Содержание выпуска: February 2019 — Windows Help & Advice

Backups – we all think we should do them and very rarely do, until that dreaded moment when our PC goes south and all our files vanish with it. Whoops! Luckily, we here to help you avert disaster with this month’s lead feature (page 11). It walks you through the whole back-up process: from finding what to back up, to where, how and when, then shows you how to schedule backups so you never lose a file again. On page 58, you’ll learn how to clone your PC, too. Turn to page 44 and you’ll also discover 100 power tips to help making using Windows easier, faster and more fun. While in our Explore section (starting on page 23), you’ll also find out how to fix wonky photos, do more…

Microsoft Sandbox What is this, playtime? It’s not exactly built for play, but that’s not far off being accurate – Microsoft’s forthcoming Sandbox mode is one built for your safety. The idea is that you’ll be able to test out new applications without putting your PC at any risk. Even if you’ve downloaded something spurious, nothing will break. How does that work, then? In computing terms, a sandbox is (as you might expect from the description above) a completely separate environment. Fire up Microsoft’s Sandbox, and you’ll see a clean Windows desktop – essentially a virtual PC – with its own storage, its own pretend hardware, and no direct connection to your main machine. Everything you install, and everything you save, is wiped the instant you close the sandbox. When…

1Password 1password.com Usually we’d recommend a free app here, but 1Password requires a subscription once you’re past its trial period. What price would you put on your security, though? If you’re using 1Passwords’s vault, you can manage your entire list of passwords, generate unique and difficult-to-break passwords when you’re signing up for new accounts, and even use it to look after other sensitive info so it’s all in one place when you need it. Your 1Password account, and everything in it, is protected by a master password, so there’s only one thing to remember – and you can even link it to Windows Hello, and log in with a fingerprint reader or a compatible camera if you have one. Don’t take risks with your personal information. Whether it’s with 1Password,…

Excuse us for being that bore who bangs on about backups, but how do you protect yourself against data loss and possible disaster? If the answer is not at all, you need to stop what you’re doing right now and take critical steps to protect yourself from future disaster. Everyone has a story about data loss – ours dates to 1999 when we spent 24 hours painstakingly recovering files one at a time from an accidentally wiped hard drive using primitive data recovery software. We got lucky that time, but the lesson was learned – now we take backing up deadly seriously and who cares if we’re not the life and soul of the PC party? At least we’re not sobbing in the corner having lost a lifetime of memories…

1 Verify partition Open the free AOMEI Partition Assistant app, right-click the C drive and choose Advanced > Check Partition. Perform a simple partition check – if errors are found, click Yes and wait while your PC reboots and the Disk Check tool attempts repairs. If necessary, re-run the check until no errors are found. 2 Shrink your C drive Select drive C again, only this time choose Resize/Move Partition under Partition Operations instead. Use the slider to reduce drive C’s size to leave sufficient space for your data partition – as a rule, leave a minimum of 10GB free on drive C for future programs and apps to occupy – then click OK. 3 Create a partition Finally, select the unallocated space and click Create Partition. Check that NTFS…

Photopea is the work of a ridiculously talented chap called Ivan Kutskir, born in Ukraine but now living in the Czech Republic. His website at http://blog.ivank.net gives you an idea of what he’s about, being full of references to algorithms, ray tracing, 3D modelling and other programming tasks. If it’s the image editing you’re here for, however, you’re in luck, as Photopea has a suite of advanced tools. The default dark grey skin makes it look like an Adobe product, as do the icons chosen for the toolbar. While Photopea runs in your web browser, it is a completely local application, and none of your images are uploaded to a server anywhere – this means that if you close your web browser window you’ll lose your work, so it’s important…

Winyl will appeal if you’re looking for a no-nonsense, lightweight audio player for your digital music library. The app consumes around 22MB of memory in use – compare that to Windows Media Player (around 50MB) or Groove Music (over 100MB) – making it suitable for older and slower machines, such as 2-in-1 tablets. Despite this, Winyl still boasts handy features and a slick user interface to help you enjoy your music. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to create your music library, plus change metadata (and artwork) using Winyl’s handy tag-editing tools. You’ll also learn how to customise the program and make use of its playlists and smartlists, too. And if you’re fed up with your own music, just select Radios from the Library pane to access hundreds of…

