitdefender Total
but makes up for it with a 2TB SSD and colour e-reader, with over 4,000 tones to Security Another top performer that
SD card slot for adding storage. £719 make illustrations and photos leap out. we’re offering at a discount. £24.99
from www.snipca.com/51157 £210 from www.snipca.com/50192 from www.snipca.com/41141

WEBCAM PC MONITOR SOLID-STATE DRIVE

Logitech C925e Business Philips 27E1N1600AE Corsair MP600 Pro LPX 1TB
Webcam £200 from www.snipca.com/54190 £79 from www.snipca.com/52658
£65 from www.snipca.com/50751 Tested Issue 692 Tested Issue 630
Tested Issue 608

Despite the name, this webcam is also An affordable 27in monitor with a In our tests, this M.2 SSD hit speeds
great for home users. Its standout sharp resolution, impressive image of 7,364MB/s and 6,870MB/s when
feature is automatically adjusting itself quality and a sturdy build. It has an reading and writing data – astonishingly
to keep your picture looking sharp. It HDMI port, a USB-C port and two USB fast scores. It’s compatible with the
offers a 78-degree field of view, which 3.0. The hefty base means you can new PCIe 4.0 standard, which is twice
is fine for everyday video chats with one raise and tilt the monitor easily using as fast as PCIe 3.0. The 1TB model
person in front of the camera. just one hand. costs £79; 2TB costs £135.

ALTERNATIVE Creative Live Cam Sync 4K ALTERNATIVE Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS ALTERNATIVE Crucial MX500 500GB
Affordable 4K webcam with high- Another excellent 27in monitor with As fast as an SSD can get in the
quality video that can also capture 1440p resolution and a fast refresh traditional 2.5in SATA format, this
voice from a distance. £38 from rate aimed at gamers. £329 from is a great-value upgrade. £60 from
www.snipca.com/51577 www.snipca.com/49898 www.snipca.com/53808

32 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Buy It

COMPETITION

Win 1 of 2…
Birdfy Feeder 2 Duo
video bird feeders
Winner of a Recommended award The species-recognition system can
in Issue 701 (page 28), the Birdfy sound an audible alarm if a squirrel To enter this competition, answer
Feeder 2 Duo is the perfect way to visits the table. Power for the Wi-Fi the question at www.snipca.
keep an eye on the feathered friends comes from a solar panel that works com/54360 and submit your details
in your garden. It has two cams and well even on overcast days, while by midnight on 23 April. Good luck!
two angles, raising the bar for video quality is excellent.
backyard birdwatching. Thanks to Birdfy’s upgraded You can buy the Birdfy Feeder
The main camera, located centrally, algorithm, it instantly delivers perfect 2 Duo for £369.99 from www.
has a useful pan-and-zoom function bird photos and wide-angle video clips snipca.com/53289. For more Birdfy
that follow birds around the feeder straight to your Birdfy app. You’ll get a products, including the Feeder 2
for the best shot. The secondary side ‘Motion Alert’ (pictured) when a bird is Pro and the Hum Feeder Pro (which
camera has a wider-angle lens, which detected. You can then use the app to captures slow-motion videos of
helps to fit larger birds in the frame. identify the species. birds) visit www.birdfy.com.

PRINTER P SMART TV ROUTER P

DRRIC DRRIC
OP E OP E
Epson EcoTank ET-2830 Bush 43UT24SB Asus RT-AXE7800
£189 from www.snipca.com/54466 £199 from www.snipca.com/53637 £180 from www.snipca.com/52957
Tested Issue 676 Tested Issue 703 Tested Issue 665

This has recently risen in price from It’s rare to find a 43in TV this cheap, This router has Wi-Fi 6E, so will be
£180, but it’s still better value than the especially with a superbly bright screen. capable of the fastest possible speeds
ET-1810 because it adds copying and Sound isn’t bad either, and it offers most on the 6GHz network over the next
scanning to its functions for £110 more. of the streaming services, including few years. It has five Ethernet ports and
Print quality is great, especially for Freely. Its TiVo operating system is also a USB 3.0 port to connect a hard
photos, which have crisp details, vivid very easy to use. drive or NAS drive.
colours and realistic skin tones.
ALTERNATIVE Samsung CU8000 ALTERNATIVE Synology WRX560
ALTERNATIVE Epson EcoTank ET-1810 More expensive, but has a 55in LED Our previous favourite remains an
Not the fastest printer, but comes with screen and sharp 4K resolution. excellent choice, delivering speeds of
enough ink for 4,500 mono and 7,500 Connectivity is good, with three HDMI up to 791.5Mbps. Add more units to
colour pages. £150 from www.snipca. and two USB ports. £360 from www. set up mesh Wi-Fi. £211 from
com/52191 snipca.com/52110 www.snipca.com/52051

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 33

Computeractive 2024
Back Issue CD & USB Stick
Both the CD and Stick contain all 26 issues from 2024

LE NOW!
ON SA

SOLD OUT
BACK IN
STOCK!

Buy the CD from us at Buy the Stick from us at

www.snipca.com/53433 www.snipca.com/53180
 Pull Out
& Keep

Workshops & Tips Issue 708

14 pages of easy-to-follow workshops and expert tips

35 S
 witch from Skype and 40 Readers’ Tips PLUS
master Teams 44 Phone & Tablet Tips 47 M
 ake Office Better
42 Browser Tips: Add a
38 F
 ind faces in photos Downloads button to 46 M
 ake Windows 48 In the Club: Send
and put them in groups the Chrome toolbar Better club certificates

HOW TO...
Switch from Skype and
master Teams by Nik Rawlinson

What you need: Skype account; Microsoft Teams Time required: One hour

A
fter 22 years, Skype is shutting up – after which Microsoft recommends contacting a new provider to process the
shop. Microsoft has called time on users switch to its free version of Teams. move. Microsoft briefly explains how to
the internet phone service, which This is built into recent versions of do this at www.snipca.com/54337.
has seen competitors like Zoom, Google Windows, but if it’s not already on your Teams does give some users the option
Meet and Microsoft’s own Teams steal machine, download it from the Microsoft of renting a standard phone number and
much of its market share since they really Store at www.snipca.com/54336. using it for receiving and making calls
came to prominence during the Covid However, while Teams replicates many (www.snipca.com/54339). However,
lockdowns. of Skype’s core features – like text chat this is only available on Teams business
Skype was many users’ first experience and voice calls – not everything will be subscriptions, and not the free version to
of internet telephony, but the system available. If you use Skype’s incoming which Skype users will be transferred, or
went beyond merely enabling calls. It number service, you can no longer top the paid home-user editions available as
also offered text-based group chats, let up your balance. Instead, Microsoft will part of Microsoft 365.
you send and receive cash, and was a keep your number live until your current Other features that will be lost include
handy, commitment-free option for subscription runs out. After that, you’ll chats between Skype accounts and Teams
anyone who wanted a second phone only be able to make calls to other work or school accounts, chats between
number without the cost of having a Teams users. your Skype account and business users,
second line run into your home. If you want to keep hold of your one-on-one chats with yourself, and
Skype’s final day of operation is 5 May incoming number, you can transfer it by private conversation data.

Download your you’ve transitioned to Teams, it might

1 2
1 Skype chats
If you want to preserve any of
be easy to forget.
Microsoft has set up a dedicated
the information mentioned above, you’ll export page for Skype data at www.
need to export it before it disappears. snipca.com/54338. Log in using your
You’ll able to do this any time between Skype credentials (which in our case are
now and the end of the year – Microsoft the email address and password of our
states that “your Skype data will be Microsoft account), then select whether 3
available until January 2026 for you to you want to download your conversations
export or delete”. ( 1 in our screenshot) or shared files 2 –
You can export your Skype data until January
Nonetheless, we’d still recommend or both – and click ‘Submit request’ 3 . 2026 by selecting conversations and/or files,
doing it sooner rather than later as, once You may find that some files are no then clicking ‘Submit request’

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 35

 longer available, because anything
you’ve shared with other users is stored
for just 30 days before being removed
from Skype’s servers, so don’t expect to
How I make internet calls
retrieve anything from before then. All my calls go over the internet, and have done for years. I have
If you refresh the page after clicking two lines from Localphone (www.localphone.com) and two from
‘Submit request’, you can monitor the Sipgate (www.sipgate.co.uk), over which I make and receive calls
progress, then download the file when using a dedicated SIP-based desk phone. I use Teams, Zoom and
it’s ready. It will be compressed as a Google Meet for online meetings, but these are usually video
tarball – hence the .tar extension. You rather than purely audio.
may need to use a third-party tool to Nik Rawlinson
extract its contents – try the excellent How do you make internet calls?
7-Zip (www.7-zip.org). Please let us know: [email protected]
Once you’ve downloaded and extracted
your conversations, they can be opened
in the Skype ‘parser’, which is a web 1
page that can extract and organise
the contents. Download the parser by 3
clicking the ‘here’ link below the ‘Submit 2
request’ button on the page where you
made your data request (via the link at
the bottom of page 35).
Double-click the ‘skype-parser.zip’ file 4
in your Downloads folder to extract its
contents, then double-click the ‘index.
html’ file it contains. Click the ‘Choose
file’ button ( 1 in our screenshot below)
and navigate to the ‘messages.json’ file
that you extracted from the conversations
download. Select it and click Open. Now,
back at the parser web page, click Load to
open your chats 2 .
Click ‘Chat’ to access your old Skype conversations and Contacts for contact details

clicking the one marked ‘Current profile’. main panel 3 .

As soon as Teams logs you in, you Notice how there’s also an entry for
should see that your existing content Contacts 4 below your chats. Click this
has been transferred. So, to recover header to reveal your contacts, then hover
(and continue) your text-based over each one and a profile card will pop
conversations, click Chat at the top up with their details.
2 1 left ( 1 in our screenshot above). Your As Microsoft also owns the business
recent discussions will be listed below networking site LinkedIn (www.linkedin.
Click ‘Choose file’ then navigate to and open that 2 . Click one and it’ll open in the com), you may find that several of these
the ‘messages.json’ file on your PC include business profiles.
To begin a chat with anyone in your
Access your old chats contacts list, simply click their name in
2 in Teams
If you’re happy to move from
the sidebar and start typing into the text
box in the window’s main pane.
Skype to Teams, you shouldn’t need to
download your chats because they should Talk with non-Teams
be transferred to the new system.
When you first open the program and if
3 users
It was always possible to send
you already have both a Teams and Skype text messages from Skype to mobile
account, you’ll need to choose which one phones, as long as you had money in
you want to use within Teams. As you your account to cover the cost. You can
can see from our screenshot right, Teams do the same in Teams. To send a text by
has recognised both of our accounts SMS, click the pencil and paper icon at
automatically. Because we also use Teams the top of the second sidebar ( 1 in our
in a business context, but have used screenshot above right), then type the
Skype very little over recent years, we’re If you have a profile for both Teams and number of the phone you want to reach
going to stick with our Teams account by Skype, select the one you want to use in the To box.

36 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Switch from Skype and master Teams

You can send

SMS text
messages from
within Teams 1 Keep your landline
number
2 If you still need a landline number
then – as a home user – you have
two options. You could transfer an
existing Skype number to another
provider, or you could register a new
number with an alternative supplier.
The latter may cost less than
you’d expect, with companies like
Localphone (www.localphone.com)
When you press Enter, Teams will offering UK-based numbers for 90p a
prompt you to enter the name of the month, plus a one-off 90p setup fee.
contact so it can show this in the You can select a number from
conversation pane. Now, type your more than 600 area codes – you’re
2
message into the message box and 1 not restricted to choosing the code
click the paper-aeroplane icon to for your local area. So, you could
send it. choose a number in Carlisle and use
When it comes through on the it in Canterbury, or register a line
other person’s phone, it will be in Margate that you actually use in
displayed just like a standard message. Manchester.
They can reply directly if they prefer The dial pad is still available through the Skype Most internet telephony providers
web portal
not to install Teams themselves. use a technology called SIP to manage
Their response will arrive in your www.skype.com) if you have a credit and host calls, which is compatible
Teams conversations view 2 just balance (as we do – albeit for just £2.73, 1 with dedicated SIP phones. These are
like it would if it was sent by another in our screenshot above) by using Skype’s converters into which you can plug a
Teams user. dial pad 2 , which can still be found there. regular landline phone, or smartphone
If you want to make voice calls through apps like ZoIPer (www.zoiper.com).
Make phone calls Teams – whether to external contacts if
4 in Teams
What you may have noticed
you have credit and access to the dial pad
or to other Teams users within the app – ( 1 in our screenshot below left) and
from our screenshots is that while it’s first make sure your audio equipment is check that the dropdown menus for
easy to have a text-based chat, there’s correctly set up. both Speaker and Microphone accurately
no button for making phone calls. If you’ve plugged in a microphone, but specify the devices you want to use 2 .
Microsoft’s help pages covering the also have a mic built into your computer, We recommend leaving ‘Automatically
transition state that the “Skype Dial and are maybe listening to music through adjust mic sensitivity’ 3 and ‘Noise
Pad will be available starting in May Bluetooth earbuds that have integrated suppression’ 4 switched on to give your
to existing paid users from the Skype mics for use on a mobile phone, you need computer the best chance of sending a
web portal and within Teams Free” (see to tell your computer (and Teams) which clear signal.
www.snipca.com/54347). We’ll have you want to use in this instance. Scroll further down and you’ll see there
to see from May, therefore, how it’s Click the three dots at the top of are similar settings for video devices.
implemented in Teams. the Teams window (to the left of your Again, make sure the correct device is
In the meantime, you can still make profile icon), then click Settings. Now selected on the Camera menu if you are
calls through the Skype web portal (at click Devices in the second sidebar using more than one. We would also
recommend switching on the option to
Make sure you’ve
selected the ‘Adjust brightness’.
correct audio 1 There are two other options covering
devices when video: mirror video and soft focus. Both
you make voice
of these are a matter of preference,
calls to other 2
Teams users although the first can be quite useful if
you need to accurately point to items
while keeping an eye on yourself in
3 the video window. Just be aware that
if your video is mirrored, so will any
text visible on screen. This could be a
4 problem if you’re making a call as part of
a job interview or because you want to
demonstrate something.

Next issue: Use your phone to measure around the home Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 37
 Workshop
Find faces in photos
and put them in groups
What you need: digiKam Time required: One hour

I f you take a lot of photos of

different people – for example, on
holidays or at family events – it can
match them to other faces in your
library and – in doing so – create a
series of albums that automatically
take hours to get them all organised. groups your pictures by person.
But it doesn’t need to. The new We’ve found it incredibly accurate,
version of photo-library software even with pictures that were taken
digiKam (8.6.0) has a handy new several years apart and where
feature that can automatically subjects are wearing hats. Here,
recognise faces in your photos, we explain how to use it.

