Computeractive 588

I have three key rules when deciding which subjects deserve to be Cover Features. The most important is that they have to trigger one of two reactions from readers: “I didn’t know you could do that!” or “I always wanted to do that, but didn’t know how!”. Either response tells me that we’ve come up with a winner. I hope you’ll think both while reading our tips for mastering your Windows folders. We look at advanced tricks for using File Explorer, explain how to share folders over your network, and recommend brilliant programs to replace Windows’ built-in tools – plus much more. The feature also follows my second rule, which is that I must learn something from it too. I’ve been writing about computers for more than 20 years, so if a…

Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) across its subscription Office tools next year, as well as for the old version of Edge. The move is part of the company’s long-term aim to move users on to the new version of Edge, which launched in January having been rebuilt using Google’s Chromium source code. Released in 2013, the 11th version of IE will be the last. In 2015, Microsoft said it had stopped building new tools for the browser, as it prepared to promote Edge in the forthcoming launch of Windows 10. It ended support for IE8, 9 and 10 in 2016. It has continued to support IE with security updates, and you can still run it in Windows 10. But axing support in Microsoft 365 is a significant step towards…

Disk Management has become the latest tool to be moved from the Control Panel into Settings, as Microsoft continues to modernise Windows 10. The change is part of Build 20197, a preview version of Windows 10 available to people signed up to the Insiders program. Microsoft has recently tested moving other tools from the Control Panel, such as System. In future, it wants all important functions to be housed in Settings, which you can access by pressing the Windows key+I shortcut. In its Insider blog (www.snipca.com/35831), Microsoft said that the change means you’ll be able to perform tasks like “viewing disk information, creating and formatting volumes, and assigning drive letters” from Settings. If you have Build 20197 you can see the new Disk Management tools by opening Settings, then clicking System, followed by Storage…

Buckingham Palace has been turned into an ugly office block (pictured) in the new version of Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is now available to buy for Windows 10. It’s one of several landmarks to be unintentionally altered in the game. Others include Edinburgh Castle, the Wallace Monument near Stirling, and Sydney Harbour Bridge, which has been replaced by a dull road bridge. The errors were caused by the artificial intelligence Microsoft used to recreate the world. Most of the landscapes and buildings have to be generated by special algorithms that interpret satellite data. This typically produces accurate results for generic buildings like skyscrapers and factories, but can cause problems with more distinctive structures. Other errors include tall obelisks appearing where they shouldn’t, such as in Melbourne and the Italian countryside. Despite these glitches, the…

Microsoft has released a tool that transcribes text in the online version of Word, but it’s available only in the subscription version of Office. ‘Transcribe in Word’ understands both live text and audio in uploaded files, ‘typing’ words into a document as it hears them. You can use it to transcribe live speech, such as from video calls. But it will probably be used more by people who need to record meetings, interviews and lectures, and want to avoid the hassle of typing them up. Once you’ve uploaded a file (MP3, WAV, M4A or MP4), you just need to press play for transcription to begin. It appears in a sidebar in Word (see screenshot), and identifies different speakers, so you can jump between interviewer and interviewee, for example. You can add a quote…

CHROME SAVES AND TAGS YOUR PDFs The new version of Chrome (85) saves what you’ve typed into online PDFs, letting you pick up later where you left off. Also, when you print a web page and choose ‘Save as PDF’, Chrome will generate a ‘tagged’ PDF that includes headings, lists, tables, paragraphs, and image descriptions. Screen-reading software will be able to read this information, making PDFs easier to use for people with poor eyesight. £15 ‘UNIVERSAL CREDIT’ VIRGIN BROADBAND Virgin Media is to launch a broadband-only package for people on Universal Credit. The service, due to go live this autumn, will offer 15Mbps for £15 a month. There’s no fixed-term contract length and the price won’t change while benefit payments are being received. It’ll be available initially to existing Virgin Media customers, who’ll…