Google’s Chrome web browser is extremely popular, with 72 percent desktop market share in November 2018 according to Statcounter.com figures. Its nearest rival, Mozilla Firefox, languished at 9.1 percent, with Microsoft Edge at four percent. When Chrome was first launched it used its speed as a marketing position, rendering pages faster than the opposition was enough to get the browser installed on a lot of machines. But Chrome is also customisable and extensible, both in the way it looks and the way it operates, and it’s this, along with the speed, that keeps it on top today. Decent security helps too, of course. Chrome can be slowed down, however, so here we’re going to help you speed it up again, and share some tips on how to get the browser…

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are a great way to protect your privacy online. Although they were originally designed to enable corporate employees to dial into their offices, VPNs are also a great way to guard against snoopers and hackers, especially in countries like the UK where ISPs are obliged to record details of every website you visit. The OpenVPN protocol is one of the best for this as it encrypts the connection between your machine and a VPN provider using ultra-secure OpenSSL. If configured properly, anyone snooping on your Internet data will only see that you’ve connected to the VPN provider, not which sites you visit. You can also make it appear as though you’re in a different country by using a VPN server based there. This guide will show…

s taking a quick detour to specifically cover drive migration, cloning, or drive-to-drive imaging. With SSD prices currently falling through the floor, if you have an older system still running spinning rust or stuck on an outdated, smaller SSD, this is the ideal time to migrate it to a larger, faster new SSD. Copying system files can be off-putting, but with Clonezilla, it’s a cakewalk. Of course, there are some points we need to cover first. The new drive has to be as large as the original drive, at least in terms of space. You can use the Windows Disk Management console to attempt to shrink partitions, but you may need to delete files to make room, too. Search for Disk Management, and select the ‘Create and format’ option. Right-click…

Format-shifting The practice of converting a media file – audio or video – from one format (typically CD or DVD) to another (digital). Web standards Rules and guidelines by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to help ensure consistency in web page code. Format Painter A clipboard-like tool used in Office to copy the style (font, size, colour and so on) of a selected block of text, which can then pasted over another selected block of text. Macro A series of instructions – rendered as Visual Basic code in Microsoft Office – that is typically used to perform a series of repetitive actions with a single click to save time.…

So far, we’ve covered both traditional reinstall techniques, but there are other reasons – and methods – for reinstalling Windows. First up is the recovery option. Most pre-built PCs come with a built-in manufacturer’s recovery partition that enables you to restore Windows to its factory shipped condition. The main advantage of this method – aside from being cheaper and easier for the manufacturer, of course – is that your PC is restored to a guaranteed working state, with all the drivers it needs to function. The downsides are that a lot of extra unwanted software is usually installed alongside Windows, you need to exercise extreme caution not to lose everything on the drive, and that if the recovery partition corrupts – typically due to hardware failure – you’re left with…

You can trust our reviews Our reviewers are 100 per cent independent, with years of experience in the world of computing. Our rigorous testing procedures mean that only genuine, high-quality products are awarded high star ratings. If you see an item of hardware bearing a high score, you can be confident that it is an excellent product. We choose the best products Thousands of new PC products are released every year and choosing between them can be an impossible task. Our experts select only the best hardware and software to feature in this magazine. Even better, our star rating system makes it simple to find the best products, giving you a fast, trustworthy guide. How we review Our expert reviewers guarantee to test every piece of hardware rigorously and thoroughly,…

BenQ TK800 Supplier www.benq.com Resolution 4K UHD (3,840x2,160 pixels) Brightness (ANSI lumens) 3,000 Contrast ratio 10,000:1 Display colour 30 Bits (1,07 billion colours) Aspect ratio 16:9 Native (6 aspect ratio selectable) Bulb life 4,000 hours (Normal); 10,000 hours (Eco); 8,000 hours (SmartEco) Throw ratio 1.47 - 1.76 (100 inches @ 3.25m) Zoom ratio 1.2:1 Lens F/# = 1.94-2.06; f = 15.57-18.67mm Keystone correction 1D, Vertical ± 40-degrees Clear image size (diagonal) 60-200in Connectivity 1x PC (D-Sub); 2x HDMI: 1x USB Type A; 1x USB Type Mini B; 1x 3.5mm audio-input; 1 3.5mm audio output; 1x RS232 (DB-9 pin); 1x DC 12V Trigger Weight 4.2 kg Size 353x135x272mm…

Often the tool is not the problem. Sometimes it’s the user You may remember the way computers used to be, before they were connected to the sum of the world’s knowledge and a million bleeping social networks vying for your attention. It was a simpler time. It was also an objectively worse time – but at least it was easy to concentrate on what you were supposed to be doing. These days, you have to use a little willpower and a few creative tools to get that focus back. If you’re trying to get something written, head over to www.calmlywriter.com. Press the [F11] key to expand the site to the size of your screen. No buttons, no controls, just a well-presented page on which you can type your text. Often…

