Table of contents for Vol. 451 in Computeractive

Prolonging your PC’s life is an obsession of ours. We make no apologies for that. It would be great if money was no object, and we could all treat ourselves to a shiny new computer every couple of months (and pay someone to set it up for us). But money has an annoying habit of always being an object. That’s why we’ll never stop looking for new ways to help you get the maximum value from your computer. If we can add a few more years to your PC’s life, that’s a few more years you won’t have to find £500 (and more) to buy a replacement. That’s our aim in this issue’s Cover Feature (page 50). We dig deep into Windows to find tools that help you maintain your…

The Government wants to close a legal loophole that currently gives people streaming live videos of child abuse lighter sentences than those found guilty of making recordings. Until now, some offenders received lesser sentences if it couldn’t be proved that the video they were streaming had also been recorded. In one such case in 2013, William Hanna, a teacher working in Birmingham, was arrested after streaming sexual abuse involving a 15-year-old girl, and subsequently found guilty of sexual activity with a child. His seven-year sentence may have been longer had the authorities proved the abuse had been recorded, as well as broadcast live. The new proposals, outlined in the Queen’s Speech at the end of May, will mean that people who broadcast abuse would face the maximum sentence of 14…

Tablet use in the UK has rocketed in the past four years, with 54 per cent of households now owning a tablet – up from just two per cent in 2011. The figure comes from an Ofcom report (www.snipca.com/16733), which also says that tablets are “particularly popular” among those aged 35-54, with 64 per cent of people in this group owning one. More children than ever are also using the devices, says Ofcom, leading to the rise of a “tablet generation”. Ofcom found that 71 per cent of children aged 5-15 have access to a tablet at home, with 33 per cent owning their own device. Toddlers are also using tablets, with 11 per cent owning one. Some security experts responded to the figures with concern. Marta Janus, from Kaspersky…

Hackers List If you want your boiler fixed, go to Rated People (www.ratedpeople.com) and find a plumber. If you want a Facebook account hacked, go to Hackers List (https://hackerslist.com) and find a thief. This is actually happening. My first instinct was to dismiss it as an online club for teenage geniuses, but those guys don’t need sites like this. Hackers List is like eBay for petty PC theft, aimed at disgruntled everyday folk who need a hacker to spy on their ex or steal from their boss. That ex or boss may be you. Click Browse to see the latest postings. Someone’s offering $300 (£198) for a quick ‘Hack a Facebook profile’ job. ‘Hack two companies’ site for money’ pays $2,000 (£1,320). Posted anonymously, of course. Not all offered ‘hacks’…

I enjoyed reading Dave Crew’s Star Letter in Issue 450 (‘Give me back Windows 98 - the Morris 1000 of operating systems’). But continuing his analogy, if the world was still running the “Morris 1000 that is Windows 98”, we would have to overcome a few problems. Compatible parts would be hard to get hold of and more expensive to replace. Hardware upgrades would be needed to ensure compatability with the ‘fuel’ (we don’t have four-star leaded anymore). Could we get all third parties (for example, Adobe) to continue supporting Windows 98? Impossible, I’d think. Most car manufacturers give their models 10 years support (for spares) after production stops, so the end of support for Windows XP last year was overdue. And of course, someone has to make money, so…

WATCH OUT FOR… 20-year-old internet bug Logjam What happened? Security researchers found another severe flaw in the TLS technology that encrypts sensitive data being sent between web servers and browsers. It follows the discovery of the FREAK bug in March (https://freakattack.com), which also weakens TLS, making it easier for hackers to steal personal information from people browsing the web (see News, page 6, Issue 445). The new flaw, called Logjam, was identified by security experts from a number of universities and organisations, including Microsoft Research, the University of Michigan and Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins University. Like FREAK, the flaw has existed since the mid-Nineties, but it’s not known whether hackers have exploited it. Researchers said it was more likely that it had been used by governments for surveillance than hackers to…

