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One of the best-selling products of the Eighties was the video recorder, even if the early models were only slightly smaller than fridges. But demand wouldn’t have been so high had the BBC and ITV been able to reach inside your VHS and – once a deadline had passed – wipe the shows you’d recorded. Thirty years on and that’s the restriction the BBC places on its iPlayer downloads. If you don’t watch a show within a period of time, it disappears from your PC. To bypass this you need special software, as we explain in our Cover Feature (page 50). We also reveal how to remove adverts when downloading YouTube videos, and where to find fantastic freebies, such as ebooks, software and games (crosswords and sudoku, not zombies…

WATCH OUT FOR… Ransomware posing as Malwarebytes What’s the threat? A fake version of Malwarebytes that’s actually ransomware. This tactic isn’t new – hackers have been disguising malware as antivirus products since the 1990s. But it’s the first time it has been used to infect computers with the DetoxCrypto ransomware. First detected in August, DetoxCrypto gained notoriety for displaying a photo of a Pokémon Go character in the desktop pop-up message that tells victims that their files have been locked (as captured in this YouTube video: www.snipca.com/21887). When it locks a PC, it takes a screenshot and uploads it to the hacker, who may increase the asking price of the ransom if the image contains information that they can use to blackmail the victim. Nasty. What should you do? Make…

PC ❘ £750 from Palicomp www.snipca.com/21868 PC ❘ £750 from Palicomp www.snipca.com/21868 Today’s PC processors are mindbogglingly complex, containing as they do a billion or more transistors arranged within an intricate architecture. And yet, they are still ultimately controlled by a simple clock signal that tells them how fast to go. Wind up the clock speed – and put some more volts in to give the system enough energy – and everything a CPU can do, it will do that little bit faster. Until, that is, you push it too far, and it conks out with a funny burning smell. “It’s noisy, but if fast performance and ample storage is crucial, this PC is for you” Called overclocking, this is a popular activity among do-it-yourself PC builders, but if you don’t…

What does it do? Smartwatches have two basic functions: monitoring activity (such as steps and heart rate) and duplicating functions of your smartphone to avoid having to get it out so often. Models like the Pebble have been around for years, but the Apple Watch was the first to sell in large numbers. Samsung hopes to gain popularity with the next edition of its Gear watch, the S3 (pictured above), and a third generation of Motorola’s Moto 360 (pictured below right) – based on Google’s Android Wear software – is expected any day now. Why would I want one? Compared to simpler fitness bands (see Issue 483, page 22), smartwatches have better screens and more advanced options. If you get lots of texts, have a calendar full of reminders, or…

WINDOWS 7, 8, 10 Display your laptop’s battery charge By default, the Windows battery icon on your laptop doesn’t display how much battery charge you have remaining unless you move your cursor to it. Battery Bar is a free tool that adds a new icon displaying this as a percentage. To install it, go to www.snipca.com/21910, scroll to the bottom of the page, click the Try Basic Version button, then run the downloaded setup file. You’ll now see a green battery icon near your taskbar’s notification area indicating your laptop’s battery charge. Click this icon to see how much longer your laptop’s battery will last (in hours and minutes), and hover your cursor over the icon to see other useful info (see screenshot above). The Pro version of the program…

What are they? Sunglasses with a built-in video camera that lets wearers record clips of up to 30 seconds, which they can upload to the web via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. They cost $129.99 (around £100) and will probably be on sale in the US before Christmas. Who’s making them? It’s the first device from Snapchat (www.snapchat.com), a hugely successful phone and tablet app that lets users send messages and videos that self-destruct after they’ve been opened. It’s very popular among young people, especially those who are romantically attached – or want to become so. Billions of videos are sent every month. So anyone wearing Spectacles could film me? So it seems, which raises serious privacy concerns. Snapchat says that a light will appear on the glasses to let others know…

Email us your problem and we’ll try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT How do I restore the search box after the Anniversary Update? Q A while ago you explained how to disable Cortana and restore the simple search box in Windows 10. I followed your instructions and was very happy with the results. However, after applying the Anniversary Update, the search box disappeared from my taskbar, and was replaced by the Cortana icon. I can’t remember what issue your original instructions were in, and I can’t find any way myself to get the search box back, or even just disable Cortana. Could you remind me which issue your guide was in? Joel Dean A You’re referring to the answer we gave to George Barnacle in Issue 477. However,…