1 2

STEP Download digiKam from www.snipca.com/54395 by STEP As long as you didn’t change any default options during

1 clicking the ‘64-bits’ link below ‘Windows Intel 10 or

later’. Double-click the ‘digiKam-8.6.0-Qt6-Win64.exe’
2 setup, digiKam will be set to automatically work with
photos stored in your Pictures library. Make sure this
file in your Downloads folder and, when Windows asks if you’d includes the images you want to organise by opening File
like to make changes to your system, click Yes. Follow the Explorer and clicking Pictures 1 in the sidebar (if this doesn’t
onscreen installation steps, selecting the default options at each appear, click the arrow next to the computer icon in the address
stage. The first time you launch digiKam, follow the setup bar 2 then Pictures 3 ). Copy and paste your photos into the File
process. Some questions – for example, about the type of Explorer window you’ve just opened, then return to digiKam.
database you want to use 1 – can be quite daunting.
Fortunately, you can leave all of the defaults as they are.

STEP DigiKam won’t immediately

3 detect your new images, so

right-click Pictures 1 . Now 1
click Refresh 2 in the dropdown menu 3
and it will check for changes and show
thumbnails of your photos in the larger
pane to the right. If you want to change 2
this view, click one of the buttons on
the toolbar (these include Thumbnails,
Preview, Map and Table 3 ). The Map
view, for example, can accurately place
photos taken by a smartphone on a
map. To start organising through facial
recognition, click Thumbnails.

38 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 4

3 1
2

STEP Click ‘People’ (shortened to P… in our screenshot 1 ) in STEP Of course, digiKam doesn’t know your subjects’ names,

4 the left-hand pane, then switch to the Settings tab 2

and click ‘Scan collection for faces’ 3 . The scanning
5 so click a photo and type the name of the person in the
box that appears 1 , then click the ‘Create [name]’ line
process can take a while depending on the size of your image 2 below it. Select another photo. If it’s the same person, click
library. In our case, 260 photos took about a minute. It the tick below the pre-filled name. If it’s not the same person,
recognised 45 ‘faces’ but, as you can see from our screenshot, type their name into the box instead. You’ll need to do this with
some results contained no human faces. To remove unwanted several photos for each person in your library to give digiKam
shots from your collection, click the ‘x’ 4 that appears when the best chance of automatically recognising faces in the next
you hover over a photo. step. We’d recommend naming three or four photos of each
person before proceeding.

STEP Now, click the Workflow dropdown

6 menu and select ‘Recognize faces

only’ 1 . Once again, click the ‘Scan 4
collection for faces’ button 2 and wait for it to
process. DigiKam puts the newly recognised
faces into groups and puts a green frame
around any new ones. Hover over any that it’s
incorrectly included and click the ‘-’ button 3
to reject that suggestion. To add the remainder 5 3
1
to the group of confirmed photos of that
person, click the section header 4 , then hover
over one of the photos and click the tick 5 – all
recognised photos will now be confirmed.
2

1 STEP DigiKam is more than

7 just an image-management
tool – you can also use it to
2 edit your photos. Select one that you
want to tweak then click Image
Editor 1 to open the editing tools.
Now use the options at the top of the
Editor window 2 to switch between
the different tools. Each of these is a
section header that when clicked
displays a menu of further editing
options.

Next issue: Master the best new browser of 2025 Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 39
 Readers’ Tips
TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT

Move brush to make precise edits in ImageFX

My favourite tool in Issue 706’s taken to a page where you can
excellent Cover Feature on AI tools is change the ‘brush size’ slider ( 1 in 1
ImageFX (www.snipca.com/54057). It’s screenshot). This indicates the size
the easiest image generator I’ve ever of the brush you can move over the 3
used, and has some advanced editing image – like a standard brush tool in a
options if you know how to use them. traditional image-editing program.
Type your descriptive prompt as Now draw the virtual brush over
usual, then click Generate and select an the part of the image you want to edit 4 2
image you like. Hover over it and the 2 and type a description of the
‘Edit image’ button should appear changes you want on the left 3 . All that’s mask’ to undo any edits.
bottom left. Click this and you’ll be left is to click ‘Generate edits’ 4 – or ‘Clear Philip Wilkinson

Philip wins a copy of our 2024 Back Issue CD Buy it from us at www.snipca.com/53433

SOFTWARE SOFTWARE
Allow screenshots Remove deleted files from
of password manager ShareX’s history
I prefer passphrases to passwords, Following recent tips in 3
so was interested that KeePassXC Computeractive, ShareX (https:// 2
– my password manager of choice – now getsharex.com) is now my favourite
lets you mix upper- and lower-case program for taking screenshots. How
letters (see Issue 707, page 11). Somehow, they can offer so many tools and settings
mostly thanks to Computeractive, I’ve for free is just incredible.
become the tech helper to my extended One trick I’ve just discovered is how
family, and I often send them screenshots to make sure files you’ve deleted from
of software settings they should activate. I your computer no longer show up in 1
wanted to do this for the KeePassXC tip, ShareX’s image history. This makes
but none of my screenshot programs would sense because once you’ve discarded an
work. It was annoying at first, but then I image you presumably don’t need it OFFICE
realised it must be for security reasons. anymore – and so what’s the point of Send emails to groups
But then I started wondering how keeping it in ShareX’s history? It would in Outlook without errors
Computeractive had managed to publish only clutter up your screen. I’m using Outlook in Microsoft 365,
a screenshot. I assumed KeePassXC lets To do this, click ‘Image history’ on the and when I try to send an email to
you do it somehow, and I was right. Click left ( 1 in screenshot above right) then a group I see the error message ‘Couldn’t
‘View’ at the top, then tick Allow Screen the Settings cog 2 . Now tick ‘Filter send this message’ (see screenshot above
Capture. I then took screenshots just as I missing files’ 3 . You don’t need to click right) – though surprisingly I don’t get it
would in any other program. an OK button to confirm. when the group name is only in the BCC
Lynne Maddison Ian Maguire field. Outlook saves the unsent group

Why I stopped using…

Amazon Kindle Kindle device. I also learned to avoid any further
When I found out that Amazon that you don’t actually own problems and I have
was going to stop users moving your ebooks, and that backed up my downloaded
Kindle ebooks via USB (Issue 705, Amazon has the right to books to it. I like that you
page 9), I tried to back up my books update or even remove a can set a ‘bed time’ so
before the deadline. book from your library. when you’re reading at night
However, I had a problem almost the back light is yellow
straight away. I was reading my books And what I use rather than bright white.
on a tablet using the Kindle app instead... Barry Miller
because I didn’t want two devices and So I’ve now bought the Kobo
Amazon wouldn’t let me back them Clara Colour e-reader (£130 Tell us why you stopped using a website, app
up because I didn’t have a registered from www.snipca.com/54348, pictured) or program: [email protected]

40 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Handy hints and tips from your fellow readers
Email us your tips: [email protected]

Reader recommends…
OnePlus Pad 2
£449 from www.snipca.com/53247

In recent years, I’ve become

hooked on simulation games
on my PC. I was looking for a more
portable device that would let me play
these games while lounging on the (my wife wouldn’t let me play it for
sofa, and was interested in the OnePlus that long continuously), but I only need
Pad 2 following your review (Issue 701, to charge it every couple of days. It
page 24), where you said it was especially certainly lasts longer than my old
email as a draft. No matter how often I try impressive when handling games. Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 ever did.
to send this email I get the same error I regularly play four games on it: It’s turned out to be one of my best
message. Infinite Flight, Train Station 2, Port ever tech purchases. I’ve even used it to
After much trial and error I’ve found City: Ship Tycoon and Designer City 2. take some good-quality photos, which
how to get the email sent. I have to They all play smoothly thanks to the surprised me.
expand the ‘To’ field to the individual Pad 2’s 144Hz refresh rate. It’s also fast Dean Lovell
email addresses. I then need to click the and the battery life is incredible. Your Want to recommend hardware or software
plus (+) sign to the left of each group review said it could last over 18 hours to fellow readers?
name and the individual email addresses on a single charge. I can’t confirm that Email [email protected]
appear. I can then send the email.
However, you can’t expand the
group(s) after the error message with your desktop. Right-click an
the email saved as a draft because the empty space and select New,
plus sign to the left of the group then Shortcut. In the ‘Type
name(s) in the ‘To’ field disappears. the location of the item’ box
My solution is to open the saved draft in type control sysdm.cpl,,4
full screen by double-clicking it, then ( 1 in our screenshot left).
clicking the ‘Open in new window’ icon. Click Next, then give it a,
Now remove all the group names in the suitable name and click
‘To’ field, then re-type the group names Finish. Your shortcut will now
in the same box. This makes the plus appear on your desktop 2 .
sign(s) re-appear. Carl Hughes
Now click the plus sign by all group
names and the individual email addresses HARDWARE
appear. The email can then be sent. It’s a Press power button
long-winded way of sending emails to at the far right to
groups, but there doesn’t seem to be a turn on your laptop
simpler way. WINDOWS I’ve enjoyed reading
Richard Bale Create desktop shortcut for Computeractive over the past
System Restore 25 years, but I’ve never been able to
EMAIL System Restore can be a lifesaver help anyone – until now!
Create an alias to beat blacklist when your computer goes belly up, In Issue 704’s Problems Solved (page
In Issue 705 (page 67) Cliff but you have to burrow into Windows’ 66) Terry Nicholson wrote that his power
Brambleton asked for your help innards to find it. Here’s how to place a button works only intermittently on his
because the National Trust’s email one-click shortcut to System Restore on Asus Vivobook Pro 14.
provider Blackbaud had blacklisted his I’ve had the same problem
email provider Mail.com. Cliff didn’t on my Vivobook Pro 14. I’ve
want to change his email provider, but he found that the only way to
might be able to get around the problem power up the laptop is
by setting up an email alias with to very gently press the
AdGuard (www.snipca.com/54241, see power button on its far-right
screenshot right) and give this new edge. Nothing will happen if
address to the National Trust. Once it’s set you press in the centre. I’ve
up, he’d never notice the difference. He been using this method for a
could follow your instructions for doing year or more and it works
this in Issue 702’s Workshop (page 38). every time.
Tim Mallinson Ian Hickson

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 41

 Browser Tips
CHROME permanent Downloads button
Add a Downloads button to your toolbar. This means you
to the toolbar can access your downloads
Chrome used to show your whenever you want – at the
downloads in a bar across the click of a button.
bottom of the browser, which made them To add this feature to the
easy to open when ready. Google then browser, click the Customise
relocated downloads to a ‘download Chrome button in the bottom-
bubble’ in the top-right toolbar. right corner of a New Tab page.
This bubble is more convenient to In the side panel that opens,
access and prevents downloads from select Toolbar and switch on
obscuring the web page you’re viewing. the Downloads option in the
However, it only appears when you start Your Chrome section ( 1 in our VIVALDI
downloading a file, then vanishes when screenshot below). Discover the new features
you restart the browser. To retrieve the A Downloads button will now appear in version 7.2
file after restarting, you need to press on the browser’s toolbar 2 , which you Vivaldi 7.2, released in March,
Ctrl+J to open Chrome’s ‘Download can click to open your ‘Download brings a host of new features and
history’ and open it from there. history’ 3 after the bubble disappears. improvements to the ever-innovative
To solve this problem, Chrome 135 To remove the button, right-click it and browser. Most notably, Vivaldi has
(released in early April) lets you pin a choose Unpin. integrated the excellent VPN Proton VPN,
to encrypt your browsing data and keep
you anonymous online.
Sign up for a free account to
2 automatically connect to a secure server,
or pay a subscription to choose from
3 thousands of servers and unlock
additional options. See our Workshop
below to find out how to use Proton VPN
in Vivaldi.
Vivaldi 7.2 updates the address bar to
make it “smarter and faster”. It now
suggests search queries and web pages as
soon as you start typing into the bar, and
uses your bookmarks and search and
browsing histories to ensure the suggestions
1 are relevant. Under the bonnet, Vivaldi
has optimised its ‘connection handling’
to load pages faster.
The browser’s Dashboard, introduced
in version 7, continues to expand with
the addition of a new Currency widget.

WORKSHOP Browse privately in Vivaldi with Proton VPN

1
1 1
2

3 2
2

1 To get started with Proton VPN in

Vivaldi, click the new VPN button in the
browser’s top-right corner 1 . Choose ‘Sign
2 Once you’ve signed into Proton, click the
VPN button again. Click ‘Connect’ 1 and
Proton will connect you to the fastest
3 Click the Features (sliders) button 1 to
tweak Proton VPN’s settings. Although
some options require a subscription, you
in with Vivaldi’ 2 to register using your available free server – this is usually in the can set Vivaldi to automatically connect to
Vivaldi account or ‘Already have a Proton Netherlands. To choose a server from the list Proton VPN and enable ‘WebRTC leak
Account?’ 3 to link Proton with Vivaldi. 2 , you need a paid-for Proton subscription. protection’ 2 to boost your online privacy.

42 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Secret settings and the best extensions

BEST EXTENSION FOR… Saving your browsing history

HistoryOut useful pages you never bookmarked. the number of times you did so and even
Chromium HistoryOut lets you export how you accessed each page – whether
www.snipca.com/54377 your browsing history as a CSV through a search engine or by typing its
By default, Chrome deletes spreadsheet or HTML or JSON file, URL in your address bar.
your browsing history after giving you a permanent record of
three months – though all sites you’ve visited. Just specify If you don’t like that, try…
you can extend this to the export format and time range, History Export
36 months in your Google and click Export History (see Firefox
account settings. This screenshot). Usefully, you can www.snipca.com/54405
protects your privacy and include additional information in This add-on provides a ‘quick and dirty’
frees up storage, but it also the history file, such as the dates way to export your browsing history from
means losing access to and times you visited each page, Firefox, but only in JSON format.

This lets you instantly convert sums of These appear before you start typing a OPERA
money to and from 38 currencies, and search query or web address, even when Manage your browser tabs
view current exchange rates. To add the Bing isn’t your default search engine. using AI
widget to your Dashboard, click the ‘Add Though you may find it interesting to see Opera has updated its AI assistant
a Widget’ button and select Currency (see what other people are searching for, we Aria to go beyond answering
screenshot above left). think you’re more likely to regard these questions and generating content, and
Other changes include the ability to set ‘trending searches’ as pointless clutter. control the browser itself. You can now
‘priority’ keyboard shortcuts, which Thankfully, it’s possible to turn off this ask the chatbot to close, group, pin and
override the custom shortcuts used by new feature, though the option is hidden. perform other actions to your tabs.
websites, and a new Share Vivaldi button Click Edge’s three-dot menu button and Press Ctrl+/ (forward slash) to open
in the Help menu. This lets you invite choose Settings, then ‘Privacy, search and Aria’s command-line message box, and
your friends to try Vivaldi, so they can services’. Scroll down to the ‘Search and type a tab-related command such as
also enjoy all the browser’s benefits. connected experiences’ section and select pin the current tab, group all Amazon
‘Address bar and search’. tabs or close all YouTube tabs ( 1 in our
EDGE Now click ‘Search suggestions and screenshot below). The AI assistant
Turn off ‘trending searches’ filters’ and switch off the option ‘Show will respond accordingly, perform
in the address bar me trending searches from Microsoft the requested action and confirm
Rather than introduce any useful Bing’ ( 1 in our screenshot below left). what’s changed.
features in Edge 135 (released in You can also disable the setting Click ‘Keep changes’ 2 to accept the
April), Microsoft has instead added an ‘Show me search and site suggestions result and continue browsing, or ‘Undo
annoying one. When you click the using my typed characters’. This will changes’ 3 to make Aria reverse the
browser’s address bar while you’re on a stop Edge sharing details of everything action. When you have more than five
New Tab page, Edge will now show you type with Bing, and limit its tabs open, you can also access AI
‘trending searches’ from Bing in a suggestions to web pages from your commands by right-clicking a tab and
dropdown menu. History and Favourites. choosing AI Tab Management.