New products tested by our experts Now that Samsung has dropped removable batteries and SD card slots from its flagship Galaxy S range of phones – starting with its latest model the S6 (see our review, Issue 450) – you’ll have to look elsewhere if these are important to you. The LG G4 is one of the few Android phones that still has both features, as well as the latest technology. Like the G Flex 2 (see our review, Issue 447), the G4 has a curved screen, but this is a more subtle design than on its stablemate. Unlike the G Flex 2, the G4 is available in a variety of leather finishes on its rear cover. We don’t think they’re as classy as those for the Motorola Moto X…

How do I photograph wildlife remotely? Q I like to photograph the birds that visit the bird feeder in my back garden, but my presence tends to scare them away. Is there a remote control I can buy for my camera? Sylvia Al-Jabiri A Most of the cameras made in the past couple of years, apart from cheap compacts, have built-in Wi-Fi and can therefore be controlled wirelessly from your smartphone or tablet – check the manufacturer’s specifications for your camera to find out if it has this feature. If it doesn’t, then your options – aside from buying a new camera – are very limited. It’s only possible to add remote control to DSLRs because only they have the necessary connectors. All the DSLR manufacturers make their own wired…

Winner of a four-star Great Pick award in Issue 449, the stylish Acer Revo One RL85 mini PC is a small but powerful computer. It runs Windows 8.1, and is powered by the Intel Celeron 2957U dual-core processor. It comes with 4GB of RAM and has a 2TB hard drive, though it’s easy to add more storage. To enter, email your address to cacomp@dennis.co.uk by midnight 23 June. The Acer Revo One RL85 is on sale now, with prices starting at £230. For more information on Acer’s range of mini PCs visit www.snipca.com/16596. You can also follow Acer on Twitter @Acer.…

ANDROID Use Microsoft’s new Office apps on your phone Microsoft released free Word, Excel and PowerPoint apps for Android tablets earlier this year, but until recently there were no equivalent apps for Android phones. Microsoft has now launched Preview versions of the phone apps in the Play Store. To install them, you’ll first need to become an ‘app tester’ by joining the Microsoft Office for Android ‘community’ on Google+, after which you can install the apps from the Play Store. To do this, open Google+ (tap the red G+ icon) on your phone, tap Home at the top to reveal the search box, then type Microsoft Office for Android and tap Enter (this brings up a list of posts from that community). Tap the green ‘Microsoft Office for Android’ link…

WINDOWS 10 Add different locations to the Alarms & Clock app The Alarms & Clock app in Windows 10 lets you add cities (as many as you want) to keep track of the times around the world. First, pin the app to your Taskbar for one-click access. To do that, open the Start menu, right-click the Alarms & Clock app on the left, then click ‘Pin to taskbar’. To add more cities, open the app, click the ‘+’ symbol at the bottom, start typing the name of city, then click the correct autosuggest option (see screenshot). Repeat this to add as many cities as you want. WINDOWS 7, 8 Permanently delete sensitive data from Dropbox Whenever you delete a file from the Dropbox program on your PC, it’s saved to…

Check for malware using VirusTotal The latest version of Autoruns (www.snipca.com/16584) has a new feature that lets you check files for malware. It does this by integrating with VirusTotal (www.virustotal.com), a Google-owned service that collates ‘community scores’ for billions of files. VirusTotal doesn’t remove viruses, so isn’t a substitute for good security software, but it does offer useful insights into suspect files. To check VirusTotal scores in Autoruns, right-click an item and select Check VirusTotal. The item’s score will appear in the VirusTotal column (if the score is zero, the item is safe). Click a score and you’ll be taken to the VirusTotal website, where you can learn more about the specific item. To see scores for all Autorun items, open the Options menu, choose Scan Options, tick ‘Check VirusTotal.com’…

