Table of contents for June 2019 in Windows Help & Advice

By time you read this, Microsoft will have hopefully released the May 2019 Update for Windows 10 – and with it a slew of brand new features that’ll make using your PC easier and more fun. The biggest change, ironically, is the way Windows Update works – you’ll now be able to delay updates for up to seven days at a time (up to a maximum of 35 days), giving you more time to get ready to upgrade. It’ll also enable you to see whether the update is causing others any issues – like the October 2018 Update notoriously did. More positively, the May 2019 Update (AKA 1903) also includes a new lighter theme, a much cleaner Start menu and more helpful error messages. Other goodies include a smarter Cortana,…

If you’re a serious professional who relies on a computer for creative pursuits (and if you also have a spare £3,830 laying around to invest in new computer hardware) Acer reckons it has you covered with its ConceptD 9. It’s half-laptop, half-fully adjustable drawing surface, and all power, with the latest Core i9 processor and Nvidia’s top-end RTX 2080 graphics propping up the insides. That’s quite the concept – though we don’t know when it’ll be formally released.…

www.microsoftedgeinsider.com/ en-us/download/ Windows 10’s default web browser, Edge, will soon take advantage of the same behind-the-scenes code as Google Chrome, which will make it compatible with a lot more of the web. It won’t be sent automatically to your PC for a while, but if you do want to get your hands on it early Microsoft has set up a site offering preview editions for download. Since the Chromium version of Edge is still in development, it’s available in various states of completion: downloading Edge from the Beta channel should give you the least problematic version, the Dev channel will offer a newer but wobblier edition, and picking the Canary channel gets you access to the latest updates in the shakiest version going. It’s up to you – but you…

A full reinstall is a destructive process – everything on your C drive will be wiped clean as a result. Even if you perform a repair install, there’s still the danger that it won’t fix your problem and might even make things worse, preventing you from getting at your data. Therefore, it’s important to take steps to protect your personal files and maybe your preferences and system tweaks, too. Step one is to look after your personal data: documents, photos, videos and so on. By default, these are stored inside your personal user folder on the same drive as Windows itself. So if you’ve not moved these folders on to another drive, it’s critical you back them up now. Windows has all the tools you need: Backup and Restore in…

Your brand new PC is gleaming at you – and you can’t wait to start using it. But what about all your data: your emails, photos, music and more? They’re still on your old, machine. What to do? In our step-by-step guide on page 40 we’ll show you how to transfer all your data from your old PC to your new one, and back up your files while you’re at it. And if your new machine happens to be a Raspberry Pi, we’ll show you how to install Windows 10 on it. Crazy, right? That’s just a taster for what’s in this month’s Explore… read on to find much, much more.…

For some users, especially those used to versions of Windows previous to 10, Cortana is a bit of a non-event. Why would you want to use an AI assistant to do something you could very well do yourself? These people have probably never experienced the joy of using an Amazon Echo to switch the lights on and off, and the two things are very similar: Cortana exists to make things easier, to smooth your passage through Windows’ interminable screens and pop-ups, and to put a friendly face on technical settings. We’re using typed commands, but you can also talk to Cortana if your Windows device is equipped with an appropriate microphone. To ready Cortana to accept voice input, either press [Win] + [C], a dedicated search button, click the mic…

If you’re tired of managing multiple passwords, then the True Key password manager may be for you. This handy app is available as an extension for Microsoft Edge, and you can use it to store personal details like passwords, then log back in with a single click. Your credentials and secret data are protected by a master password, which is required before showing any sensitive information. True Key is also compatible with Microsoft Hello (available on selected devices) meaning you can sign in using your face or fingerprint. Once you’ve followed the setup guide below, simply click the Settings icon and change your security level from Basic to Advanced. True Key will store up for 15 sets of usernames and passwords free of charge. If you need more, the Premium…

Why go through all this bother when there’s a perfectly good skew of Windows 10 available for the Raspberry Pi? That may be true, but Windows 10 IoT just isn’t Windows 10. It’s a severely trimmed-down version that’s been designed, as its name suggests, for Internet of Things devices. If you’re looking to apply your Raspberry Pi to a single task, such as digital signage, robotics, or similar, Windows 10 IoT Core (think Windows CE, if you’re old-school) is the operating system for you, as long as there’s a Universal App, designed to run on an ARM processor, that you’re sure will do the job. If not, and if full Windows 10 doesn’t do what you want it to (spoiler: It probably won’t), you may well be better off sticking…

Cloud storage is a painless way to keep files both backed up and in sync across multiple computers and devices. When it comes to choosing which provider to use, there’s a compelling case to stick with the option provided by default in Windows 8.1 and 10: OneDrive. It’s pushed on all new users with frequent prompts to get it set up, and the process is relatively simple and painless, particularly when linked to the same account you use to log into Windows. But having set up OneDrive, have you learned to make the most of it? Sure, it’s a convenient place to store files that get backed up automatically in the background, but if that’s all you’re using it for then you’re potentially missing out on lots of useful features…