2
1

3 2

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 43

 Phone and Tablet Tips
ANDROID & iOS Although the message says ‘Meta AI ANDROID & iOS
Chat with Meta AI in WhatsApp is an optional service’, it’s currently Search for Gmail messages
Meta has added its AI assistant impossible to remove the feature from by relevance
to WhatsApp in the UK and EU, WhatsApp. Coupled with the placement When you search your email
almost a year after it launched the feature of its button directly above the ‘New chat’ inbox for a specific message, the
in the US. You may already have received button, where it’s easy to tap accidentally, results are presented chronologically. This
a welcome message from Meta AI in your it’s unsurprising that many WhatsApp can entail a lot of scrolling or swiping
Chats list, and have a new Meta AI button users have complained about Meta AI until you reach the date you received the
– which resembles a blue-and-pink circle being foisted on them. message – especially if it was a while ago.
– in the bottom-right corner of the app. To try the new feature, either reply to To make things easier, Google has
the welcome message or tap Meta AI’s updated its Gmail app to present its
circular button. You can then talk to the search results by relevance. Instead of just
chatbot, which is powered by the Llama showing emails in chronological order
3.2 AI model, as if you were chatting to a based on the keywords you enter, Gmail
real person, though it won’t tell you how results now use AI to factor in elements
to remove it (see screenshot left). Unlike such as which messages you open most
other AI tools, you can’t often and your most
upload files for Meta AI to frequent contacts, as
analyse, ask it to generate well as ‘recency’.
images or interact with it When you search your
verbally using voice mode. Gmail inbox, the results
Meta AI is also now 1 are now shown as ‘Most
integrated with the relevant’ by default.
company’s Messenger Matching keywords in the
app. Here it has a separate subject lines and bodies of
tab from the main Chats emails are still highlighted
list, so is a little easier to in yellow, as before.
ignore, though again it If you’d prefer to see
can’t be hidden or results in the traditional
removed. chronological order, tap
We think AI features ‘Most relevant’ in the
should be optional rather ‘Sort by’ menu ( 1 in our
than forced on users, so screenshot left) and choose
hopefully Meta will ‘Most recent’ instead 2 . The
respond to criticism by 2 new ‘Most relevant’ feature
adding a setting that is also available in the web
disables the feature. version of Gmail.

BEST NEW APPS What you should install this fortnight

Ente Photos FakeOut Vivaldi

Free* Free Free
Android www.snipca.com/54381 Android www.snipca.com/54386 Android www.snipca.com/54379
iOS www.snipca.com/54382 This app helps you identify fake news iOS www.snipca.com/54380
Ente Photos creates private backups of stories and AI-generated pictures. Enter a Vivaldi has updated its mobile browser
your pictures and videos, and protects keyword or upload in line with its new desktop version (see
them using end-to-end encryption. You a screenshot, and page 42). You can
can share albums FakeOut will find now personalise the
privately and use relevant online address bar to show
the AI-powered articles and tell you suggestions from
search to find photos whether their content your Bookmarks
by describing their is true or false. It and History; hide the
subjects. Ente’s free uses respected navigation bar when
plan gives you a fact-checking sources scrolling web pages in
generous 10GB of such as Snopes and the Android app; and
online storage, with Full Fact, and lists set different zoom
50GB available for recent fact checks for levels for specific sites
just £2.49 a month. specific countries. in the iOS app.

*Contains in-app purchases

44 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Brilliant things to do on your device

ANDROID & iOS Wellbeing (see screenshot right), and

View your estimated arrival select one of their playlists – you don’t
time in Google Maps need an Apple Music or other streaming
Google Maps has updated its subscription.
mobile app with the useful Apple has added seven new emoji to
ability to see your estimated time of the iOS/iPadOS keyboard, including
arrival (ETA) at a destination before you fingerprint, shovel, root vegetable and
start travelling there. Previously, the app – best of all – ‘face with
only provided this information after you bags under the eyes’
tapped Start to begin navigation. (pictured), for when
To view your ETA, search for a you’re feeling weary.
destination, tap Directions and choose Additionally, the Photos
between Drive, Walk or Cycle. In the app has been updated to
pop-up panel that shows let you quickly see pictures
the estimated that have been shared with you or that
journey duration haven’t been added to an album.
and distance,
you’ll now see
an ‘Arrive’
BEST APPS FOR... Blocking spam messages
time (see
screenshot left). AdGuard Mail & Temp Mail
This may also Free
include relevant Android www.snipca.com/53405
details such as iOS www.snipca.com/53406
whether the AdGuard’s brilliant new app provides two ways
traffic is heavy, or to beat spam. You can use its aliases feature to
if the route avoid revealing your real email address when
includes a hill or you register with websites, and a temporary
steps. When you mail address to stop unwanted messages
add stops to the reaching your real inbox. The app’s Statistics
route, your screen tells you how much spam it’s blocked.
‘Arrive’ time will adjust accordingly. Best For Faking your email address

iOS Cleanfox
Try the new features Free
in iOS 18.4 Android www.snipca.com/54396
On 31 March (slightly earlier than iOS www.snipca.com/54397
expected), Apple released iOS and Cleanfox scans your inbox for newsletters,
iPadOS 18.4, its latest software update for marketing emails and spam, and lets you
iPhones and iPads. As with other recent delete them and unsubscribe from their mailing
updates, several changes relate to its AI lists with a single tap. Its ‘Cards’ view helpfully
system, Apple Intelligence, which is only tells you how many messages you’ve received
compatible with newer devices – see and opened from specific senders. It’s free to
the bottom of this page (www.snipca. use but collects anonymous data from your
com/54388) for the full list. shopping transactions.
These include the new Priority Best For Unsubscribing from junk email
Notifications feature, which uses
Apple Intelligence to identify the most Trend Micro ScamCheck
important notifications from iOS apps, Free*
and shows them at the top of your lock Android www.snipca.com/54398
screen. Other additions, which are iOS www.snipca.com/54399
available to all iOS and iPadOS users, This powerful security app identifies and
are more minor, but could still prove blocks spam and scam text messages using
useful. AI. Set it as your default messaging app to
For example, the Control Centre, filter unwanted texts before they reach your
which you access by swiping down from inbox, and block messages containing specific
the top-right corner of your screen, has a keywords. ScamCheck can also block spam
new Ambient Music option. This lets you phone calls and detect deepfakes. It costs £1.99
listen to soothing tunes when you want a month after a 30-day free trial.
to concentrate on something or just relax. Best For Blocking spam text messages
Choose from Sleep, Chill, Productivity or
*Contains in-app purchases

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 45

 Make Windows Better Expert tips for every version

WINDOWS 10 & 11
WINDOWS 10 & 11
Get quick links to Windows
update information
As we explained Search your PC using PowerToys’
in Issue 707 (page 19),
FullUpdatesHistoryView
replacement for Run
is a new tool from NirSoft that shows all The latest version of in the tool, starting with searching
the updates ever installed on your PC. PowerToys (0.90) installed apps at the top 3 .
One hidden option is to right-click an introduces Command Scroll down to see all the tasks you
update in the list then select ‘Open Palette (CmdPal) – Microsoft’s can perform, including launching
Information URL In Web Browser’ (see long-term replacement for the traditional Run commands (listed at
screenshot below). This takes you to the Windows Run command (which you www.snipca.com/54412), searching
official page for the update (usually on open by pressing Windows key+R). files and the web (in your default
Microsoft’s site) providing details to help First, click Command Palette on search engine), opening the registry
you understand what it contains. the left ( 1 in our screenshot) and and more. It has a clean, modern design
To download FullUpdatesHistoryView make sure the ‘Enable Command and in our tests worked smoothly.
visit www.snipca.com/54361 then click Palette’ slider is on 2 . The shortcut To see a link for the 0.90 update,
the link at the bottom. It triggers a for launching it is Windows open the General section of PowerToys.
Windows SmartScreen warning but it’s key+Alt+Space. Press it and you’ll see If you’ve yet to install PowerToys, do so
completely safe to use, so click ‘More all the commands you can perform from www.snipca.com/54406.
info’ then ‘Run anyway’.

1
2

WINDOWS 11 WINDOWS 11 INSIDER It’s available in version

Move pinned apps Search online from 2025.11030.20006.0 (or later) of the
by right-clicking Photos app using OCR Photos app, which you may need to
You can now move pinned apps Windows Insiders can now use install from the Microsoft Store. If
in your Start menu by optical character recognition automatic updates are switched on, you’ll
right-clicking them and selecting (OCR) in the Photos app to already have the update. To switch them
one of three options: ‘Move to front’, search the web for words in images. Open on, open the Store, then click your top-
‘Move left’ and ‘Move right’ ( 1 in our an image then click ‘Scan text’ at the right profile followed by Settings, then
screenshot below). The left and right bottom ( 1 in our screenshot below right). turn on ‘App updates’ at the top.
options shuffle the apps one position in Now click to highlight a word 2 , then To check your version of Photos, click
that direction, while moving an app to right-click it and select ‘Search in web the cog icon at the top and scroll down
the front repositions it at the top left – as with Bing’ 3 (there’s no option to choose to About. You can see what else is new in
we’ve done with the Settings app 2 . a different search engine). the app at www.snipca.com/54413.

3
2

1
1

46 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

Make Office Better Top tips for the best office programs

MICROSOFT WORD

Ignore white-space characters in ‘Find and Replace’

You can ignore white-space
characters when using ‘Find 2
and Replace’ in Word. This
helps you find words which are spelt
both with a space and without, such as
‘webpage’ and ‘web page’, or ‘filename’
and ‘file name’. Press Ctrl+H to open the
‘Find and Replace’ box, then click the
‘More>>’ button and tick ‘Ignore white-
space characters’ ( 1 in our screenshot).
Now type the word you’re looking for
without a space (for example, webpage 2 )
and click Find Next. Word will find all 1
examples of the word with spaces 3 , as 3
well as without.

1 1

2 6
2
3
5

3 4
ONLYOFFICE
Add ‘Confidential’ and ‘Approved’
stamps to your PDFs
Version 8.3 of OnlyOffice, want to contain the ticks, followed by the choose a colour from the dropdown
released in February, lets you Home tab at the top, then select Wingdings menu (green for example 5 ). Click OK
add stamps to your PDFs to in the Font dropdown menu. Staying in twice, and the ticks will change to the
mark them as confidential, approved, that cell, type =REPT(CHAR(252), XX), colour you picked 6 .
received and more. Insert a PDF into the where XX is the cell containing the
PDF Editor then click Comment at the names of completed tasks/questions LIBREOFFICE WRITER
top followed by the Stamp dropdown answered (B2 in our example – see 1 in Open hyphenation options
menu ( 1 in our screenshot above). Now our screenshot above). That number of in document sidebar
pick the stamp you want. The first four ticks should now appear. LibreOffice 25.2, released in
options include the PDF’s author (ie, you) Keep that cell selected then click Home February, adds hyphenation
and the date 2 . You can move the stamp followed by the Conditional Formatting controls to the sidebar’s Properties
anywhere on the PDF 3 , then resize it by dropdown menu in the Styles section, section. Previously, you had to click
dragging the corner squares. then New Rule. Click ‘Format only cells Format followed by Paragraph, then Text
that contain’ 2 , select ‘greater than’ 3 in Flow (this still works). Open a document
MICROSOFT EXCEL the dropdown menu below, and set the then click View at the top followed by
Add green ‘progress’ ticks value to 0 4 . Now click Format, then Sidebar ( 1 in our screenshot below left)
to your spreadsheets – or press Ctrl+F5. Now
You can add ticks to your click the Properties icon
2
spreadsheet to illustrate progress 2 – or press Alt+1 – then
in a task or correct answers to a 1 click the Hyphenation
question – or anything else you think is 3 icon at the bottom 3 . This
appropriate. 4 reveals six options including
First, type the number of tasks/questions how many characters
in a cell, then another number for how before a hyphen at the
many tasks have been completed/questions end of line and after a
answered correctly. Now click the cell you hyphen at the start 4 .

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 47

 In The Club
Run a club or society? Here's how your tech can make it easier

Send club certificates using Mail Merge

O ne of the most useful Office tools for Select a column
running a club is Mail Merge, which heading and it will
appear on your
lets you send personalised letters and certificate inside
emails in bulk. You can also use it to send chevrons
certificates to multiple club members,
adding their names, date and award
information. Here’s how to do this using
Microsoft Excel and Word, before sending
them via Outlook.

Add data in Excel and 2

choose a certificate 1
First, you need to compile the relevant
data in an Excel spreadsheet. Add
appropriate column headings at the top
– in our example we’ve included Name,
Date, Award and Email ( 1 in our
screenshot below). These are the
placeholders that will appear on your Navigate to your Excel file and open it, enter a subject line, select HTML below
certificate. Now, in each column, fill in then within the certificate click where that 4 , make sure ‘All’ is selected under
the information that you want to appear you want to place the first column ‘Send records’ 5 , then click OK.
in each placeholder – ie, specific names, heading from your spreadsheet. Click Your certificates will now be sent through
dates, award info and email addresses 2 . Mailings at the top, then Insert Merge Outlook. If they don’t arrive, check in
Save your file when done, then close it. Field and you’ll see those headings listed Outlook that your Outlook address is set
in a dropdown menu ( 1 in our screenshot as your default email - look in Settings,
above). Click the one you want and it Account. Note that HTML files look better
will appear on your certificate, flanked in some email services (for example,
by chevrons (<<,>>) 2 . Outlook) than others (Gmail). Test this by
Next, keeping the Mailings tab open, sending the certificate to yourself. If there
1 click Preview Results ( 1 in our screenshot are formatting problems, you may need
right) and the column headings on your to send some certificates as attachments.
certificate will change to the first row of
2 data below them in your spreadsheet (for
example, name, date etc). To see more 2
rows click the arrows to the right of
Add your club members’ certificate details Preview Results 2 , or type the number
into your spreadsheet that corresponds to a specific row on
your spreadsheet. You can also click Find
Now design a certificate in Word or Recipient and search for any data in the 1
choose a suitable template. We decided to spreadsheet (not just the person’s name).
3
use a template by opening Word, clicking It’s worth clicking ‘Check for Errors’
‘More templates’ at the top right and to find mistakes such as empty cells and
searching for ‘certificates’. Once you’ve headers that don’t match the placeholders.
chosen one, make any design changes Choose the ‘Simulate the merge and 4
you want. report errors’ option, which finds errors
and lets you fix them one at a time.
Select your recipients If you’re happy, click ‘Finish & Merge’
and check for errors at the far right of the Mailings section,
Make sure Outlook is open, then open then choose ‘Send Email Messages’. Click 5
your certificate in Word and click the ‘To:’ dropdown menu and choose the
Mailings at the top, followed by Select ‘Email’ column heading 3 (or whatever Click ‘Preview Results’, check for errors, then
Recipients then ‘Use an Existing List’. you called it in your spreadsheet). Now send your certificates as attachments

48 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708 Next issue: Schedule club posts on Facebook
What’s All the
Fuss About...
Green Screen of Death
Microsoft no longer wants you to feel blue when your PC fails
What is it?
The error message that Windows Insiders
see when their computer crashes. This
appears instead of the traditional ‘Blue
Screen of Death’ (BSoD) in the stable
version of Windows, which has been ever
present since Windows NT in 1993.