The other tools we’ve mentioned can organise your PC, but only IFTTT (‘If This, Then That’, https://ifttt.com) can organise your entire digital life. Sign up for free, then connect your apps and accounts using ‘recipes’ that automatically carry out an action in response to a certain trigger. Here are 10 of our favourites. 1 Download a random Wikipedia article every day www.snipca.com/16643 2 Get an alert when you switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data www.snipca.com/16648 3 Download Facebook photos you’re tagged in www.snipca.com/16647 4 Get an email when a free ebook is added to Kindle Best Sellers www.snipca.com/16636 (see screenshot) 5 Find your phone by sending an email to make it ring www.snipca.com/16644 6 Deliver yesterday’s BBC News to your Kindle www.snipca.com/16638 7 Get an alert to cover your plants…

Email us your problem and we’ll try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT How do I shrink a partition that refuses to shrink? Q I was very interested in the Workshop in issue 444 about dual-booting Windows 10 with Windows 7 – and wanted to try it. However, I encountered a problem when trying to create a partition on the C: drive of my Windows 7 laptop. I don’t seem to be able to shrink the volume. When I try, I get an error message that says: “You cannot shrink a volume beyond the point where any unmovable files are located”. The Shrink button is greyed-out and only the Cancel button is available. What’s the problem and how do I deal with it? Dave Ankers A This is because…

1080p Of the common types of high-definition video, this is the best quality: 1920x1080 pixels. 4G A set of technologies that delivers faster mobile broadband, so called because it is the fourth generation of mobile data networking standards. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 32bit A measure of how much data a computer can process at once. Most older computers are 32bit. 64bit A technology that processes information in larger chunks. Most modern computers are 64bit. 802.11ac A standard for wireless networks that allows for much higher transfer speeds than 802.11n. Add-on See Extension. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Aperture An opening that controls the amount of light entering a camera lens. Beta A version of software…

PERISCOPE ARRIVES AS ANDROID APP An Android version of the free live-streaming app Periscope has now launched, two months after it was released for the iPhone. The app, which is owned by Twitter, lets you record and stream live videos over the internet using your phone, and watch videos other people are streaming (see ‘What’s All the Fuss About?’, Issue 450). It is available from the Google Play store at www.snipca.com/16679 365-GIGAPIXEL PHOTO SETS NEW RECORD A stunning 365-gigapixel panorama of Mont Blanc has set a new record for the world’s largest photograph. It comprises around 70,000 shots, which were taken continuously over a 35-hour period. Two months were then spent stitching the 46 terabytes of data into a panorama. You can zoom into the photo at www.in2white.com. The previous…

NEW BROWSER BLOCKS ADS ON ANDROID Adblock Plus has released a browser for Android phones and tablets that blocks most adverts. Currently in beta, ‘AdBlock Plus for Android’ is the only Android browser that blocks adverts by default, its developers say. Blocking adverts should make web pages load faster and boost your device’s battery life. To use the browser follow the instructions on Adblock Plus’s Google+ page: www.snipca.com/16659 TESCO LAUNCHES 18-MONTH SIM-ONLY DEALS Tesco Mobile (www.tescomobile.com) has become the first UK network to offer SIM-only contracts for 18 months. There are two deals available, both offering 4G. The cheapest costs £10 a month for 1,000 minutes of calls, 5,000 texts and 1GB of data. Alternatively, you can pay £12 a month for 1,500 minutes, 5,000 texts and 2GB of data.…

CORTANA COMING TO APPLE AND ANDROID Microsoft is launching Cortana, its voice-activated personal assistant, as an app for iPhone and Android, providing an alternative to Apple’s Siri and Google Now. Cortana is currently only available on mobile devices running Windows Phone and in Windows 10. Microsoft said that the apps will be able to perform “most” of the tasks the Windows Phone version can, including setting reminders and alarm calls. Cortana will arrive on Android in late June and on iOS “later in the year”. PIRATE EBOOK SITES TO BE BLOCKED The High Court has ordered Britain’s leading ISPs to block websites offering pirated ebooks, following legal action from the Publishers Association. Seven sites, all based overseas, will be blocked from 9 June, meaning users in the UK will have…