In just under a year’s time, Microsoft plans to drop support for Windows 7. That’s entirely understandable – the ageing operating system was first released in mid-2009, and the venerable old girl has been succeeded twice since then. But will that actually happen? Windows 10, some three years and change since its own release, has only just exceeded its elder in terms of market share. In December 2018 statistics from netmarketshare.com, Windows 10 was shown with 39.22 percent of desktop OS market share, while Windows 7 held a still-respectable 36.9 percent. Somewhat amusingly, the same statistics showed Windows XP (first released back in 2001) maintains over four percent of the market, more than Windows 8.1. KEEP ON KEEPING ON Dropping support for an operating system isn’t easy to do, particularly…

1 BILLION soon include Google Assistant – that’s 500 million more than in Spring 2018 and 900 million more than Alexa, which is found on just 100 million devices according to Amazon’s own stats. MID- s Possible launch date for, yes, the world’s first flying electric car – the Bell Nexus. The Nexus has six swivellable fans that enable it to take off vertically and is likely to first go into service as a flying taxi with Uber. We are truly living in the future. 4TB Storage capacity of SanDisk’s prototype USB flash drive unveiled at CES 2019. No further details have been revealed about the drive, apart from the fact that it comes with a USB-C cable to connect it to your PC. 10nm Transistor density of Intel’s new…

Let’s start with backing up your data files. These are typically files you’ve created yourself, such as documents, photos and videos. Their personal nature makes them irreplaceable if lost, which is why you should back them up separately from the rest of your PC. When backing up, it also pays to store multiple versions of your files, giving you the opportunity to roll back to an earlier version if you accidentally save unwanted changes. This functionality is built into Windows in the form of File History, which you can set up by clicking Start > Settings > Update & Security > Backup. If you’ve not already set it up, you’ll be prompted to do so now by choosing a backup drive to save to. Click ‘More options’ to choose exactly…

The unthinkable has happened. You’ve lost a file or – worse still – Windows won’t boot. This is the moment when all the hard work you’ve undertaken to protect your data comes riding to the rescue. In this portion of the feature we’ll reveal how to get things up and running again with a minimum of fuss. Recover from File History If you’re looking to restore a lost or accidentally deleted file – or undo recent changes to a file – your first port of call is your data backup. Start with File History – type file history into the Search box and click ‘Restore your files with File History’. A window will open showing all the folders currently in your backup, along with the date the backup was taken.…

The camera might never lie, but it doesn’t half play some funny tricks – just take a look at the wonky horizons and distorted skyscrapers in our tutorial on page 32. Luckily, we have some fast fixes to help you straighten up your images, whether you’re using Windows’ Photos app or Photoshop Elements 2019 – all will be revealed! You’ll also discover how to do more with Google Chrome (page 30); master time zones in Windows 10 (page 36) and protect your privacy with a VPN (page 38). You’ll also learn how to edit videos (page 41).…

For a lot of us, time zones don’t really figure in our day-to-day lives, but as soon as you start to travel it is a different story. Similarly, if you work with colleagues who live in different countries, you will have to consider the fact that there is a time difference to take into consideration before making a phone call or fretting about why you haven’t had a response to your email yet. You could simply remember that a particular country is however many hours ahead or behind of you, but in the heat of the moment it is easy to forget or simply get things wrong – and that’s before you have to factor in daylight saving time! Thankfully, Windows 10 makes it easy to switch your clock to…

We’d be the first ones to admit that Clonezilla isn’t the prettiest thing to look at, nor is it the easiest in terms of understanding s asking you the time. In the past, both EaseUS (www.easeus.com) and Macrium (www.macrium.com) have offered solid free imaging tools, and certainly sell excellent commercial solutions. If you’re looking for a free option, Macrium Reflect Free is probably your best bet. Once installed – there’s an initial 5MB installer download, followed by an 800MB main download – you can select Backup > Windows, and it backs up your full boot drive (boot, Windows, and recovery partitions) in a simple fashion. It also supports differential backups, so once the main imaging is finished, further backups take much less time. Unlike Clonezilla – which has to be…

If you’re having problems with your PC, many of them can be solved by performing a repair or reinstall of the operating system – whether you’re running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10. On page 70 we’ll show you how to set about repairing your existing Windows installation – it will leave your existing apps, files and settings in place, but can work wonders if Windows has got its knickers in a twist. Our guide to a full, destructive reinstall on page 72 is more drastic, but can sometimes be the best way to fix your PC. And on page 74 we’ll reveal some other reinstallation options for you to try.…

