Computeractive 651

Not all photos from the past need to be restored. I’m quite content for several blurred 1970s pics of me wearing bright yellow flares to stay blurred. But I’ve got many others that have scratches where smiles should be, or look like they’ve been sitting in sunlight since the moment they were taken. I’ve managed to repair most of them using the new wave of AI tools – all free – that Robert Irvine recommends in his excellent Cover Feature, and will tackle loads of shaky videos next. It’s another sign of AI’s breathtaking (and sometimes unsettling) potential. Expect to read much more about this technological revolution over the next few years. By the way, you may remember in Issue 647 that I mentioned a little surprise in 2023. Well,…

Not all photos from the past need to be restored. I’m quite content for several blurred 1970s pics of me wearing bright yellow flares to stay blurred. But I’ve got many others that have scratches where smiles should be, or look like they’ve been sitting in sunlight since the moment they were taken. I’ve managed to repair most of them using the new wave of AI tools – all free – that Robert Irvine recommends in his excellent Cover Feature, and will tackle loads of shaky videos next. It’s another sign of AI’s breathtaking (and sometimes unsettling) potential. Expect to read much more about this technological revolution over the next few years. By the way, you may remember in Issue 647 that I mentioned a little surprise in 2023. Well, I’m delighted…

Microsoft has denied that it is spying on users by releasing an update (pictured right) that tells the company which version of Office they’ve got installed. The company released update KB5021751 on 17 January to help it “identify the number of users running out-of-support (or soon to be out-of-support) versions of Office” – in particular versions 2007, 2010 and 2013. Microsoft ended support for the first two in October 2017 and October 2020 respectively, 10 years after they were released. Office 2013 will follow this lifespan trend, with Microsoft ending support on 11 April. Microsoft also said that the update “will run one time silently without installing anything on the user’s device”. However, many users enquired via social media and help forums why Microsoft needed to know which version of Office users had. In response…

Microsoft has denied that it is spying on users by releasing an update (pictured right) that tells the company which version of Office they’ve got installed. The company released update KB5021751 on 17 January to help it “identify the number of users running out-of-support (or soon to be out-of-support) versions of Office” – in particular versions 2007, 2010 and 2013. Microsoft ended support for the first two in October 2017 and October 2020 respectively, 10 years after they were released. Office 2013 will follow this lifespan trend, with Microsoft ending support on 11 April. Microsoft also said that the update “will run one time silently without installing anything on the user’s device”. However, many users enquired via social media and help forums why Microsoft needed to know which version of…

Windows users have complained about a trial offer of Microsoft 365 that apparently doesn’t give them the option to decline. A user posted a video on Reddit (www.snipca.com/44995) of an offer titled ‘Access granted: We’re giving you a free trial of Microsoft 365 Family’, with ‘Try for free’ and ‘No, thanks’ buttons at the bottom. Clicking ‘No, thanks’ brings up a page titled ‘Confirm your payment options’, with a box to enter your payment details. The only button to press on the page seems to say ‘Start trial, buy later’. The user who posted the video said the message appeared “after a restart on a freshly installed” version of Windows 10. He said he had to sign up for Microsoft 365, but then cancelled immediately. You’ll like this… National Trust…

Windows users have complained about a trial offer of Microsoft 365 that apparently doesn’t give them the option to decline. A user posted a video on Reddit (www.snipca.com/44995) of an offer titled ‘Access granted: We’re giving you a free trial of Microsoft 365 Family’, with ‘Try for free’ and ‘No, thanks’ buttons at the bottom. Clicking ‘No, thanks’ brings up a page titled ‘Confirm your payment options’, with a box to enter your payment details. The only button to press on the page seems to say ‘Start trial, buy later’. The user who posted the video said the message appeared “after a restart on a freshly installed” version of Windows 10. He said he had to sign up for Microsoft 365, but then cancelled immediately. You’ll like this… National Trust has launched a virtual beaver…