I’m 77 years old. Since retiring nine years ago I’ve trekked in Peru, swum with dolphins in the middle of the Atlantic and run my first half-marathon (two hours, 10 minutes!). I feel fit, sharp and inquisitive. Modern technology doesn’t intimidate me (although it does frequently annoy me). I don’t look at smartphones and think ‘how on earth do I use that?’. So why should I be interested in Apple’s iPad for OAPs (News, Issue 450)? In principle, I don’t object to any device being designed for those of an advanced age, whose eyes and fingers may be slowly failing. I can see why Apple would introduce bigger buttons and text – they would be useful on any device. But why are the pre-installed apps all health-related? How patronising. I’m…

BROWSER Maxthon Nitro www.maxthon.com/nitro What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8/8.1 ‘Simply fast’, says the download page for Maxthon’s new browser. That sums it up so well we hardly need to say any more. But we will, since we’re here. Nitro is your perfect second browser. It probably won’t replace Chrome, IE, Firefox or whatever you use (and we bet you’re using one of them – if not, let us know what you do use), because it’s stripped of many of the features you’re used to in those browsers. There are no extensions, no customising options and not even a settings page. Despite this, Nitro still managed to confuse us – the difference between ‘Bookmarks’ and ‘Favorites’ is not clear. But it’s a good backup for when your…

Google USB Type C-to-HDMI Adapter £33 from www.snipca.com/16561 If Apple’s AV adapter (see below) is overkill, Google’s cheaper HDMIonly adapter will do the job if you just want to attach monitors, TVs and projectors to your USB 3.1 Gen 1 -equipped laptop. IVSO USB 3.1 Type-C 4-Port Compact Hub £14 from www.snipca.com/16562 A small and lightweight USB hub that lets you connect up to four USB 3.0 devices to your USB 3.1 Gen 1 -equipped laptop. Google USB Type C-to-USB Standard A Adapter £11 from www.snipca.com/16560 A slim and simple adapter cable that lets you plug a single USB 3.0 device into a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. Apple USB-C AV adapter £65 from www.snipca.com/16559 Expensive and chunky, but this adapter has an HDMI port, a USB 3.0 socket and…

Although Huawei is one of the biggest manufacturers of smartphones and networking equipment in the world, few people have heard of it. Even if you have, chances are you don’t know how to pronounce the company’s name (“wahway”) and may be under the impression their phones are poor quality. Huawei is attempting to solve both problems by launching new phones under the new Honor brand. The 6+ phablet has a 5.5in 1080p screen and is available exclusively on Three. At first glance it looks like a giant iPhone 4s, though it’s made of plastic not glass and metal. Look closely and you’ll see the seemingly humdrum casing has a subtle, classy cross-hatch pattern that shimmers attractively in the light. Moreover, it feels tough and well-made. “You’ll struggle to find such…

SUMMER 2015 The Asus Chromebit is a Chrome OS PC the size of a USB stick that plugs into your monitor’s HDMI port. It will cost $100 in the US with UK pricing still to be confifirmed. AUTUMN 2015 According to the latest rumours iOS 9 will have a new search feature called Proactive, which will also be designed to rival Android’s Google Now. Reports say it will also have a Home app for managing smart home-based devices such as thermostats and lights. AUTUMN/WINTER 2015 The next generation of Windows Phones running Windows 10 will be able to act as full-blown PCs when connected to a monitor or TV. WINTER 2015 A leaked patent shows a Samsung design for an Android phone that turns into a Windows laptop when plugged…

Layouts from Instagram Free Android: www.snipca.com/16664 iOS: www.snipca.com/16665 Instagram is one of the most popular ways to share photos. Its new app lets you create a collage using a number of photos on your device. You can choose from different layouts, edit your photos and add effects to them, then save the collage to your device or share it using compatible apps. Avast Battery Saver Free Android: www.snipca.com/16667 The four modes in this app help you prolong your device’s battery life. They achieve this by closing apps that sync data in the background, adjusting your phone’s brightness level and turning off unwanted battery hogs – such as Bluetooth and location services – which may be on without your knowledge. Duet Display £11.99 iOS: www.snipca.com/16668 Using this brilliant app you can…