The first wave of true wireless earbuds were focused on getting the tech right more than fitting in amazing audio tech – big names like Sennheiser have only now joined the cable-free caravan. However, the latest wave of models changes all that, with options from favourites such as Master & Dynamic, Scottish hi-fi experts RHA, and Sennheiser. The quality isn’t limited to the top-range stuff any more, either – Optoma’s more budget option doesn’t skimp on audio or connectivity quality. Sometimes, great audio means more sticking out of your ears, but some are quite discreet. So which of these big-name buds deserves its spot nestled into your canals? 1 Jabra Elite 65t £139, jabra.com These had issues with sound and connectivity at launch, but an update has fixed…

If money is no object, but being forced to sit at a desk to access your high-powered PC absolutely is an object, Razer has the solution. The latest iterations of the company’s ultra-high-end Blade 15 laptops brings the hardware well and truly up to speed, squashing the latest Nvidia RTX graphics cards into a portable package. It’s not pocket money priced – the Blade 15 is likely to start at £2,199 – but for power and speed on the move it’s unbeatable.…

1 Which operating system is said to have inspired MS-DOS? A CP/M B HI/J C AB/C 2 What version marked the final release of MS DOS? A 5.0 B 6.22 C 8.0 3 With which OS was that version of DOS released? A Windows 3.11 B Windows 98 C Windows ME 4 Which was the first fully 32-bit version of Windows? A Windows NT 3.1 B Windows XP C Microsoft Bob 5 In what year was Windows Vista released to the public? A 2005 B 2007 C 2009 6 On which operating system did Microsoft and IBM collaborate? A macOS B Android C OS/X…

Packed with informative tutorials Every issue, we guarantee to pack the magazine with great tutorials teaching you all the best things you can do with your PC. Each article features step-by-step instructions to make learning new skills fast and enjoyable. Customise Windows to work your way We all know how to do the basics but getting the most from Windows isn’t always easy. Our dedication to the operating system means you get the very best tips and tricks for all versions of Windows. Get more from your favourite websites We all have our list of favourite sites but often we miss out on great features because they’re difficult to use or hidden from sight. We’ll show you how to do more online, for a more satisfying web life. Discover new…

Layers Imagine your image is divided up into slices, which are stacked so you see the top one. You can see those below it too, if there’s a hole, or if they are set to blend together. JPEG / PNG Popular image file formats you’ll find all over the web. JPEG is older, and uses lossy compression that throws away data to make a smaller file. The newer PNG format doesn’t do this, so can look better, but the trade-off is that PNG file sizes are larger. Filter An effect that’s either applied to a whole image, or just inside a selection. You’ll see the effect of a filter right away, but some come with an options window to tweak their settings first.…

Metadata Information or ‘tags’ which provide extra descriptive details about a media file, such as artist, album title, track name, genre and more. Skin A customisable package used to provide design elements of a user interface such as window borders and buttons. Smartlist A playlist that has been dynamically generated from a filtered source. Sources range from a specific artist, year or genre to your entire library; filters can include track popularity or rating.…

One of the simplest, yet most effective, edits you can make to a photo is to straighten it. We humans rarely have built-in level indicators, and it’s easy to end up taking a photo that’s wonky. Even with in-camera levels, which project information into the viewfinder, your images can still come out with a lean. Even worse is the effect that lens distortion can have on tall buildings. As you lean back to fit a skyscraper into the frame, the bottom of the tower block can bulge out, while the top shrinks rapidly, becoming narrower as it moves away. That’s if it’s in the centre of the frame – put a tall building at the edge of a photo taken with a wide-angle lens and it can appear to lean…

Videos are a great way to share special experiences and events, and making them doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Shotcut is a completely free open source video editor that’s easy to use, and is packed with an impressive selection of filters and special effects that can help bring your home video projects to life. If you’ve ever used Windows Movie Maker, Shotcut will feel immediately familiar, but even if you haven’t, its design is intuitive enough that you’ll be able to master it in moments. To get your project started, all you need is a collection of media files (videos, audio and photos), an Internet connection and 30 minutes. Once you’ve finished, you’ll have a video that looks and sounds like it was made with professional software, and…