Is that it pictured right?

Yes. It’s a lovely shade of green, but that’s
not enough to stop it being a strong
contender for the dullest screenshot ever
published in Computeractive. It’s not
without interest though, because you
may notice something is missing. Perhaps
you could crash your computer and
compare error screens.
look neater. But, this being Microsoft, it but it was probably to match the black
Or maybe you could can’t explain such good intentions without backgrounds of the login and shutdown
just tell me? lapsing into infuriating jargon: “We’re screens. It also didn’t say why it soon
Fair enough. Microsoft has removed the previewing a new, more streamlined UI ditched the idea, but we reckon it was
‘sad face’ emoticon and the QR code (as for unexpected restarts which better due to negative feedback. After 30 years
pictured below). aligns with Windows 11 design principles people had just become too familiar with
and supports our goal of getting users blue being the official colour of PC
What did they do? back into productivity as fast as possible” catastrophe.
Not much really. The sad face was meant (see www.snipca.com/54400).
to reflect – and maybe ease – your But Microsoft is now
frustration at crashing, but it was always Does that mean the blue error going back to black?
more likely to further enrage you. screen is also being simplified? Looks like it. Several websites spotted
Scanning the QR code was admittedly It seems so, but it won’t start appearing the latest change, as did we after
more useful, but it only took you to a for a few months (and hopefully never!). triggering a system crash (you can do this
generic help page (https://windows.com/ And it may not even be blue anyway. by editing the registry). It seems to be
stopcode) without advice for your Some sources say Microsoft is switching appearing only on Windows 11 machines
specific problem. to a black screen of death. running build 24H2, and like its green
cousin it’ll just say ‘Your device ran into a
Why has Microsoft I guess that’s more apt. Didn’t problem and needs to restart’. It’ll still
got rid of them? Microsoft try that once before? have a ‘Stop code’ at the bottom though,
It wants to make everything in Windows Yes, in 2021. It didn’t say why it switched, and that’s your best chance of fixing the
problem.

What’s a ‘Stop code’?

It’s Microsoft’s diagnosis of what’s
gone wrong – not that it’s much help.
The black screen pictured left shows
‘DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL’
which means a driver tried to access a
part of your PC’s memory that it wasn’t
supposed to. But how many people
know that? Still, it does at least give
you something to search for online –
The traditional Blue Screen of Death, complete Black might be the new blue – but that assuming you’ve got another device
with patronising sad face and unhelpful QR code doesn’t make errors any easier to understand that’s working.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 49

 COVER FEATURE

WINDOWS
11
The 18 Things
It Does Much
Better Than
Windows 10
With support for Windows 10 ending soon, it’s time
you became a Windows 11 expert. Daniel Booth
reveals the best new features you must use

I
f you listened carefully during UK (www.snipca.com/54455). impressive things it does better than
March you might just have heard the There will still be hundreds of millions Windows 10. We’ve focused on tasks
sighs of relief coming across the of computers running Windows 10 you can actually do, rather than system
Atlantic from Microsoft’s Seattle when Microsoft axes support in October. improvements under the bonnet (you
headquarters. Windows 11’s global That’ll prove to be a major headache for can take it as a given that it’s faster,
market share jumped from 38.13 to 42.69 the company. But there’s significant smoother and more secure). These are
per cent (www.snipca.com/54454), while momentum behind Windows 11 now, features you’ll use often, not background
Windows 10 fell from 58.7 to 54.2 per and it’s well deserved. Despite an processes you’ll barely notice.
cent. It was one of Windows 11’s best underwhelming launch in 2021 and We’ve left out Copilot tips. While its
ever months. At that rate it’ll overtake several flawed updates since, it has grown new tools show promise (see page 8),
Windows 10 by May. It’s already more into a brilliant operating system. we’re still not convinced it’s anything
popular in some countries, including the In this feature we’ve picked the 18 most more than a glorified Clippy. And too
many Copilot features require an
expensive Copilot+ computer see
WHAT YOU CAN DO (www.snipca.com/54467).
You don’t need one of those to use
• Turn on advanced settings to squeeze •L isten to more human-sounding voices the many excellent new features in
maximum speed out of your computer in Narrator Snipping Tool, File Explorer, Narrator
• Master all of File Explorer’s new tools, •R ecord specific areas of your screen and more – but you will benefit from
including tabs and unzipping new using Snipping Tool having the 24H2 update, which isn’t the
formats •U se new AI tools to erase unwanted buggy mess it was a few months ago
• Add captions to any video playing live, images in the Paint app (see page 57).
whether from your PC or online • Set the ‘Volume mixer’ to play app audio Follow our advice and you’ll soon be
mastering every aspect of Windows 11.

50 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 WINDOWS 11
The 18 Things It Does Much
Better Than Windows 10

MAKE YOUR PC RUN FASTER

1Turn on Best Performance

in power settings
If you need to squeeze extra speed
3

out of your Windows 10 computer, you 1

can turn on High Performance in Control
Panel’s Power Options. This provides a
small boost, but holds back a bit of power
to save energy.
Windows 11’s Best Performance mode
is more aggressive, prioritising speed
over power efficiency. This pushes your 2
processor and graphics closer to the max,
making games load faster and photo or
video edits finish sooner – sometimes To make your PC run faster, switch resource-hungry apps and processes to Efficiency Mode in
cutting seconds off certain tasks. Task Manager, and confirm the change in the Status column
It’s been part of Windows 11 since
launch, but the 22H2 update (released
September 2022) made it more effective
when working with newer processors
2Make your apps
run more efficiently
Another way to make your computer
3

and graphics cards. run faster is to reduce how much

To turn it on, open Settings (press power your processor devotes to
2
Windows key+I), then click System programs or Windows processes you’re
followed by ‘Power & battery’. Now click not currently using. Windows 11 22H2 1
the Power Mode dropdown menu and made this easier by introducing an
change Recommended ( 1 in our screenshot Efficiency Mode. Check whether your graphics card supports
below) to ‘Best Performance’ 2 . Search for and open Task Manager DirectStorage
You can do this for either or both of the (or press Ctrl+Shift+Esc), then click the
‘Plugged in’ and ‘On battery’ options. The
former is for when your computer is plugged
in and you want maximum speed (there’s
Processes tab ( 1 in our screenshot above).
Now click the CPU tab and the column
will show which apps and processes are
3Make games load faster
DirectStorage is a Windows tool that
makes games load faster, by speeding up
no downside to this because power using the most processor resources – how quickly data can move between
consumption isn’t a concern when from most to least. If an app you don’t NVMe SSDs and Direct X12 graphics
plugged in). The latter is when your need to use is devouring a lot of processor cards. This is reasonably fast in Windows
computer isn’t plugged in, so needs to be power, right-click it and select ‘Efficiency 10, but it’s supersonic in 11 because it can
used more carefully because it drains mode’ 2 . This will be confirmed in the work with newer SSDs.
your battery much faster. Status column 3 . It’s turned on by default, so you should
However, if the column is updating too check whether your computer has the
quickly to click the correct app, click correct SSD and graphics card to take
1 Details on the left, then right-click the advantage. Press Windows key+G to open
app and turn on the mode there. Windows Game Bar, then click the Settings
This mode is particularly useful for cog icon at the top. Now click ‘Gaming
apps or processes that you need to access features’ on the left ( 1 in our screenshot
2 regularly but not continuously – say above) and check whether it shows
once or twice a day. Think of apps like ‘DirectStorage optimized/supported’ to
Dropbox or OneDrive that sync in the the right of GPU 2 . Also check whether
background, and email tools like Outlook your computer supports Direct X12
Choose ‘Best Performance’ in the Power Mode
dropdown menu to squeeze out every inch of and Thunderbird that check for new Ultimate 3 , which is the latest version. If
PC speed emails. so, DirectStorage will work even faster.
Note however that Windows greys out For extra confirmation, check your SSD
Running your computer at full pelt has the Efficiency Mode option for apps and is NVMe by opening Task Manager, then
trade-offs. Your laptop will use more processes it deems to be critical, or for clicking Performance and looking under
electricity when plugged in, nudging up those that have their own power-saving the Disc heading just to the right. If it says
your bill slightly if used a lot. If not settings like Chrome. Also, the mode ‘SSD (NVMe)’ then you’re in luck.
plugged in, it’ll drain the battery faster. stays enabled only for your current DirectStorage is still an emerging and
Your computer will also give off more session, so you’ll need to set it again complex technology so only a handful
heat, and become noisier as the fans kick when you next reboot. of games support it at the moment,
in to keep it cool. But it’s an essential The closest Windows 10 gets to this is including Forspoken, Ratchet & Clank:
mode for short tasks when speed is the Control Panel’s Power Options, but these Rift Apart, Forza Motorsport and Horizon
priority, such as exporting 4K video or apply only across your whole computer, Forbidden West. Many more are likely to
working on huge spreadsheets. not specific programs. adopt it in future though.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 51

 HACK FILE EXPLORER TO MAKE IT BETTER

4Open folders in tabs

None of Windows’ key tools has
improved as much as File Explorer. The
Click the
plus (+)
button in
File Explorer
best feature – unique to Windows 11 – is to open a
tabbed browsing, which lets you open new tab
multiple folders in a single window, just
as you would with browser tabs.
Open File Explorer and click the plus
(+) button next to the current tab (see
screenshot right). You can also press
Ctrl+T, while Ctrl+Tab switches between
tabs. To move a file between folders, drag
it to the appropriate tab at the top.
If you want to use Explorer tabs in
Windows 10, you’ll need to install
a separate program such as Files
(https://files.community) or QTTabBar
(www.snipca.com/54394), both of which
are free. Without them, you’d have to
open a separate window for each folder,
below left) to see a choice of formats
2 . Clicking ‘Additional options’ 3
brings up advanced settings, the most
6Edit metadata in PNG files
Also new in 24H2 is the ability to edit
the metadata of PNG files – an image
cluttering your screen. useful of which is a ‘Compression level’ format used for graphics, logos, charts
slider that lets you balance speed of and illustrations. Right-click a PNG file

5Extract RAR, 7z and TAR files

Another improvement that cuts the
need for third-party software is File
compression with file size. Move it to
the left for faster compression but larger
files, and to the right for slower
then select Properties followed by the
Details tab ( 1 in our screenshot below).
Now click the space to the right of each
Explorer’s support for file-compression compression but smaller files. heading, such as Title, Rating, Tags and
formats RAR, 7z and TAR, which Unzipping files in Windows 11 will Comments 2 and add the relevant data.
Microsoft added as part of last autumn’s soon be faster too, following a recent Click OK to save. You can use this new
24H2 update. Previously – and still on speed tweak in Preview Build 27818 for metadata to search for PNGs on your PC.
Windows 10 – you’d have to install Windows Insiders on the Canary For example, you could tag a PNG of a
programs such as WinRAR (www. Channel. Microsoft said that in particular chart with ‘2025 Expenses’ and search for
win-rar.com) and 7-Zip (www.7-zip.org). “unzipping a large number of small files” that to find it easily. To edit PNG files in
Right-click a file in File Explorer then will be a lot quicker (see www.snipca. Windows 10, use third-party software,
select ‘Compress to’ ( 1 in our screenshot com/54367). such as ExifTool (https://exiftool.org).
Right-click a Edit PNG
file followed metadata
by ‘Compress in Windows
to’ then 11, including
choose a Title, Rating,
compression 1 Tags and
file format Comments
2
2

MASTER NEW ACCESSIBILITY TOOLS

7Control your computer
using Voice Access
Windows 10’s Speech Recognition isn’t
To use it, press Windows key+Ctrl+S.
You can also open Settings then click
Accessibility followed by Speech under
commands at www.snipca.com/54408,
or by asking “What can I say?”.
When it starts you need to say ‘voice
bad, but it’s hardly the comprehensive the Interaction heading, then move the access wake up’ or press the microphone
voice-controlled system many people need. ‘Voice access’ slider at the top. In Settings button at the top left ( 1 in our screenshot
Windows 11’s Voice Access takes it to a you can also decide whether to make above right). If it’s working you’ll see
different level with more advanced spoken ‘Voice access’ start before or after you sign ‘Listening’ at the top left 2 , which then
commands and improved features. into your PC. You’ll find a full list of changes to whatever it has heard you say.

52 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 WINDOWS 11
The 18 Things It Does Much
Better Than Windows 10

1 2

Control your computer with spoken commands 2

by turning on ‘Voice access’

Microsoft added more “natural sounding”

commands in the 24H2 update (for
example, “open my music” rather than
simply “open music”). It also improved
automatic punctuation, which you can
turn on by clicking the top-right cog icon
and selecting ‘Manage options’ 3 .
Also new in 24H2 are voice shortcuts, 1
letting you create your own commands 3
for tasks you perform often. Microsoft
provides full instructions at www.snipca. You can change the caption style so it uses different fonts, colours and sizes
com/54409.
Segoe UI font. You can change this to downloaded in Windows 11. They’re

8 Add live captions to any video

Windows 10 doesn’t have system-
wide captions. Instead you have to rely on
yellow on blue in the Captions section of
Settings by clicking the dropdown menu
to the right of ‘Caption style’ ( 1 in our
two ‘Natural’ voices Microsoft added to
Narrator in 2023, and while still artificial
they sound much more realistic than
settings within specific software. The screenshot above). You can also make the their robotic predecessors in Windows 10.
22H2 update for Windows 11 brought text larger, though only in white on black. They both have English accents, but you
captions to any video you’re playing, You can see what each change looks like can choose Natural US voices if you
whether downloaded to your desktop or by clicking the ‘Theme preview’ box prefer.
online (on YouTube, for example). It above 2 . If none of Microsoft’s options Open Settings then click Accessibility
works in real time, so will provide suit you, click Edit 3 and use the colour, followed by Narrator on the right, in the
captions for live broadcasts (perfect for opacity, size, font and effects menus to Vision section. Click the ‘Add’ button to
sports and news). It also captions create your own style. the right of ‘Add natural voices’ ( 1 in
anything captured by your microphone, Once that’s done, give the caption style our screenshot below left), then select a
so works during online video chats. a name. It will be added to the ‘Caption voice to hear it 2 . If you like it, click
Turn on captions by pressing Windows style’ menu on the previous page, ready ‘Download and Install’ 3 . It will appear
key+Ctrl+L, or by opening Settings for you to select. When a video is playing as an option in the ‘Choose a voice’
then clicking Accessibility followed by click the top-right cog, then Position to dropdown menu 4 .
Captions and turning on the slider. You’ll move the captions above your screen, below As well as more realistic voices,
need to click ‘Yes, continue’ at the top to it, or within a moveable floating box. Windows 11’s Narrator is smoother
confirm, then select ‘English (United overall – crashing far less than before.
Kingdom)’.
The default caption style is white words
on a black background written in the
9Listen to more human-
sounding screen readers
Ryan and Sonia are waiting to be
Also, last year, Microsoft added more
keyboard shortcuts, including Narrator
key+Ctrl+X to copy the last phrase
spoken, letting you paste it as normal
Choose more
using Ctrl+V. Press Narrator key+Shift+B
human-sounding 4
Narrator voices and Narrator will announce if your laptop
in Windows 11 is plugged in for charging, followed by
battery status, network name and
network status. Incidentally, the Narrator
key is either Caps Lock or Insert.
Microsoft also added new shortcuts to
Scan Mode, which lets you skip through
content using arrow keys and specific
shortcuts: press L to go to lists on the
2 1 page, and N to bypass a block of links.
These are helpful when you’re trying to
get to the main content on a web page.
You can turn on Scan Mode by pressing
3 the Narrator key+spacebar.
Visit www.snipca.com/54417 to
compare all shortcuts and touchscreen
gestures between Windows 10 and 11.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 53