We are all very familiar with the default Windows notification sounds for specific events. These include the start-up fanfare, the abrupt beep whenever you insert and remove USB devices or receive a new email, and the brief melody when you shut down your PC. However, you can change these default sounds or even remove individual ones that annoy you. First, open the Control Panel, click ‘Hardware and Sound’, click the green Sound link, then the Sounds tab. Untick ‘Play Windows Startup sound’ at the bottom if you’d prefer your PC to boot up in silence. There’s an easy way to change the sound scheme for all your notification alerts. For example, to hear the sound that plays whenever you insert a USB device into your PC, click the Device Connect…

Autoruns comes with a command-line version called AutorunsC, which might prove useful if you can’t get Windows to start. AutorunsC isn’t for novices, but it’s a good way to gather information about a Windows PC’s startup processes. Start by copying the AutorunsC program file (‘autorunsc.exe’) to a USB stick. Now shut down your PC, then switch it back on and repeatedly tap F8 before Windows launches. Choose ‘Safe Mode with Command Prompt’ from the menu that appears, using the arrow keys and Enter. Now type your USB stick’s drive letter and press Enter, then type autorunsc.exe /? (including the space after ‘exe’) to see a list of all options and the command syntax. Type autorunsc to display the PC’s startup information. To save this information as a text file on…

Most of the third-party tools we mention in this feature are portable. Some, such as HWMonitor and Process Hacker (see page 53), also have installable versions. Installable software has the advantage of updating automatically and can be set to run when you start Windows, but it also fills your hard drive and Registry with files that build up over the years and can hasten your computer’s demise. System-monitoring tools and PC health-checkers are not the kind of tools you need to run every day. Run the portable version of HWMonitor, for example, and then delete it from your PC. When you want to run it (or any other portable tool) again at some later date, simply download the latest version. Always use the latest version of any portable tool, because…

Pirate versions of old games have been available online for years and dubbed “abandonware”. Some of the games and the sites distributing them contain malware, and they’re not worth the risk. We recommend sticking with free web-based games and non-profit collections such as The Internet Archive, which posts content that’s no longer under copyright and therefore completely legal to download. Also check Wikipedia’s list of commercial games that are now available to download and play for free (www.snipca.com/16608). Be aware that you’ll need the DOSBox emulator to play many games that are now out of copyright. DOSBox is complicated to set up – so much so that there are dedicated programs whose sole purpose is to simplify the process, such as the free D-Fend (www.snipca.com/16609, see screenshot).…

Will you qualify to get Windows 10 for free? Microsoft has stated that it will offer a free upgrade to Windows 10 for “qualified” new or existing Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1 PCs that upgrade during the first year after the 29 July launch (see News, page 6). Moreover, the upgrade will remain free for those who carry it out, meaning there won’t be any hidden costs down the line. It doesn’t matter whether Windows 7 or 8/8.1 came pre-installed on your PC or you upgraded to these versions of Windows from an older version. Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7 Home Basic and Home Premium PCs are likely to upgrade to Windows 10 Home, and Windows 8/8.1 Pro and Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate PCs to Windows 10 Pro (www.snipca.com/16722).…

‘System Restore did not complete successfully’ If you see this error message after attempting a restore, the process has failed. The cause is often antivirus (AV) software, so disable any security programs running in the background, then try again. Make sure you enable your AV again afterwards. If it still fails – or you don’t know how to stop your AV – then try System Restore in Safe Mode. In Windows 7 and earlier, restart your PC, repeatedly tap F8 then use the arrow keys and Enter to choose Safe Mode from the Windows Advanced Options menu. If you use Windows 8/8.1, press Win+C to open the Charms bar, then click Settings followed by the power icon. Next, hold down the Shift key and click Restart. When the options screen…