When curmudgeons rant about expensive gadgets they often have Apple in their sights, just as I did back in Issue 477. I still firmly believe Apple’s goods are hilariously overpriced. But this isn’t another rage against its money-printing machine, though it was inspired by the recent launch of the iPhone 7. Which, incidentally, costs a minimum of £600 and won’t even let you plug in your existing headphones. But, moving on! Like many other manufacturers of fancy goods, Apple times the launches of its hottest products to cash in on Christmas spending. Launch a shiny thing at the right time and millions of them will find their way under uprooted spruce trees, wrapped up as presents or dangling seductively as expensive stocking-fillers. That’s why Apple released the iPhone 7 now…

Tell us what’s on your mind Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive Twitter: @ComputerActive www.twitter.com/computeractive Retired GP: selfdiagnosing is ‘fundamentally flawed’ As a retired GP, I have mixed feelings about Jeremy Hunt’s plans for a technology revolution in the NHS. I have no doubt that the internet and smartphones can be better used to book appointments, and patients should certainly be able to access their medical records online. In this regard it feels like we are 10 years behind where we need to be. It has been neglected for too long. But I’m less convinced that technology should be used to diagnose symptoms. One of a GP’s most underrated skills is interpreting what patients say. Over 40 years I grew to understand what they meant by “a tickly cough”, or “a throbbing…

PRIVACY   FolderShredder 1.0 http://foldershredder.com What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10 You probably know that right-clicking a file and choosing Delete doesn’t remove the file from your computer. Instead it moves it to the Recycle Bin, which is effectively your PC’s jail cell. Emptying the Recycle Bin won’t entirely rid your PC of the file, either - that merely moves it to Death Row. Until your PC overwrites the condemned file, any snooper or hacker with a modicum of skill can still find it. So if you want to delete private data, clicking Delete is not the way to do it. Free new program FolderShredder lets you obliterate files permanently with one click. It overwrites files not just once but many times by renaming and resizing…

Can you recommend a good-quality printer? Q My photos are first rate when viewed on my PC screen or printed by Bonusprint. But when I print on my Canon Pixma MP250 – even on photo-quality paper using the correct Canon ink cartridges – they come out muddy-coloured and blurred. Can you suggest a better printer? Ann Penoyre A The MP250 inkjet printer produced very good results when we tested it some years ago, so it’s possible yours is just feeling its age. Official inks and photo paper do make a huge difference; it’s also worth checking that you’re using the highestquality settings for the paper type and (never overlook the obvious) inserting the paper the right way up. Print services often use thermal dye rather than inkjet processes to…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2015 Back Issue CD: £15 from www.snipca.com/21619 LAPTOP PRICE DROP Asus ZenBook UX305CA £532 from www.snipca.com/21900 Tested: Issue 475 This metal-cased ‘ultrabook’ looks much more expensive than it is. There’s no touchscreen or 36-degree hinge, just great quality all round and an ultra-sharp display. The M3 processor is adequate for most tasks, though not gaming. ALTERNATIVE Dell Inspiron 15 5000 If you need a full-size Windows 10 laptop with a DVD drive and a desktop PC-level i5 processor, this is a solid choice. £529 from www.snipca.com/21650 ANDROID TABLET Samsung Galaxy S2 9.7 £346 from www.snipca.com/21678 Tested: Issue 462 The Sony Xperia Z4 is too expensive and Google’s cheaper Nexus 9 has been discontinued, leaving the 32GB S2 9.7 as the…

Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT ✓ Install paid-for Android apps for free My friend told me about a free Android app called Amazon Underground. It’s similar to Amazon’s standard app, but it has more features, including Amazon Video. Its best feature, however, is its Underground section. Much like Google Play, it lets you install apps and games. The main difference is that everything in this section is free and doesn’t contain any in-app purchases. You need an Amazon account to use the app. Amazon Underground is not available in the Google Play store, so you need to install it using a browser app. First, open Settings on your device, then tap Security. Tap the ‘Unknown sources’ slider to turn it off, then tap OK. This lets…