 MASTER NEW & IMPROVED APPS

10Record parts of your

screen with Snipping Tool
Microsoft has revamped Snipping Tool in
2
Select the
area to
record, then
press the
Windows 11 as a screen-recording app, blue Start
with the extra benefit of capturing just button
areas of your screen rather than the
whole thing. Screen-recording in
1
Windows 10 remains limited to
full-screen captures in Game Bar (press
Windows key+G), and it doesn’t work
on your desktop or in File Explorer.
Open Snipping Tool in Windows 11 by
pressing Windows key+Shift+S. Now
click the Record icon and move the
plus-sign cursor to mark the area you
want to record ( 1 in our screenshot).
Press the blue Start button 2 then the red
‘Stop recording’ button to finish. It’ll be
saved as an MP4.
Click the ‘Microphone’ icon to record
your voice as you capture your screen.
To turn on the mic by default for every
‘Include microphone input by default
when a screen recording starts’.
Here, you’ll also find settings for
11Add coloured borders to
your screenshots
The latest version of Sticky Notes,
screen recording, search for and open the automatically saving your screen released last summer, lets you paste
Snipping Tool, then click the top-right recordings and changing where they are screenshots straight into a note. By
menu (three horizontal dots) followed by saved. Look out soon for the ‘trim’ feature default it adds a light-blue border to the
Settings. Scroll down and turn on – see box opposite. screenshot, but you can change this if it’s

READER OFFER!
Buy Windows 11 Pro ADD A
DISC FOR
for just £79.99! £5.95
In this special offer you can buy
Windows 11 Pro for just £79.99
– that’s £140 cheaper than
Microsoft’s full price of £219.99.

To buy Windows 11 Pro, visit

www.snipca.com/41588 and
click the red Buy Now button
on the right.
JUST SO YOU KNOW…
This offer can be used by one person only, and expires at midnight
on 6 May, 2025. It’s a lifetime licence for one computer.

54 00 – 00 Month 2023 • Issue xxx Issue 694 • 9 – 22 October 2024

 WINDOWS 11
The 18 Things It Does Much
Better Than Windows 10

WHAT’S COMING SOON TO WINDOWS 11

Taskbar icons will automatically get A new ‘drag tray’ will appear at the top of PC and Windows 11”. It’ll be on the
smaller to keep more apps visible and your screen when you drag a file from File System, About page: www.snipca.
clickable without you having to open Explorer or your desktop, letting you drop com/54445.
another menu: www.snipca.com/54444. it into one of the programs shown: www.
snipca.com/54444. Snipping Tool is getting a ‘trim’
Larger Start menu with everything feature for adjusting the start and end
on a single scrollable page (see Narrator is getting a ‘Speech recap’ times of your recordings to remove
screenshot below). The ‘All apps’ list is tool that shows a history of things it has any “unnecessary video snippets”
below Recommendations, which you can said recently, triggered by the keyboard (see screenshot below): www.snipca.
disable: www.snipca.com/54443. shortcut Narrator key+Alt+X: www.snipca. com/54446.
com/54445.

The ‘Windows share’ window will let

you crop, rotate and compress images, as
well as apply filters, before you share them:
www.snipca.com/54445.

A new ‘Frequently Asked Questions’

(FAQ) section in Settings will show
“answers to common questions about your

not what you want. right of OneNote’s toolbar. You only need remove 3 . When you’ve selected what
Launch the Sticky Notes app then click to do this once because afterwards it’ll needs removing, click Apply 4 and
‘Screenshot’ ( 1 in our screenshot below) be available from the Start menu and you’ll see a box appear over that area.
and the page you’re currently on will Taskbar (where you can pin it as usual). After a few seconds it will show you
appear in the app. Now click the three the resulting effect.
dots 2 and pick one of the colours that
appears 3 . You can keep clicking until
you’ve found a colour you like. Above the
12Use AI to erase elements
from Paint app
Microsoft’s big AI bet is Copilot (see
Microsoft is also working on
‘Generative fill’, which lets you edit
images with typed commands. It’s
screenshot you’ll see details of where it page 8), but more useful are the new currently available only on Copilot+
comes from. If it’s from a browser, you’ll tools in its revamped Paint app. The first computers running a Snapdragon
see its icon – Chrome in our example 4 ; if to arrive was ‘Generative erase’, now processor, but will hopefully come to
it’s from Windows you’ll see the relevant available to everyone, which removes more machines soon (see box above
icon – as in the Settings cog here 5 . There unwanted images by guessing what for more Windows 11 features in the
are also options for copying the note and should be behind an object based on pipeline).
deleting it. the background. Don’t forget that ‘Generative erase’
This new-look Sticky Notes is actually Add an image to Paint, then click also works in the Photos app, both in
part of OneNote. To open it for the first the Eraser icon at the top ( 1 in our Windows 11 and 10 – see Issue 706’s
time, search for and open OneNote (or screenshot below right), followed by the Cover Feature (page 56). Open a photo,
install it from the Microsoft Store if you ‘Generative erase’ icon below the vertical then click Edit top left, followed by the
need to) then sign into your Microsoft slider on the left 2 . Use your mouse to Background icon. Now choose Blur,
account. Now click Sticky Notes at the top move the brush over what you want to Remove or Replace.

1 2 4

4
1 3
3
2

Add coloured borders to screenshots in the latest version of Sticky Notes Use Paint’s ‘Generative Erase’ to remove unwanted background items

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 55

 IMPROVE YOUR AUDIO & VIDEO

13Improve Bluetooth
audio quality
Bluetooth 5.2, released in early 2020,
Windows 11 makes
it easier to set audio
output through
specific devices
contains LE Audio technology, which
improves sound quality when streaming
to earbuds and hearing aids. It uses less 2
power too, making those devices last
longer between charges.
Windows 11 added support for
Bluetooth LE Audio in 2023, and
enhanced this in last year’s 24H2 update
to include compatible hearing aids (see
Issue 699’s How To, page 35). But your
computer needs a Bluetooth 5.2 (or later)
adapter that supports LE Audio. These are
usually provided by the manufacturer of
your Bluetooth processor (such as Intel,
Qualcomm or Broadcom). 1
To check you have LE Audio, open
Settings, then click ‘Bluetooth & devices’
on the left. Now click ‘Devices’ on the right, ( 1 in our screenshot above). This takes (SDR) look washed out.
then scroll down to the ‘Device settings’ you straight to the ‘Volume mixer’ deep Windows 11 fixes this with an ‘Auto
section. Here, look for the setting ‘Use LE in Windows settings, where you’ll see HDR’ setting that leaves HDR games as
Audio when available’ and turn it on. which apps are playing audio. Click the they are, but transforms SDR games to
If it’s not there, your computer isn’t dropdown arrow next to one then pick match some of the amazing visuals
compatible. You should then search the input and output device you want 2 . without diluting the overall effect.
for Bluetooth 5.2 updates on your Also, get into the habit of clicking the Open Settings, then click System on
manufacturer’s website (one of the three volume icon in the taskbar followed by the left followed by Display on the right.
above) and try to install it. the ‘Select a sound output’ icon at the Check whether your monitor supports
right (or press Windows key+Ctrl+V). both HDR options ( 1 in our screenshot
This takes you to a small menu where below), and if so turn on both settings 2 .
you can quickly switch output devices. HDR is becoming more common in
monitors, with some decent models

15Turn on Auto HDR

for sharper games
Windows 10 supports High Dynamic
available now for under £200 – see
Laptops Direct: www.snipca.com/54477.
Another useful setting in Game Bar
Range (HDR), which enhances image changes the intensity of the HDR effects,
quality in games by letting screens show making images brighter or darker. Press
a wider range of brightness and contrast Windows key+G then the top-right
levels. However, it’s a system-wide setting settings cog followed by ‘Gaming
that tries to make all games HDR. This is features’. Now move the ‘Adjust HDR
fine for content that supports HDR, but it Intensity’ slider while playing a game to
makes anything in standard resolution suit your taste, then click Done.
Turn on ‘Use LE Audio when available’ in the
Devices section of Windows Settings

14Set audio to play through

specific devices
This feature isn’t entirely new in
2
1
Windows 11, but it’s so much easier to
apply that it feels that way. Like Windows
10 it lets you choose which device each
app’s audio plays through. For example,
you could have your music app running
through your Bluetooth earbuds while
keeping video calls on your desktop 2
speakers. But changing these settings is
so much easier in Windows 11.
Right-click the volume icon in the
taskbar, then click ‘Open volume mixer’ Turn on these HDR settings to improve image quality in games and videos

56 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 WINDOWS 11
The 18 Things It Does Much
Better Than Windows 10

ENHANCE YOUR DESKTOP AND WIDGETS

16Set up Snap Layouts

Snap Layouts have been in
1 Has Microsoft fixed
Windows 11 since it launched, and are all the 24H2 bugs?
much more flexible than the options in
Windows 10 – which comprise drag-to- As recently as Issue 702 (page 62)
edge snapping, as well as ‘Cascade 2 we recommended avoiding the 24H2
windows’, ‘Show windows stacked’ and update because it had more bugs than
‘Show windows side by side’ when you a Peruvian rainforest. But Microsoft
right-click the taskbar. Windows 11’s multiple desktops let you has released key updates since, fixing
First, open Settings, then click System rename them and change their backgrounds problems with audio, Bluetooth,
followed by Multi-tasking and turn on webcams, File Explorer and several
‘Snap windows’. Now hover over a window’s latter, make sure you choose Picture in other functions. Some glitches remain,
‘Maximise’ icon (or press Windows the ‘Personalise your background’ but they affect more niche software,
key+Z) and your ‘snap layout’ grid will dropdown menu. Combine these options such as sound-boosting program Dirac
appear top right. Microsoft has regularly to create distinct desktops that are easy Audio and gaming tool Easy Anti-Cheat
added new options to Snap Layouts since to spot and open. (see more at www.snipca.com/54481).
its launch, including numbers on the For most users 24H2 is now fit for
layouts (see screenshot below) when you
press Windows key+Z. Press a number
key to move to that layout, then another
18Add new widgets
and set your location
Nothing has surprised us more in
purpose. And in any case, if your
computer is likely to struggle, Microsoft
might place a ‘safeguard hold’ on it,
number to fill a specific zone within it. Windows 11 than how useful widgets are. preventing it from upgrading to 24H2.
In Windows 10 (and earlier versions) they
just seemed like desktop clutter.
Open them by pressing Windows location, click the three dots top right
key+W. Two of the most helpful – followed by ‘Customise widget’. Now
weather and traffic – need to know your click ‘Specify default location’ then type
location to give you localised information. and select the place you want.
Open Windows Settings, then click Add new widgets by clicking the
‘Privacy & security’ followed by Location top-right cog ( 1 in our screenshot below)
on the right. Turn on the sliders next to followed by ‘Discover new widgets’. Click
‘Location services’, ‘Let apps access your one you want 2 then click ‘Pin’ 3 , or
location’ and Weather. search for new ones in the Microsoft
If you need to change your traffic Store 4 .
Add new
Press a number in Snap Layouts to choose a widgets by
particular grid selecting
them, then

17Rename multiple desktops clicking Pin

& set different backgrounds
Where Windows 10 had virtual desktops, 1
Windows 11 has multiple desktops. They’re
essentially the same thing, but more
2
customisable. Press Windows key+Tab to
open Task View, then ‘New desktop’ to
create one. 3
New features in Windows 11 include 4
right-clicking to rename them ( 1 in our
screenshot above right), and to choose
specific backgrounds for each 2 . For the

NEXT ISSUE On sale Wednesday 7 May

ON SALE
Weds
7

BLOCK ALL PLUS May


• The best Windows tool for years!

SPAM CALLS
* You can’t be an expert without using it

• Is your ‘new’ device actually
second hand?
Finally there are tools good enough to do this
*And messages too Check if you’ve been ripped off

Subscribe to Computeractive at www.getcomputeractive.co.uk

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 57

 Phone theft:
What to do
before
and after
Jonathan Parkyn explains the preventative
measures you need to take in case your phone
is stolen – and how to respond if it happens

B
efore taking any of the following Turn on this
steps, make a note of your slider to start
automatically
device’s IMEI and serial numbers backing up from
– you may need these when your Android
making an insurance claim or reporting a phone
theft. On an iPhone, tap Settings,
General, then About to find these. On an
Android device, tap Settings followed by
‘About phone’. Note these details down
somewhere safe. Once you’ve done that Switch on Erase Data so your iPhone will wipe
you can move on to the tips below. all data on it after 10 failed attempts

Make sure your data a month for 100GB (www.snipca. after the screen turns off. You may
is being backed up com/53695). additionally want to go to your device’s
If your phone is stolen, you risk losing Bear in mind that some apps contain Display settings and set Auto-Lock
not only the phone itself, but also the data not included in your phone’s (iPhone) or ‘Screen timeout’ (Android) to
data on it – photos, messages, music and standard backup. WhatsApp is a good one of the shorter options – 30 seconds,
much more. The simplest way to prevent example – you’ll need to turn on its own say. This will reduce the chance of your
this is to turn on your phone’s backup backup. From the main Chats screen, tap device being unlocked when a thief
tool. Android users should find this the three vertical dots button (Android makes a grab for it.
under Settings, Google, ‘All services’, only) followed by Settings, Chats, then By default, most modern Android
Backup, then ‘Backup by Google One’ ‘Chat backup’. We covered backing up phones will permanently lock you out
(see screenshot above right) – though the your phone chats in more detail in Issue after too many incorrect attempts to enter
precise location can vary from device to 703, page 62 – buy a back issue from your PIN. This prevents determined
another. On an iPhone, tap Settings www.snipca.com/54418. crooks from using brute-force attacks to
followed by your name at the top. Now gain access. If you own an iPhone, you
tap iCloud, then iCloud Backup and turn Lock your phone screen can even set it to erase the data on your
on ‘Back Up This iPhone’. Locking your phone screen is essential if device after 10 failed passcode attempts.
In both cases, your phone’s data is you want to prevent a thief from accessing Tap Settings, ‘Face ID/Touch ID and
automatically backed up to Google or information. Go to Settings, ‘Security and Passcode’, then scroll right down to the
Apple’s online storage, making it easy to privacy’, then ‘Screen lock’ (Android) or Erase Data setting and switch it on (see
restore everything to any new phone. Settings, ‘Face ID/Touch ID and Passcode’ screenshot above).
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely Apple’s (5GB) (iOS) to set up a secure PIN or Passcode.
or Google’s (15GB) free storage will be Make sure it’s something impossible for Lock your SIM and USB port
enough, so you may have to pay for more anyone else to guess. And, wherever In addition to locking the phone itself,
storage. Apple’s iCloud Drive costs from possible, turn on biometric options, such you should also set a SIM PIN – this will
99p a month for 50GB (www.snipca. as fingerprint or face recognition. prevent crooks hijacking your SIM by
com/53696), while Google’s start at £1.59 Also set your device to lock immediately putting it into another device. On an

60 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Seven things you must do if your phone is stolen

1 Try calling it - just in case your phone

has been lost not stolen, and is
somewhere in your own home or with
3 Report the theft to your provider, which
will lock your SIM to prevent unauthorised
calls, and send you a new SIM with your old
damage, should a thief somehow access
your phone’s contents.

someone who’s willing to help. number. Ask them for your IMEI number, if
you haven’t already made a note of it. 6 Report the crime by calling 101 and
talking to your local police station.