Last week I came across the Selfie Arm (pictured A in the cartoon): a fibreglass arm that holds your smartphone when you’re taking selfies, so that you can get a wider shot with a bit more distance while looking like you’re holding on to a loved one’s hand. It really does exist (check here, if you don’t believe me: www.snipca.com/16520). I’ll admit that my first response was one of horror. Wasn’t the selfie stick bad enough? Then just as I was about to rant about it on Twitter as a sign that our high-tech culture had reached its absolute nadir, I discovered that the selfie arm wasn’t to be taken at face value. “Who needs a hightech gizmo just to keep their trousers up? ” Apparently, it’s the work of…

More people than ever are falling victim to identity theft in the UK, with the rise being partly attributed to criminals increasingly using online forums to buy stolen personal information. In its ‘UK fraud trends’ report (www.snipca.com/16683), fraud-prevention agency Cifas said the number of victims of identity theft in the first three months of 2015 rose by 31 per cent to 32,058 compared with the same period in 2014. In total, identity theft accounts for 41 per cent of all cases of reported fraud. Criminals buy personal information such as passport details, credit cards and email addresses in order to open bank accounts, buy items online and commit fraud in other people’s names. More than 80 per cent of identity theft in early 2015 was attempted or committed online, Cifas…

WARNING – Junk ahead Junk offender: SourceForge I’m not angry that SourceForge (http://sourceforge.net) has been found bundling adware in free software installers. Just very, very disappointed. I have used this open-source softwarehosting site for years, and championed it as a more reliable alternative to commercial download mirrors such as Cnet (www.download.com). I expected installers from commercial mirrors to include optional ‘extras’, but not those from SourceForge. Then in May, a SourceForge installer (www.snipca.com/16784) for the brilliant free Photoshop alternative Gimp was discovered to contain adware. Gimp’s developer knew nothing about this. SourceForge apparently took over an old Gimp download file and wrapped it in a new installer, topped up with adware. Can SourceForge be trusted? Gimp’s lead developer Jernej Simoncic was not happy when he found out, and even less…

Tell us what’s on your mind Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive Twitter: @ComputerActive www.twitter.com/computeractive Saying Ninite to tickboxes I’d like to echo Stuart Andrews’ thoughts in The Final Straw, Issue 450, where he turns his wrath upon the ticky-boxes of doom that plague software the world over. I can’t even update Adobe without it trying to replace my beloved Firefox with another browser or Zoo (www.zoo.com) from its position as search engine of choice on my PC. I had resigned myself to a lifetime of reading the technological version of small print until I went on a course at work. While doing it I was introduced to Ninite (https://ninite.com) – a simple site where you tick the browsers, security programs, add-ons, players and other software you have and it automatically scans…

Contact us so we can investigate your case Email: consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk Write: Consumeractive, Computeractive, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD Please include both your phone number and address. Unfortunately, we can’t reply to all your letters Do I have to return my Batman chess pieces? Q I ordered some Batman chess pieces from Eaglemoss (www.eaglemoss.com) just before Christmas for my son. When nothing had arrived by February I called the company. I was told it’d take a “little while longer” – the pieces finally turned up at the end of April. But they were the wrong pieces. I can’t get any response from Eaglemoss and want what I ordered, but do I have to send the others back? Mike Spelling A Yes, Mike will have to send the chess pieces back,…

How do I record what’s on my PC screen? Q What is the best free screen-capture program? I’m looking for something that lets me record short video clips of items picked up by my car’s dashboard camera, as well as still screenshots of web articles or emails. Thanks in advance. John Douglass A Good screen-recording software can cost more than a computer, as we revealed in our cover feature in Issue 447. But if you just want to record clips of five minutes or less, you should use the free online tool Screenr (www.screenr.com). It’s easy to use and works entirely in your browser, so you don’t have to download anything. It lets you record whatever is playing on your PC’s screen, including your video files. You will need to…