OUTLOOK Make your incoming email notification last longer Whenever you receive an email in Outlook, you’ll see a small, semi-transparent notification at the bottom right of your screen. By default, this lasts for a few seconds before fading away. You can click this notification to read your email, then reply to it or forward it to someone else. There’s an easy way to extend the duration of the notification and make it more (or less) prominent. To do that, click File at the top left, Options at the bottom, then click Mail at the top left. Now click the Desktop Alert Settings button in the ‘Message arrival’ section. You’ll see two sliders that let you change the duration of the desktop alert (from 3 to 30 seconds) and its…

WHAT YOU CAN DO • Download BBC iPlayer shows and YouTube videos to keep forever • Take the adverts out of Spotify playlists • Download old programs you thought had disappeared • Find the best websites for free ebooks, puzzles and desktop themes Let’s face it, free online stuff is ten a penny. Enter just about any noun into a search engine followed by the word ‘free’ and you’ll be inundated with web pages all promising the perfect free version of whatever you want. But there are two tricks to this. The first is distinguishing the best options from the sub-standard, the fake and the downright dangerous. The second, much harder trick is to circumvent the restrictions placed on free content. Take the BBC’s iPlayer, for example. Millions of…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Ad-Aware Free “Our legendary anti-spyware with a powerful antivirus”, boasts Lavasoft of its free antivirus (AV) program, Ad-Aware (www.snipca.com/21941). It’s underselling itself - it forgot to mention the browser-hijacking extras that come in its goody bag of an installer. Nothing is ever quite free in the world of AV, you see. Not even the excellent Avast Free Antivirus can resist bundling junk (see Named & Shamed, Issue 476). But at least Avast’s extras are other Avast programs. With Ad-Aware, you get a browserful of Bing, the Microsoft search engine no one ever knowingly chooses. Adware from Ad-Aware Ad-Aware starts pushing commercial bloatware (also known as adware) the moment you click Free Download on the URL above. Up pops an advert for a paid-for version, with…

Can BT charge me for my router? Q A year ago I switched my fibre broadband and phone service from TalkTalk to BT. This year, I decided to switch back to TalkTalk, breaking my contract with BT with only five days remaining. I was happy to pay this small amount, but BT has also charged me £65 for the router and £1.38 for the small TV box. Which watchdog can I complain to because I feel these charges are extortionate? Thomas Tucker A Thomas can complain to Ofcom (www.snipca.com/21878) and the Ombudsman Services (www.snipca.com/21879), but they may decide BT has done nothing wrong because companies are entitled to charge for equipment they provide if the customer breaks the contract. This will probably be buried in the small print of Thomas’s…

What can I use to recover a lost email? Q Some months ago I deleted an important item in my Yahoo Mail personal folder. Is there any program I can use to find and recover the lost email? G A Marques A You don’t say whether you use Yahoo Mail entirely in your browser, or via a client program, such as Outlook – and that makes a big difference. If you did use a client, the email may still be on your PC in some form. The best tool for finding it is the free version of Recuva (www.piriform.com/recuva, pictured), from the maker of CCleaner. It scours your PC for deleted files – including emails in Thunderbird, Outlook, Outlook Express or Windows Mail – and then lets you recover them.…

We’re fans of Apple’s EarPods, but it’s weird that the AirPods (£159 from Apple www.snipca.com/21912, available late October) share their design so exactly, with the cable chopped off to leave an inch of white plastic tube pointing down from your ear. It’s impossible not to worry about losing them, although we didn’t find they had a tendency to fall out. They sound great, despite Apple’s continued lack of support for higher-quality aptX wireless audio, and the microphone in each AirPod cuts out background noise while you speak. A built-in W1 processor manages the wireless connection, so your iPhone just asks if you want to use the AirPods, you say yes, and then they work. Take an AirPod out of your ear, and its audio turns off automatically. These features…