2 Log into Google’s Find My Device

(www.snipca.com/54442) or Apple’s
Find Devices (www.icloud.com/find) to 4 Watch out for unauthorised and
suspicious activity in your accounts,
Make sure you get a crime reference
number.

see if the device can be located. If you’re

certain your phone has been stolen, make
especially bank, email and social media.
7 If your phone is covered by your home
insurance or if you have a separate
a note of its location and click ‘Factory
reset device’ (Android) or Erase (iOS) to
wipe it remotely.
5 Change your passwords for all your
important accounts (Apple ID, Google,
banking, email, and social media) to limit any
policy, contact the provider as soon as
possible to make your claim. You’ll need to
provide your crime reference number.

iPhone, the option is in Settings, Mobile your offline devices’ (Android) or ‘Find SMS. For instance, log into your PayPal
Service, then SIM PIN. On Android, look My network’ and ‘Send Last Location’ account at www.paypal.com, and click
in Settings, ‘Security and privacy’, then (iOS) can help improve your chances of the Settings cog, Security, ‘2-step
‘More security settings’. locating a stolen device. verification’ and select ‘Use an
Clever criminals may be able to access iPhone users running iOS 17.3 or authenticator app’.
your phone by connecting it to another higher have Stolen Device Protection, We recommend using an app that
device via USB. Prevent this by blocking which requires biometric verification supports online backup too, as this
the USB port when the phone is locked. (Face or Touch ID) to access sensitive provides a way for you to restore your
On an iPhone, tap Settings, ‘Face ID/ information and settings when iOS accounts instantly on a replacement
Touch ID and Passcode’ and disable the detects your iPhone is in an unfamiliar device. In Microsoft Authenticator (www.
Accessories option under ‘Allow Access location. This means thieves who have snipca.com/54421), for example, tap
When Locked’. Most Android phones somehow gained access to both your Menu, then Settings, and make sure the
block USB access by default when locked. phone and your passcode will be blocked Backup option is enabled.
But on some Samsung phones, you may from changing your Apple ID, disabling
need to tap Settings, ‘Security and privacy’, Find My iPhone and more. You can Lock down specific apps
‘More security settings’ and enable ‘Block enable Stolen Device Protection under Some apps – including those for many
USB connections while locked’. Settings, ‘Face ID/Touch ID and Passcode’. banking and financial services – let you
Similarly, Android and Samsung users lock them using biometric sign-in. With
Set up ‘Find my device’ get Theft Protection – it’s usually found in iOS 18, it’s also possible to lock any app
and anti-theft features Settings, ‘Security and privacy’, then with Face ID or Touch ID – long-press the
Modern phones let you locate and ‘Device lock’, but you may need to search app icon and select Require Face ID/
remotely lock or erase them, but they’re your Settings app. It has two useful Touch ID from the
not turned on by default. On Android, tap anti-theft features: ‘Theft detection lock’ menu (see screenshot
Settings, ‘Security and privacy’, Find My uses motion detection to lock your device right). This may be
Device (this might be in the ‘Device if someone grabs your phone and runs off worth doing for
finders’ section) and turn on Use Find My with it; and ‘Offline device lock’, which apps that contain
Device (see screenshot below). If you locks your phone shortly after it goes sensitive info, but
have a Samsung device, tap Settings, your offline, protecting your data if a thief bear in mind it’s
Samsung account, ‘Find my mobile’ and engages Airplane mode to make your easy enough to
switch on ‘Allow this phone to be found’. device untraceable. bypass if a thief
On an iPhone, tap Settings, your name, has your iPhone’s
Find My, ‘Find My iPhone’ and make sure Lock your accounts passcode.
this setting is enabled. Switching on ‘Find with two-factor apps Android doesn’t In iOS 18, long-press
Many two-factor authentication (2FA) currently have an an app’s icon and
Turn on select Require Face
‘Use Find systems work by sending you a code via a equivalent feature, ID/Touch ID from
My Device’ text message to your mobile number. If but there are apps the menu
in Android your mobile has been stolen, you won’t available that will
so you can be able to access these accounts yourself allow you to lock apps. Unfortunately,
remotely
lock your until you’ve got a new phone and a most free app lock tools can be easily
phone replacement SIM with the same number bypassed simply by uninstalling them.
from your mobile provider – and there’s a You’re better off signing up to a premium
chance your thieves could receive any security app, such as Bitdefender Mobile
2FA codes via text if they have your phone. Security (£15 a year, www.snipca.
Where possible, it’s best to set up 2FA com/54391), which includes an app lock
to use an authenticator app rather than function that can’t be easily removed.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 61

 File formats
that will
soon DIE
Some of the formats you save files in
may not be around for much longer.
Robert Irvine reveals nine formats at
risk of becoming obsolete – and what
to use instead

T
here are hundreds of old file discontinued, but its popularity has
formats tied to programs that significantly declined in recent years, in
are now discontinued. This can line with its associated program Windows
cause frustration when you can’t Media Player. Most video-sharing services
open an important file because you don’t including YouTube don’t support WMV,
have the software to do so. But even some and even Microsoft now leans towards
well-known and widely used formats alternative video formats.
may not be with us for much longer, as
newer and better options take their place. What to use instead
Here we predict which formats may soon DOCX replaced DOC as the default file format MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14,.mp4) is now the
become obsolete, and recommend what for Word documents most popular video format, compatible
to use instead to preserve your data. with all media players, browsers, video
DOC and XLS services and most devices. It supports the
DEFINITELY DYING DOC (.doc) and XLS (.xls) were the latest codecs such as H.264 and H.265,
RTF default file formats for Word documents provides excellent picture quality at
RTF (Rich Text Format, .rtf) was once the and Excel spreadsheets until Microsoft smaller file sizes and supports subtitles,
standard file format for preserving the released Office 2007. Both are now multiple audio tracks and metadata.
formatting of text, including bold, italics, deprecated (rather than discontinued),
fonts and colours, across different programs but you may still come across old files PROBABLY DYING
and operating systems. It’s most saved in those formats, which can cause BMP
commonly associated with Microsoft compatibility issues when you try to The BMP (Bitmap Picture, .bmp) format
Word, allowing you to open documents open them. dates back to the first version of Windows
saved in the format when you don’t have in 1985, when it was introduced as a
Word installed. However, Microsoft What to use instead means of storing pixel-based images.
stopped developing RTF in 2008, and the Microsoft introduced the XML-based Although BMP is still maintained by
format is now considered deprecated. DOCX (see screenshot above) and XLSX Microsoft – it remains an image-storage
(.xlsx) formats in the Office 2007 versions option in the Paint and Photos apps in
What to use instead of Word and Excel, and they remain the Windows 11 (see screenshot above right)
Microsoft’s DOCX (.docx) format has defaults for documents and spreadsheets. – it’s no longer widely used because its
superseded RTF and is now supported by They’re more secure (with better lack of compression results in large file
most word-processing tools, including protection against malicious macros), sizes, and it doesn’t support features such
Google Docs, LibreOffice and OnlyOffice. support more features and store more as layers and metadata.
Alternatively, PDF does a reliable job of information in smaller file sizes.
preserving text (and image) formatting, What to use instead
though you generally need to convert files WMV PNG (Portable Network Graphics, .png)
to DOCX or similar format to edit their Microsoft’s WMV (Windows Media Video, offers a superior way to save and share
content. .wmv) format hasn’t been officially images on your PC. It uses lossless

62 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Try running actively developed. The Fraunhofer
old 32bit Institute, which helped create MP3,
software in
Windows 11’s officially terminated its MP3 licensing
Compatibility program in 2017, which means there will
Mode be no further updates to the format.
The rise of music-streaming services
means MP3s are no longer downloaded
and shared as frequently as they were 10
years ago, though it remains the most
widely used and supported audio format.
Paint still supports the BMP image format but
it’s no longer widely used What to use instead
MP3 isn’t going anywhere yet, but AAC
compression to reduce file size without extracting archives anyone can open. (Advanced Audio Coding, .aac) has gained
sacrificing image quality, allows for images popularity by being the default audio
with variable levels of transparency and 32bit EXE format on iPhones and iPads, and
is supported by all image editors, web Although Windows 11 is a 64bit operating offering better quality at smaller file sizes.
browsers and operating systems. system, it can still run 32bit software, Many audiophiles prefer FLAC (Free
thanks to a feature called WoW64 x86 Lossless Audio Codec, .flac), which
RAR emulator. Microsoft may eventually drop compresses audio data at the highest
The file-archive format RAR (Roshal this option, whether in a Windows 11 possible quality, retaining the full
Archive, .rar) was once many tech experts’ update or in Windows 12, which means dynamic range and detail of the original
preferred alternative to ZIP, offering higher you’ll no longer be able to install recording.
compression and stronger security via programs in 32bit EXE (.exe) format.
AES-256 encryption. To use it, you JPEG
needed the freemium program WinRAR, What to use instead As we explained in our ‘What’s all the
but that’s now only true when creating The obvious solution is to download fuss abou?’ section in Issue 707 (page 49),
RAR files. Other compression tools and 64bit programs instead. Currently, you the widely used JPEG (Joint Photographic
File Explorer in Windows 11 (see page 52) shouldn’t have any trouble running old Experts Group, .jpg or .jpeg) image
can unpack RAR archives, but that hasn’t 32bit software in Windows, but if you do format could soon be replaced by JPEG
increased the format’s popularity. It also it’s worth trying Compatibility Mode. XL (.jxl). The latter supports lossy and
suffers security flaws – see page 7. Right-click the program’s EXE file and lossless compression (striking a better
select Properties, then Compatibility. balance between file size and quality),
What to use instead Click ‘Run this program in compatibility makes images 60 per cent smaller and
ZIP is the best way to compress and mode for’ (see screenshot above) and works more quickly too. However, JPEG
decompress files, because it’s supported choose an older Windows version. XL isn’t currently supported by
by all the main operating systems Chromium browsers and requires a
without needing third-party software. POSSIBLY DYING plug-in to use in Windows.
For compression connoisseurs, the 7z MP3
(.7z) format offered by 7-Zip (www.7-zip. The MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer III, .mp3)
org) is now the top choice, due to its format is so synonymous with audio files
higher compression rate and self- that it’s surprising to learn it’s no longer

How to open old file formats

The simplest way to option from the File
open old files in Converter submenu Many online images are now displayed in
deprecated formats, (see screenshot below). Google’s WebP format
which aren’t supported It automatically
by newer software, is to detects the file type to What to use instead
use a file converter. give you relevant Google’s WebP (.webp) format is
There are lots of online tools that conversion options, and works with a increasingly being used for displaying
perform this task, including Zamzar wide range of formats – see www. and downloading web images (see
(www.zamzar.com) and CloudConvert snipca.com/54449 for the full list. Note screenshot above), because it offers both
(www.cloudconvert.com), but most that to convert Office documents, you lossy and lossless compression. This
limit how many files you can convert need to have Office 2013 or later installed. ensures pictures load quickly on web
for free per day. Alternatively, try File Viewer Lite pages while maintaining their quality.
Instead, download the free program (www.snipca.com/54451), which Apple devices use HEIC (.heic or .heif) to
File Converter (www.snipca.com/54447). supports more than 150 formats, store images, which is lossy but offers
This lets you convert files simply by including several old and obsolete ones superior quality to JPEG. In truth, JPEG
right-clicking them and choosing an – see www.snipca.com/54450. will be around for a while yet, and PNG is
the best option for everyday use.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 63

 Problems Solved
Our experts solve all your tech problems

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT

What are these unsupported apps

that Chrome wants me to remove?
Chrome has just started 1
Q warning me that I need to
remove unsupported apps. It
displays a list that includes Gmail and
YouTube, among others. I use these
tools every day, so I don’t want to
remove them. If I click the Cancel
button I can continue, and everything
seems fine. What’s going on?
Derek Chappell

Originally, Chrome apps

A were tools you could install
through the Chrome Web
Google is ending support for its old web apps this year, which is why you’ll see this message

Store (https://chromewebstore.google. unaware that you also had app versions of 3

com) and they worked much like these services installed. You can see
typical Windows desktop apps. This what’s installed in Chrome by typing
meant they opened in their own chrome://apps into Chrome’s address bar
window rather than in a Chrome tab, then pressing Enter.
and you could use them offline. Perhaps you added the app versions
However, Google started phasing years ago, but you would certainly have
them out a few years ago, with official had to ‘install’ them for them to switch To install a PWA app, visit its site, click the
support ending in June 2025, which is from web to app mode. Either way, Chrome menu and follow the steps below
why you’re now seeing this warning there’s no point in keeping these obsolete
(see screenshot 1 ). versions, so we’d advise clicking the as a PWA, for example, instead of
You don’t need to have been using ‘Remove apps’ button (see screenshot 2 ) opening it in a Chrome tab,
any of these tools in ‘app mode’ to to get rid of them. This won’t stop you it behaves more like a separate app. It
receive this warning in Chrome. Simply accessing the web versions of these will load a little faster and work better
having one or more installed on your services, which is what we think you’ve offline, which is useful if you’re using it
PC is enough. This is an important been using until now anyway. on a laptop to read and write messages
detail, because we think you probably Google has replaced the old Chrome while travelling, for example. You can
haven’t been using any of them in app web apps with something called also pin installed PWAs to the Windows
mode. It’s more likely that you’ve been Progressive Web Apps, or PWAs. Like the Taskbar or Start menu.
visiting their websites (such as www. previous apps, PWAs are websites that If you’d like to try one of Google’s
gmail.com or www.youtube.com), can behave like standard Windows new PWAs, visit the website of a
desktop apps, which service you use, such as Gmail,
2 means you can install then open the Chrome menu (three
them, open them in dots, top right). Next, move your cursor
their own window and to ‘Cast, save and share’ before clicking
even use them offline. ‘Install page as app’, then confirm by
If you install Gmail clicking Install (see screenshot 3 ).
If you later decide you’d rather use
the tool as a website in your browser,
launch the PWA version, then open the
Click ‘Remove apps’ to three-dots menu again before clicking
delete obsolete apps and
rid yourself of Google’s Uninstall, then confirm by clicking
warning message Uninstall again.

64 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Email us your problem and we’ll try to help:
[email protected]

How can I make my old games work in Windows 11?