The October 2018 Update to Windows 10 introduced some great new features, but it’s easy to remain trapped in a rut, sticking with what you know, even when there are better and often more efficient ways of doing things in Windows. We’ve covered a wide range of topics and features in this tips extravaganza, but there’s plenty more to be found. Take the time to explore the many tweaks on offer – you’re bound to find at least one extra useful setting. We’ve hopefully revealed dozens of tips you’ll find incredibly useful. Simply researching and writing them has uncovered new and better ways of doing things for us, too, and that’s ultimately the best barometer of all – if you find something that improves your own way of doing things,…

Clonezilla supports a number of networked backup and restore options – the one most likely to be relevant to you is Samba. That’s the crazily named open-source implementation of the Windows networking protocol. The option pops up after you pick the type of backup/restore mode to use, and at the Image Directory point. Choose samba_server, then the next few steps require you to know the IP address of the target system, plus have a Windows username and password for it. We also suggest creating a public/guest-accessible folder to save the images to. You still need the username and password for the main account, or create a new user for the backup task. If you don’t know the IP address, assuming you can access the target networked machine, type ipconfig in…

Can you suggest a program that will enable me to quickly create PDF files from a dozen or so Word documents? Hannah Stuart Try the 14-day trial of Nitro Pro (www.nitropdf.com). Just click PDF > From File to select your files: Office, HTML, text and image files are all supported. Is there a quicker way to enter passwords from BitWarden (https://bitwarden.com/) into pop-up web pages like PayPal? Stephanie Arnold Just right-click inside the web page in question and select BitWarden > Auto-fill – if the correct login has been detected, click to select it. A program is refusing to run because apparently the Arial Regular font is missing. Where can I obtain this font and how do I add it? Ollie Parkinson Browse to C:\Windows\winsxs and type arial into the…

Who doesn’t love a wishlist? It’s a handy reminder of all the things you’d like to do, or try, or buy – and can be useful for sharing with family and friends ahead of special occasions like birthdays. The wishlist on the Microsoft Store is just the same – it enables you to bookmark the apps, games, movies and music you’d like to own from the Store. And you can easily share your wishlist with others, just in case they’d like to help you out.…

1 Windows 10 Head to www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 and click ‘Download tool now’. Once downloaded, open MediaCreationTool. exe. When prompted, select ‘Create installation media’ and follow the prompts to create either a USB flash drive or an ISO file (for burning to DVD). 2 Windows 8.1 Download the Media Creation Tool from www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows8 – input your language, edition of Windows 8.1 and PC architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and then click Next. Choose to create either a USB flash drive or an ISO file and then follow the prompts to the end. 3 Windows 7 Go to www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows7 and enter your product key – choose a 32-bit or 64-bit version as required. Once downloaded, double-click the file to burn to DVD, or use the Windows USB Download Tool (https://wudt.codeplex.com) to create a USB…

1 Reboot for media If you’re running Windows 7, or have Fast Boot disabled, insert your boot media and start your PC. Look for a ‘Press any key to boot from CD or DVD’ option (even if you’ve booted from a USB flash drive) – press the key and you should find the Windows install process starts. 2 Tweak boot options If you boot back into Windows, restart your PC again, but this time press a key, such as [F11], when prompted to open a boot menu. Do so, select your boot media (choose UEFI if the option appears) to boot; otherwise, enter Setup to change the boot device order. 3 Windows 8.1/10 If Fast Boot is enabled, open Settings in Windows and navigate to ‘Update & recovery’ > Recovery,…

You don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to love Razer’s new Blade Stealth 13 laptop – in fact it’s probably best if you aren’t. In all honesty, its gaming performance is somewhat modest, but it is a great buy for other reasons – from its lightning-fast processor to its premium-quality design. You can find out more on page 78. We also get our mitts on Logitech’s MX Vertical mouse (page 80); take a peek at JBL’s Link View Internet-connected display (page 82); and cue up some tunes with the latest in wireless earbuds (page 86). Nick Odantzis Deputy Editor windowsmagazine@futurenet.com…

1 Krita  https://krita.org/en/ Krita is professional-quality painting software created by a team of artists with the noble aim of putting top-notch creative tools within the reach of everyone. You can use Krita for any kind of drawing and illustration, but it’s particularly great for comics and manga. There are panel templates, halftone filters, and perspective tools as well as the usual brushes, fills and pens. Each brush is customisable, and you can save bespoke brushes to use again. Krita was created by artists for artists, and it shows in the dozens of thoughtful little touches that make it easier to create great paintings. There are drawing aids for creating straight lines, vanishing points and smooth shapes. You also get layers, masks, transform tools, HDR support, and advanced selection functions. Krita…