TABLET ❘ £333 from Amazon www.snipca.com/21926 Whatever’s inside it, a tablet consists mainly of a screen, so let’s start with that. The MediaPad M3’s contains 2560x1600 pixels, twice as many as your Full HD TV. At just 8.4 inches across, that’s incredibly sharp, and with high brightness and vibrant contrast it makes everything from apps to photos look lovely. Technically, it only covers 94 per cent of the sRGB colour range, while Apple’s iPad Mini 4 exceeds 100 per cent with near-perfect accuracy, and is much better at avoiding reflections. Then again, the iPad Mini is only 7.9in; the extra half inch makes the M3 a little bit more spacious, yet it’s the same size overall (give or take its slightly longer, narrower shape) and almost as thin and light.…

Win 1 of 5 Penclic K2 wireless mini keyboard Simple, sleek and compact, Penclic’s new ergonomic keyboard lets you position your hands to help reduce repetitive strain injury (RSI). The comfortable quiettouch keys minimise noise and require little effort when typing. It’s easy to set up – no extra software or drivers needed. To enter this competition, email your address to cacomp@dennis.co.uk with ‘penclic’ in the subject line by midnight 25 October. The Penclic K2 is available from Posturite (www.posturite.co.uk) for £55. There’s also a wired version, called the C2, available for £46, along with other ergonomic products such as chairs, desks, mice and monitor accessories. For more info on Penclic’s products visit www.penclic.se/en and follow @Penclic on Twitter.…

What you need: oCam; Any version of Windows (XP to 10) Time required: 25 minutes In Issue 485, we explained how to take screenshots of anything on your PC screen (see page 58). Another way to illustrate a problem you’re having with your PC is to record it as a video, then send this file to someone who can help you. oCam is a great free screen-recording program with several useful options. You can add animated effects to show mouse clicks and create your own keyboard shortcuts. It also lets you add a narration to your recording so you can describe your problem in more detail. STEP 1 To download oCam, go to www.snipca.com/21866, scroll down and click the EXE Download button at the bottom right. Run the downloaded…

ANDROID Add file shortcuts to your home screen If there’s a particular Google Drive file that you access often on your phone or tablet (such as a photo, Word or Google Docs file), you can add a shortcut for it to your home screen. We’ll show you how to upload a photo to Google Drive, then create a shortcut for it on your home screen, but this process works for any file type. Navigate to the photo on your device, tap the share icon, then tap ‘Save to Drive’. Next, rename the file (optional), select the Folder dropdown menu, choose which Google Drive folder you want to save it to, tap Select Folder, then Save. To create a shortcut to that file on your home screen, open Google Drive and…

Set screenshot time delay PicPick (http://ngwin.com) is a handy tool when it comes to taking screenshots in Windows, but it can sometimes be tricky to position open windows where you want them, expand any dropdown menus you want to include in the shot and hit the print screen key all within a split second. To help, it’s possible to add a time delay between when you press Print Screen and when the screenshot is taken. Just as a camera lets you delay the shutter to give you the time to get into the photograph. To set the time delay, open PicPick and click File, Program Options, Capture and use the arrows in the ‘Delay before capture’ section (see screenshot below left). The time delay is measured in milliseconds, so…

Postbox 5 Format: Windows 7, 8/8.1 or 10 Website: www.postbox-inc.com ‘Launch’ price: £28.80 (normally £36) Free trial period: 30 days What do we really need from a program that looks after our emails? A place to keep and file them, a means to reply, a contacts list, and some kind of filter that blocks spam messages. Besides these basic requirements any other tools are just unnecessary filler, aren’t they? That’s what I always thought anyway, but email client Postbox 5 went all out to make me reconsider my low expectations, with a bewildering array of options for filtering and categorising emails. These are intended to make it easier to search for emails. Bleak Outlook Setting up Postbox 5 is relatively straightforward. Simply enter your principal email address and password (the…

1080p Of the common types of high-definition video, this is the best quality: 1920x1080 pixels. 32bit A measure of how much data a computer can process at once. 4G A set of technologies that delivers faster mobile broadband. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 64bit A technology that processes information in larger chunks. Most modern computers are 64bit. 720p A common resolution of high-definition video: 1280x720 pixels. APTX (sound transmission) A codec is used to compress audio for transmission over Bluetooth with minimal loss in quality. Beta A version of software that’s being tested – often released so problems can be ironed out. BIOS Basic Input-Output System. Essential software built into every PC that connects the vital components. Browser hijackers Programs that change your default browser,…