I’ve enjoyed playing Sid Meier’s GOG revives old PC
Q Alien Crossfire game ever
since its was first released
games and keeps them
running on modern
systems
in around 1999, and Alpha Centauri
before that. Now the Windows 11 24H2
update has broken Alien Crossfire,
and it won’t run, although for some
reason Alpha Centauri still works.
I found a number of suggested fixes as you’ve discovered, this option can be GOG version has been kept up to date
online, but none of them worked. I slow and expensive. and still works perfectly in Windows 11
then tried setting up a Windows 10 Your situation isn’t hopeless, however. 24H2.
virtual machine using VirtualBox. Alien Both Alpha Centauri and its Alien So that’s the good news. However,
Crossfire loaded within this, but it was Crossfire expansion pack are part of the the slightly annoying aspect is that
slow and clunky, and I’d have to buy a preservation efforts at GOG (www.gog. you’ll have to buy the GOG version
Window 10 licence to keep using it. com – see screenshot). GOG (or Good of Alpha Centauri (which includes
Can you help? Old Game) is an online store that Alien Crossfire) to solve your problem.
Rob van der Linden specialises in old games that are free of Yes, we know you already own the
digital-rights management (DRM), which game, but your version is 25 years
There’s rarely a magic fix that means they don’t require online old and no longer works, whereas
A will get 25-year-old software
working with modern versions
activation or special software to run.
The organisation started by reviving
GOG is selling an up-to-date version
that does (www.snipca.com/54142).
of Windows. In many cases the only classic PC games for modern computers We think the £4.79 it’s asking is a
option is the one you’ve already tried – and has since expanded to include fair price for the work involved in
creating a virtual machine running newer titles. So while your original keeping the game up to date, and it’s
an older operating system that’s copy of Alien Crossfire is in effect broken certainly a lot cheaper than buying a
compatible with your program. However, after the latest Windows 11 update, the Windows 10 licence.

Is 4G fast enough to replace my broadband service?

I’m retiring later this year, so Check mobile
Q I’m looking ahead at savings I
can make when my income
coverage in your
area before
switching from
shrinks. My Plusnet broadband is on broadband to 4G
the list. I live in a semi-rural location, or 5G
but we can get 4G mobile data through
my O2 mobile phone. As well as a PC,
we have a smart speaker and use
catch-up TV. Would a 4G SIM give me
everything I need? At the moment my
Plusnet broadband manages download
speeds of around 28Mbps, and we
won’t get full fibre in our area until
mid-2026 at the earliest. Keeping costs
down is my main priority. Any advice?
Allan Whitehead every device in your house would lose its (www.snipca.com/54144).
internet connection if you ever went out You’d need to check the network’s
In theory – and ideally with with your mobile phone. coverage, at www.snipca.com/54145
A an unlimited data plan – you
could use your mobile phone
A better solution is to buy a 4G or 5G
router. O2 offers a few options (www.
(see screenshot), to make sure you’d
get a reliable signal in your area. Either
as a Wi-Fi hotspot and connect snipca.com/54143) but they’re not the 4G or 5G would be fine for everyday
everything to the internet through that. cheapest and they come with data limits. internet use, and possibly faster than
However, while that’s the cheapest Rival Three has a better range, with your Plusnet broadband connection,
option, it’s not very practical, because unlimited data, starting at £21 a month especially on 5G.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 65

 Problems Solved
Where do I type my Windows
Can I add product key? 1
Bluetooth LE
to my laptop? Q
I have a relatively new custom-
made desktop PC that a local
company built for me. It came
Back in Issue 699 (page 35), with Windows 11 Home installed. This
Q you explained how to pair
hearing aids with a laptop
automatically updated to 24H2 recently,
and since then a message has appeared
that supports Bluetooth LE. Sadly, asking me to activate Windows. When I If Windows is using an incorrect product key,
my laptop doesn’t offer this. However, click the option to ‘Activate now’ (see clicking ‘Activate now’ won’t have any effect
in the same issue’s ‘Ditch Your Cables screenshot 1 ), Windows tells me it can’t
in 2025’ Cover Feature, you mentioned because the computer doesn’t have a Either way, you have a product key
a USB adapter that can add Bluetooth product key. I have the original Windows sticker on the side of your computer,
to devices that don’t have it built in installation disc and the product key so this should allow you to activate
(page 52). Putting the two together, stuck to the side of my PC, but I can’t see Windows.
I’m wondering if there’s a device I where I need to enter it. Why would a new First, click Start followed by the
can buy that adds Bluetooth LE to computer not have a valid product key? Settings cog, then Activation. Next, in
my laptop so I can connect my Terrence Sutton the right-hand pane, alongside ‘Change
hearing aids to it. product key’, click the Change button 2 .
Brian Hudson Windows 11 isn’t supplied on a Finally, type the product key into the box

Yes, this is possible. Our

A disc, so your local PC builder
probably created a rescue disc
that appears, then click Next 3 .
That should do the trick, but if you’re
A only caveat is that your
laptop probably won’t
for you. It sounds as if they used a generic
manufacturer’s key while setting up the
still having problems, call Microsoft’s
activation centre on 0800 018 8354 and
benefit from the ‘low energy’ aspect PC, which worked until Windows follow the instructions. You’ll eventually
of Bluetooth LE. That’s because a checked it during the update. reach a human operator if necessary.
USB Bluetooth LE dongle, such as
the UGreen Bluetooth 5.4 model 2
pictured below (£12 from www.
snipca.com/54146) draws additional
power from the laptop to run aspects
of Bluetooth beyond LE.
However, this is a very minor Select Activation in
concern, and by inserting a Bluetooth Windows’ Settings,
LE dongle, you should be able to pair then click Change (2)
your laptop with compatible hearing to enter your valid
product key (3)
aids. Check that your hearing aids
support Bluetooth LE first, though. 3

Q: Can I replace my hard drive with

an SSD?
A: Issue 696, page 67 – find it on
our 2024 Back Issue CD

A dongle such as this UGreen model can

Buy it from
add Bluetooth LE to a PC without it www.snipca.com/53433

66 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 Should I be charging my phone less?
My brother and I were talking Good battery management can extend
Q about phone charging. He
has an iPhone, while I prefer
a battery’s overall life. However, whether
limiting your charges to 80 per cent of
Samsung models. I always charge mine the maximum capacity is worth it depends
to 100 per cent, but it seems Apple on how you use your phone and how
recommends charging iPhone batteries long you expect to keep it before upgrading.
to a maximum of 80 per cent. On this point, we’re more in the ‘don’t
I haven’t noticed any problems with bother’ camp. A typical lithium-ion
my battery so far, and a quick search battery might be good for anywhere
online suggests there are two competing between 500 and 1,000 full recharge
schools of thought. As I’ve long relied cycles. At one full charge a day, that’s
on Computeractive for clear, honest around two to three years of use before
advice, I thought I’d ask what you performance noticeably starts to degrade.
make of all this. Even then, the battery still works – it just
Brian Pike holds a little less charge.
If you replace your phone every three
At the risk of sitting on the years or so, it’s barely worth worrying
A fence, both sides of the
argument have merit. It’s true
about chemical ageing. If you prefer to
hang on to it for longer, limiting your
that the iPhone 15 and later models use maximum charge makes more sense.
what Apple calls Optimised Battery Incidentally, plenty of Android
Charging by default, with a suggested smartphones have similar features, but
limit of 80 per cent (see screenshot). As they tend not to be enabled by default.
the company explains at www.snipca. And iPhone users who want to take
com/54147, lithium-ion batteries are control can override Apple’s defaults by
considered consumables and they opening settings, then tapping Battery iPhones limit maximum charge to 80 per
chemically degrade over time. followed by Charging. cent by default

Can I back up and 1 To unlink OneDrive

from a PC, first

sync my OneDrive open the Account

tab in OneDrive’s
settings then click
files to an external ‘Unlink this PC’

drive?
I recently replaced my desktop
Q PC with a laptop. The desktop
PC had two large hard drives,
one of which I used for backups, but my
laptop has just one, smaller hard drive. I
can still access all my files on OneDrive, The web version of OneDrive, at www. 2
but I’m a little nervous because I don’t onedrive.com, does let you download
have a backup of that. Could I set up a files and folders manually, but as it limits
larger external hard drive to back up my how many you can select at a time, it’s
OneDrive contents and sync it so it’s not much use here.
always up to date? One option is to set your larger external
Graeme Neale hard drive as the OneDrive location, but
you’ll have to make sure it’s plugged in
OneDrive doesn’t let you sync to whenever OneDrive is running. To set
A two different drives on the same
PC. So, no, you can’t achieve
this up, first click the OneDrive icon in
the taskbar, then the Settings cog. Next,
exactly what you want. If you have a second in the Account tab, click ‘Unlink this When this box appears, click ‘Unlink account’
PC, you could connect the external drive PC’ (see screenshot 1 ) then confirm by to confirm your decision
to that and configure OneDrive on that clicking ‘Unlink account’ 2 .
computer to keep all your files on the When OneDrive restarts, sign in and your external hard drive, and leave
external drive. this time click ‘Change location’. Select OneDrive to set everything up from there.

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 67

 Problems Solved
Why can’t I create
new folders on my
Windows 10 PC?
For some reason I can’t
Q create new folders on my
Windows 10 PC. Nothing
happens when I click the New Folder
icon. I’ve also tried right-clicking it, but
without any luck. Any idea what’s
causing this and how I fix it? Windows 10’s hidden System File Checker tool can find and repair corrupted files on your PC
Roy Simpson
Either way, we think some files have ‘Command Prompt (Admin)’ or
That’s certainly strange. First, been corrupted and are interfering with ‘Windows PowerShell (Admin)’. Then,
A we’d suggesting trying the
keyboard shortcut for creating a
this function and possibly others you
haven’t encountered yet. Thankfully, a
in the Command Prompt or PowerShell
window, type sfc /scannow (see screenshot)
new folder, which is to press the Control hidden Windows tool called System File and press Enter. Wait for the scan to
key+Shift+N. To be clear, you hold down Checker, or SFC, can be effective in finish, which could take a while, and
Ctrl+Shift together then tap the N key. If resolving problems like this. then see what SFC has to say.
that works, at least you’ll be able to create To use it, first press Windows key+X to In most cases SFC can repair any
new folders, but we’d still be scratching open the Quick Links menu then, faults automatically, but read the report
our heads as to why the button isn’t depending on how your version of carefully to see if you need to take any
working in File Explorer. Windows 10 is set up, choose either further steps. Finally, restart your PC.

Why have my image-file thumbnails disappeared?

1 To delete the 2
thumbnails
cache, open
the Disk
Cleanup tool
and choose
your main
system drive –
usually C:…

3
File Explorer might show blue icons instead of image thumbnails if
your thumbnails cache file has been corrupted

Some of the image files on easiest way to fix this is

Q my computer appear as
blue icons rather than
to delete the thumbnail
cache, which will
thumbnails of the image. Do you prompt Windows to
know why this is happening? rebuild it when you
Bob Wellcoat next restart your PC
This doesn’t take
For context, you sent us an long, and you
A image showing the problem in
File Explorer’s ‘Large icons’
don’t need to do
anything other than
…then in the Disk Cleanup tab, remove the ticks from all but the
Thumbnails box and click OK followed by Delete
view (see screenshot 1 ). To make File deleting the existing
Explorer quicker and more responsive cache. To do this, press Windows key+R C: 2 – and then, under Disk Cleanup,
when using this view, Windows stores to open the Run box, then type cleanmgr remove the ticks from all the boxes
image thumbnails in a file known as a and press Enter. except Thumbnails 3 . Now click OK
cache, so we think the cache file on This launches the Disk Cleanup tool. followed by Delete Files. Restart your
your system has been corrupted. The Choose your main system drive – usually PC when it’s finished.

68 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

 ?? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN...
IPv4 and IPv6
I was poking around in my
Q router’s settings recently when
I noticed options for both IPv4
and IPv6 (see screenshots). I think I’ve
heard that IPv6 is more future-proof,
but my internet seems to work just fine
with IPv4, so what’s the difference? Is
IPv6 better? Will I need to do something
to switch over? And if so, when?
Liam Carter

Let’s start with IP, which IPv4 is a system for creating IP addresses for IPv4 was in danger of running out of
A stands for ‘internet protocol’
and refers to a set of rules that
every device connected to the internet addresses, so IPv6 fixed this problem

determine how devices communicate That’s where IPv6 came in. This version IPv4 and IPv6 because both address
online. Version 4 (IPv4) has been uses 128bit addresses, allowing for more types are in widespread use. Indeed,
around since the early 1980s and uses potential unique addresses than there are IPv4 is unlikely ever to disappear
32bit addresses – four-part numerical stars in the universe. It’s been around completely because far too many old
labels, such as the 192.168.0.1 address since the late 1990s but wasn’t terribly devices and services rely on it. In other
many people use to access their router. relevant until recently. In case you’re words, there will be no big switch over.
This system allows for a total of wondering, there was an ‘IPv5’ but, like Instead, new devices and services will
around 4.3 billion unique addresses. IPv4, it was hobbled by 32-bit addressing, adopt IPv6 rather than IPv4. But as a
That seemed like a lot four decades ago. so it never made it out of the lab. user, in all but the rarest cases, you can
However, with pretty much every As far as most users are concerned, simply forget about it. It’s the router’s
internet-connected device requiring IPv6 doesn’t really make anything job to take care of these details.
its own IP address, IPv4 simply ‘better’. It just means we can keep Want to know the difference between
didn’t have sufficient capacity to creating and using internet-connected technical terms? Email noproblem@
cater for the future. devices. Modern routers cater for both computeractive.co.uk

Will I need to pay for Adobe Reader in future?

Thanks for your great magazine, Reader, then just Adobe Reader, then
Q which I’ve had delivered to my
door for many years. I also buy
Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. As this
freebie is the gateway tool that helps
the previous year’s back issues on CD or to keep the PDF format useful, we
USB stick. I believe I have to use Acrobat don’t think the company will be
Reader to access the digital versions. charging for it any time soon. So it
Acrobat Reader is still free and is unlikely to
With this in mind I noted that, in Issue require a subscription charge in the future remains a free download from www.
701’s Consumeractive section, you said snipca.com/54148.
Adobe plans to make Acrobat Reader a management suite. With Acrobat
subscription service in 2025. Does this Standard or Pro you can certainly read ON SALE
mean I’ll have to subscribe to Adobe
Acrobat Reader to access my digital back
PDFs but also create and edit them, and
do a lot more besides. These are the only Next Issue Weds
7 May
issues in future? editions of the product you have to pay
Bruce Banfield for, and now they require a subscription. • How do I download all
We should have been clearer that only the images in Gmail?
Actually, we said Acrobat was set full versions of Acrobat are subject to •H
 ow do I schedule recurring
A to become a subscription
product in 2025, which it has.
subscription charges.
The free version, currently called •W
events in Google Calendar?
 hy won’t my sat-nav
However, we did confuse matters a little Adobe Acrobat Reader, remains totally update? ...And many more
by referring to it as Adobe’s PDF reader. free (see screenshot). We say ‘currently’
While that’s technically accurate, Acrobat because Adobe has made a real mess of Subscribe to Computeractive at
is actually a lot more than that. It’s the its product branding over the years. www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
full version of the company’s PDF- Originally, it was called Adobe Acrobat

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 69

 READER OFFER! LOWE
S
EVER T-
PRICE
!