Find out what other products we liked in 2014. Buy our Back Issue CD now: www.snipca.com/14981 LAPTOP Asus X555LA-XX290H £300 from www.snipca.com/16158 Tested: Issue 446 Asus has made all the right choices with this budget Windows 8.1 laptop. Its comfortable keyboard, fast performance, respectably lengthy battery life and bright screen are all the more impressive given its low price. ALTERNATIVE Asus Chromebook C200 A cheap Chrome OS ultra-portable laptop with a bright screen, lengthy battery life and a great keyboard. £193 from www.snipca.com/16705 DESKTOP PC Palicomp AMD Kaveri Evolution £500 from www.snipca.com/16354 Tested: Issue 422 A budget PC with a fast overclocked processor. It also has good upgrade potential and comes with a surprisingly good 24in monitor, as well as a quality USB keyboard and mouse. ALTERNATIVE: Chillblast Fusion Rhino A very…

Handy hints and tips from your fellow readers Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT Close multiple programs with a keyboard shortcut In Issue 449, you featured a brilliant, free program called Splat in the ‘Launch multiple programs with one keyboard shortcut’ Workshop (see page 42). When using it, I realised that Splat also lets you batch-close programs using a keyboard shortcut, which I find more useful. First, ensure all the programs you want to be closed by your shortcut are open. Next, install Splat by going to www.snipca.com/16343, then clicking the orange Splat.zip link. Open the downloaded zipped file, then the Splat.exe file and click Run. Now click the small rocket icon at the top left, name your shortcut profile, then click OK. Click the profile at…

AGES 0-5 Busy Shapes £1.99 www.snipca.com/16669 (iOS) Your toddler will love this game, in which they need to drag a shape across the screen and move it to the correct outline. As they improve, the games become more challenging – they’ll then need to drag shapes of different colours and they must complete tasks within a time limit. AGES 6-10 Fruit Ninja: Math Master £4 www.snipca.com/16670 (Android) £3.99 www.snipca.com/16671 (iOS) You may have heard of Fruit Ninja - the addictive game where you need to swipe across various fruits that appear on the screen within a set time. In this version (made by the same company), your child must solve a maths problem to find a number, then swipe across the correct number of fruits. AGES 11-16 QuizUp Free www.snipca.com/16672…

What is it? A new, free Chrome extension that lets you ‘broadcast’ files and web addresses to nearby computers using your PC’s sound. Google says the extension “aims to make sharing digital things with nearby people as easy as talking to them”. It promises to let you share items more quickly than is currently possible by email. How does it work? By emitting a short sequence of bleeps that can be picked up by other machines “within earshot”. These bleeps behave just like a human voice does, so they can’t pass through walls, and can be affected by the acoustics of a room and the sensitivity of computer microphones. How well does it work? It can be a bit erratic, but then it is an experimental feature, so it’s unfair…

You laptop has three ‘lives’: the lifespan of the computer itself, the lifespan of the battery before it has to be replaced, and the somewhat shorter ‘life’ of the battery before it runs down and needs plugging in. Here’s how to keep them all going. BATTERY LIFE Your laptop’s display gobbles up a disproportionate amount of battery life, so reduce screen brightness and set the display to turn off after a few minutes. Disable Bluetooth and, if not needed, Wi-Fi. BATTERY LIFESPAN Treat the battery well, and you can get hundreds or even thousands of charges from it (www.snipca.com/16720). Avoid letting it run down to 0 per cent, and calibrate it every couple of months (see more tips at www.snipca.com/16738). LAPTOP LIFESPAN Laptops are harder to upgrade than desktops, and…

It’s entirely up to you. If you buy a Windows 8.1 PC now, you’ll qualify for the free upgrade when Windows 10 is finally launched. Thanks to the Windows Update delivery system, carrying out the upgrade yourself when the time comes should be fairly painless. It’s highly likely that some manufacturers and retailers will begin heavily discounting their current Windows 8.1 devices to encourage buyers, so they can shift existing stock before the new generation of Windows 10 PCs hit the shelves. So, from a financial perspective, now could be a very wise time to buy. But as we explain in our Cover Feature, your existing PC may be all you need – and it might last much longer than you realise. Turn to page 50 to find out more.…