Norton 360 Premium

10 devices, 2 years
We’re delighted to announce our lowest-ever price for
Norton 360 Premium. For just £19.99, you’ll protect
10 devices for two years. Available both for new customers
and existing Norton users wanting to renew.

WHAT YOU GET

 eal-time malware protection
R
 ecure VPN
S
 5GB PC Cloud Backup
7
PLUS Monitors the dark web for
your personal information

Norton is made by NortonLifeLock Inc – a standalone

company dedicated to consumer cyber safety.
It has always performed strongly in Computeractive antivirus
tests, so we highly recommend it.

10 devices for two years NOW ONLY £19.99

*

Normally £179.99
Buy it from our Software Store at www.snipca.com/33247
*while stocks last
Problems Solved
Reader Support
Having a problem with our recommended software or expert tips?
Email [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help

Can I revert to classic Outlook

without a Microsoft 365 account?
I’d love to be able to get back to
Q the old ‘classic’ Outlook, as you
explained in Issue 706 (page 6).
703 – from there you can follow our
original instructions.
However, I followed your instructions
and completed the download (from Why can’t I run Patch My PC?
www.snipca.com/54211), but the only Having used previous versions
way it can be used is by also installing
Microsoft 365 and having a 365 account.
Q of Patch My PC with no problems,
I was looking forward to trying
I don’t want to subscribe to 365, so is Scroll down to the ‘Installation methods’ the latest version 5 update (see Issue 705,
there another way to revert to the classic heading and click this link page 19, www.snipca.com/53975). Sadly,
version? Windows has other ideas and repeatedly
Martin Jones recommend in Issue 703’s ‘Break Windows’ throws up the error message ‘Requested
worst rules’ Cover Feature. However, I registry access is not allowed’ every time
The link we printed in Issue 706 couldn’t find the screen that you pictured I run the program. I’ve tried running it as
A takes you to a Microsoft support
page for ‘Outlook for Windows
on page 53. Am I missing something?
Bob Newton
administrator and disabling my antivirus
software, with no difference. Do you
(Classic)’, where you can either click the know what’s going wrong?
Download button and run the installer, or The screen you mention is the Ken Boote
opt to ‘Install from Store’, which takes
you to the Microsoft Store page for the
A main GoAwayEdge interface,
so we’re guessing you may not We weren’t able to replicate
Windows app version of the program.
Whichever route you choose, you’ll see
have been able to install or run the tool
for some reason. The download and
A your problem with Patch My PC
5 for ourselves, so it’s difficult to
a confusing prompt to install ‘Microsoft setup process can be a bit confusing, so diagnose what’s going on. But there are
365 and Office’, as you suggest. However, here are more precise instructions. some things you can do to try and get it
if you continue with the process, you’ll On the web page we linked to, scroll working. First, we’d suggest uninstalling
discover that the only component that down to the ‘Installation methods’ Patch My PC and downloading the latest
ends up being installed is the classic heading and click the ‘Download the version, which may include fixes for
version of Outlook, not the full Microsoft latest version from GitHub’ link (see problems like yours.
365 office suite. And you don’t need a screenshot above). This will take you to Before you install it, however, we’d
Microsoft 365 account to use it. You can a new page – scroll down to the Assets recommend downloading ‘.NET Desktop
set up classic Outlook with a third-party heading and click the ‘GoAwayEdge.exe’ Runtime’ from Microsoft, as this
email account, as normal. link here. component is required for Patch My PC 5
As a side note, it’s worth mentioning If you’re using Edge, you may see a to work properly.
that the first time you run classic Outlook warning that the browser has blocked Go to www.snipca.com/54376, scroll
after setting up your account, there seems your download – if so, click the three down to the ‘.NET Desktop Runtime
to be an odd quirk that makes the program’s horizontal dots next to this message and 8.0.14’ heading and click the link for the
user interface look suspiciously like the select Keep. Then, in the window that version you need – x64 for 64bit PCs or
Microsoft 365 version of Outlook, rather opens, click ‘Show more’ and select x86 for 32bit (see screenshot below).
than the edition that comes with ‘Keep anyway’. Install this, then reinstall Patch My PC.
Windows. However, we found that if you Once it has downloaded, run the
then close Outlook and re-launch it, the ‘GoAwayEdge.exe’ file – doing so may
interface reverts to a more familiar look. result in a prompt to install ‘.NET Desktop
Runtime’. If so, click ‘Download it now’,
Why can’t I use GoAwayEdge save the file, and run the ‘.NET Desktop
to remove Edge? Runtime’ installer. Once this has
I installed GoAwayEdge (www. completed, run ‘GoAwayEdge.exe’ again,
Q snipca.com/53576) to remove
Microsoft Edge, as you
click Install and follow the prompts until
you reach the screen we showed in Issue
Try installing ‘.NET Desktop Runtime’
manually, choosing x64 or x86

Issue 708 • 23 April – 6 May 2025 71

 Jargon Buster
128bit A type of computing or Client A program that acts as an Emoji A small graphic that can be IP address A unique set of numbers
encryption system that uses 128-bit interface between PC and server. inserted into a text or email. used to identify computers and
addresses, allowing more unique websites on the internet.
values than stars in the universe. CMYK Refers to the four coloured Emulator A program that makes
inks found in many printers: Cyan, one computer act like another, IP68 International Protection
32bit/64bit A measure of how Magenta, Yellow and Black. allowing it to run that computer’s rating. Denotes that a device is
much data a PC can process at software. resistant to dust, general dirt
once. Most older computers are Codec A file that tells a computer and sand; and can be placed
32bit, more modern ones are 64bit. how to record or play a type of End-to-end encryption A way of underwater at depths of up to 1.5m
media file. encrypting messages so that the for 30 minutes without effect.
3G/4G/5G Technologies that only people who can read them
deliver faster mobile broadband. Compatibility mode A setting are the sender and recipient. IPS A screen technology that has
in Windows that lets you run wider viewing angles and better,
4K Video with a resolution of at programs that would otherwise EXE A program file designed to more accurate colours.
least 3840x2160 pixels. only run in older Windows versions. run in Windows.
JSON JavaScript Object Notation.
7z A format for compressing files Copilot+ A Microsoft standard for Firmware Basic software stored Used to transmit data between a
into an archive format. PCs that can run advanced AI tools. on hardware, such as a processor, web application and a server.
to control its operation.
8K Video with a resolution of Core Units on a processor that Layers Tool in image editors
7680x4320 pixels. carry out program instructions. Frame rate The number of still to work on separate layers
images, or frames, shown per independently.
Add-on A program that adds extra CPU Central Processing Unit. second to create a moving image.
features to your browser. Another term for a PC processor. Lithium-ion A rechargeable
Freemium A business model energy-storage device for
Administrator Someone who can CSV Comma Separated Value. where basic services are provided electronics and vehicles.
make changes to a computer that A standard file format, used for for free, while more advanced
will affect others who also use it. storing information in tables. features must be paid for. Macro An automated series of
commands or options.
AES-256bit A form of encryption DAB+ An updated and more FTTP Fibre broadband that goes
based on a key length of 256 bits. efficient version of DAB which straight to the doorstep. Faster MagSafe Apple’s magnetic
allows more stations to be than FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet). technology for wireless charging
Airplane mode Phone mode that broadcast and sometimes in a and attaching accessories.
disables all radio communication higher quality. God Mode An option in Windows
(GSM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) so it’s that shows access to 250 control Metadata A set of data that gives
safe to use on aircraft. DCI-P3 A colour space that has a panel settings in one list. information about a file.
wider spectrum than sRGB.
APK Android Package Kit. The file GPU A chip designed to create 3D MicroSD card A small type of
format Android uses to install apps. Deepfake A video that superimposes graphics, but which can also be memory card.
a fake voice or face on a clip of used for other computing tasks.
Benchmarking Comparing someone talking. MP4 A type of digital movie file
software and products with an Graphics card A component in a often used for portable players.
accepted standard. Deprecation When a software computer that produces the image
feature is phased out and no shown on the monitor. MVNO Mobile virtual network
Biometric Using measurable longer recommended for use. operator. A mobile provider that
personal characteristics, such as H.264 A type of MPEG4 video that piggybacks on another network.
fingerprints, for identification. DisplayPort A socket for is used on Blu-ray discs.
connecting monitors. Noise cancellation Method for
Bluetooth LE A type of Bluetooth H.265 Video file format that offers reducing unwanted sound.
technology designed to consume DirectX 12 Microsoft tool required to the same level of picture quality as
less power while not sacrificing run games and videos in Windows. AVC, but with better compression. NVMe An interface that lets solid-
signal strength. state drives work faster.
Distro A version of the Linux OS HDMI A type of connection that
Brute-force attack A method and the programs that go with it. transmits high-definition video and OCR The process by which printed
of breaking encryption by simply audio signals. text is scanned and converted into
guessing all possible passwords Dolby Atmos Surround-sound documents that can be edited.
until the right one is found. technology that adds ‘height’ to Hotspot A public area covered by a
audio. Wi-Fi network that lets you access OLED A thin-film organic light-
Cache A temporary space for the internet, either free or for a fee. emitting diode used in screens.
storing information. Driver A file that tells Windows how
to work with an external device. HTML The language used to write Partition A large hard drive can be
cd/m2 Candela per square metre. most web pages. split into two or more partitions.
Standard unit of brightness. Email alias An additional email
address you can use for a specific Hz Hertz. Measures the frequency Passkey A method for signing into
Chatbot A program designed to purpose, such as for work or something happens: 1Hz equals accounts by typing a one-off code,
recreate conversation with humans. personal contacts. once a second. fingerprint or facial recognition.

72 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708

Passphrase A selection of Recovery key A password to SIP A standard for setting up calls USB 2.0/3.0/3.1/3.2/4.0 Faster
(usually) random words to use access a locked account. between internet telephony devices. successors to USB.
instead of a password.
Refresh rate The number of times SMS Short Message Service. More USB-A The original type of USB
PCIe A faster version of PCI - a per second that the image on your commonly called text messaging. connector, released in 1996.
slot on the motherboard for monitor is redrawn.
expansion cards. SSD Solid-state drive. Storage that USB-C A new connector that’s
Refurbished A second-hand uses no moving parts. reversible.
Plug-in A small program that device that has been repaired by
adds extra features to software. its manufacturer so that it can be System restore point Collection Virtual machine A software-
resold and reused. of system files on a given date and based computer running inside
Product key A unique serial time to which Windows can revert another computer.
number that must be typed in by Registry value A setting stored if a problem occurs.
the user before a program will in the registry that controls how VPN Virtual private network.
launch for the first time. Windows or programs behave. TAR A format for archiving files Keeps all internet communication
and directories. safe and private.
QR code Quick Response code. RGB Advanced type of LED backlit
A barcode that can be read using keyboard that generates colours TPM A chip that stores keys which Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi 6 extended to
smartphones. by projecting combinations of red, encrypt data on your hard drive. include the 6GHz band.
green and blue lights.
RAM The computer’s working Two-factor authentication Wi-Fi Calling Lets you make
area, used for data storage while Roaming charge Fee incurred for A system that uses two different and receive voice and video calls
the PC is switched on. using your phone to receive data means to identify the user. over a Wi-Fi connection.
via overseas mobile networks.
Ransomware Malware run by Ultra HD Ultra high definition. Widget A small program such
hackers who lock files on a PC and Sideload To install apps without Resolution of 3840x2160. as a calendar that runs on the
demand a payment to release them. using the official Android store. Windows desktop.
Ultrawide Offering a field of view
RAR Roshal Archive. A format for SIM The smart card used by all that’s wider than traditional digital ZIP file A file that contains
storing compressed files. digital mobile phones. cameras. compressed documents or files.
 Easy when you
Know How
Wondering if ChatGPT’s new free image generator
can cure his AI malaise, Robert Irvine tries to…

Create higher-quality AI images

1 2 3

Robert was impressed by the realistic results produced by ChatGPT’s new free image generator

R
ecently I’ve found that some 3-powered image generator has been tool to mock up an image of a Windows
AI-generated content makes me responsible for a lot of poor AI art. So I PC, with the words ‘What Windows 11
feel ill. It’s nothing to do with the was pleased to learn that OpenAI has does BETTER than Windows 10’ on the
blurring of creative and ethical boundaries introduced an advanced image generator, screen. I specified that the picture
involved in producing AI art, nor the fear which produces results that are “not only should feature a man sitting at the
that AI will eventually put me out of a beautiful, but useful” (www.snipca. computer in his home office.
writing job. com/54401). Again the result was accurate and
Now available for all ChatGPT plans realistic (see image 2 ), with the words
through the GPT-4o language model, the presented in a font not dissimilar to the
new tool proved so popular on launch one we use on the cover. Spookily, the
that OpenAI had to suspend it for free man even looked a bit like me.
accounts for a few days while it upgraded Finally – because you only get three
Some AI image its GPUs to cope with the demand. free generations a day – I asked
OpenAI claims it does a much better job ChatGPT to generate a picture of a
generators should of blending images and text, so you can receipt. This is one of its more
come with a health include words in your generated pictures
without the result looking awful.
controversial uses, because it could be
exploited for fraud, which is against
warning To test the new image generator, I OpenAI’s usage policies. However, a
visited the ChatGPT website in my spokesperson has said it’s fine, implying
browser (www.snipca.com/54402) that no one’s really going to fall for the
and signed into my free account. For its fake receipts (www.snipca.com/54404).
first task, I uploaded a picture of the I requested that the receipt be for
cover of Issue 706 of Computeractive computer parts, slightly crumpled and
It’s more a visceral reaction to pictures and asked ChatGPT to design a poster held up to the imaginary camera by a
that are clearly fake, in an unnerving and for it. To make things more interesting, man with grey hair. ChatGPT duly
nausea-inducing way. Their plasticky I suggested the poster should be complied (see image 3 ), producing a
texture, lack of depth, unnatural colours displayed at a train station with two receipt for a CPU, motherboard, RAM
and strange glow combine to fill me with people looking at it. and SSD, brandished by a stern-looking
unease rather than a sense of wonder. After a couple of minutes of processing, fellow. I’d forgotten to specify that the
Obviously, the more powerful and ChatGPT produced an image that prices be in pounds sterling, but as I’d
expensive AI tools are capable of creating matched my description (see image 1 ). now reached my image-generation limit
amazingly realistic pictures you’d never The result wasn’t perfect – it misspelt I couldn’t tweak the dollar currency.
know aren’t real. But the free AI image Computeractive and some of the text was I was very impressed by the quality of
generators most of us use, which have gibberish – but it looked suitably realistic, ChatGPT’s pictures, which may not
flooded the web with their ‘slop’, should with the woman sporting a Rachel have looked completely real but at least
come with a health warning, such as ‘keep Reeves-style bob. didn’t make me feel queasy.
your creepy rainbow frog pics to yourself’. Next, inspired by the Cover Feature in Need help creating AI images?Let us know:
Much as I like ChatGPT, its Dall-E this issue (see page 50), I asked the AI [email protected]

74 23 April – 6 May 2025 • Issue 708 Next issue: Robert tries to catalogue his book collection
9000