1 Strengthen password It’s tempting to keep your Microsoft account password relatively simple, particularly if you use it to log into Windows. Get the best of both worlds by browsing to Start > Settings > Accounts > ‘Sign-in options’ and click the Change button under Password. 2 Update password Enter your current account password and then replace it with a strong new password. Use a password manager, such as Bitwarden, to generate a lengthy random one, make sure it’s written down or otherwise recorded, then copy and paste it into the new password box. 3 Set up PIN Now click Add under PIN, re-enter your new password and click ‘Sign in’. Enter a memorable PIN number – four digits minimum – and click Add. Use this PIN…

1 Sync to a second computer When you set up OneDrive on another PC (or Mac), it’ll automatically sync everything across in a ‘files on-demand’ mode to prevent cluttering up the drive. Go to Settings, click the Account tab, then click ‘Choose folders’ to select only those folders you wish to sync. 2 Access via mobile You’ll see frequent prompts to install the OneDrive mobile app for your Apple or Android phone or tablet. Doing so enables you to both access your files direct from your mobile devices, and automatically upload photos and videos taken on those devices to your OneDrive folder. Handy. 3 Log on via web browser The final option, of course, is to log on to https://onedrive.live.com via your web browser, where you’ll be…

What can you do when things ‘go wrong’? Whether it’s user error – you accidentally delete a file from your OneDrive folder or need to undo your most recent edits – or an issue with OneDrive itself, we’re here to help. Let’s start with file recovery – the step-by-step guide on the page opposite reveals how to both restore deleted files (up to a maximum of 30 days after they’ve been deleted) and roll back files to earlier versions to undo recent, unwanted changes. These two forms of file recovery are available to all users, but if you use Office 365 you gain an enhanced form of file restore, too. It’s technically designed to protect against ransomware – you’ll be warned if masses of files are deleted at once and…

Can you recommend any good – and preferably free – musical notation software? Nicola Bryant MuseScore (https://musescore. org) is our go-to app for recording musical notation. It can take direct input from a MIDI keyboard, too, making it easy to turn your compositions into professional music scores. What’s the easiest way to add new features to Paint.NET? Steve Curtis Try BoltBait’s Plugin Pack (https://forums.getpaint.net/ topic/113220-boltbaits) – once extracted, double-click the EXE file and choose which plug-ins to add.…

Whether you’re new to Windows, or a seasoned hand, regular updates ensure it’s constantly changing – and that means a refresher is sometimes in order. In this month’s Basics section we’ll talk you through some of the biggest changes that have taken place over the last few years, and help you to get reacquainted with features that you may have even forgotten about (page 68). We’ll also show you how to make Windows work your way with top tips and tricks for the Desktop (page 70), File Explorer (page 72) and Windows Update (page 74). Let’s get started……

1 Basic configuration Click Start > Settings > Cortana to configure your mic, set permissions (and delete history), configure web search settings and manage notifications between all your devices running Cortana. To clear everything, select ‘Change what Cortana knows about me in the cloud’, scroll down and click Clear. 2 Manage services Open Cortana and click the Notebook icon on the left to configure Cortana’s functionality as a personal assistant. Most options involve choosing the kind of information that you want to know about; click Connected Services to link supported providers such as Gmail, Office 365 and Wunderlist. 3 Disable Cortana completely Press [Win] + [R], type regedit and press [Enter]. Browse to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\ Windows\Windows Search. Choose Edit > New DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it AllowCortana and double-click it…

1 Find data to restore Navigate to the folder containing the data that you want to restore in File Explorer. From the Home tab on the Ribbon, click History to open File History to that folder’s location. A window displaying all the backed-up files from that folder will be shown. 2 Choose file version Double-click the file you wish to restore – a preview of the file’s contents will appear. If you’re looking for an earlier version of that file, using the back and forward buttons at the bottom to navigate between the different revisions until you find the one you want. 3 Restore file Click the Settings button in the top-right corner and choose Restore to save it to its original location, overwriting the current version if it’s present…

£3,268 | $4,247 www.asus.com The Asus Mini PC ProArt PA90 is a peculiar thing. It has workstation-grade internals, yet Asus insists on slapping on the ‘Mini PC’ moniker. This PC may be sleek enough to hide away in a small space, but there’s nothing mini about what this beast can do. It’s a PC that’s more than capable of handling demanding workloads, but that sort of immense power comes at a rather steep price tag and some limited upgrade paths. Price and availability The PA90 comes in a variety of configurations, all powered by either an Intel Core i9-9900K or i7-9700K processor, and up to 64GB of DDR4 RAM. You’ll also get the power of an Nvidia Quadro P2000 or P4000 graphics card to handle GPU-intensive applications. In the UK,…

60 SUPER OFFICE TIPS Do more with Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint – we show you how WHICH SOUNDCARD? How to choose the best audio hardware for your PC and enjoy music, movies and more HOW TO ● Use Windows’ mouse gestures ● Take control of File Explorer ● Master Windows’ Mail app ● Sort your music library * Contents subject to change Catch up with us on… www.facebook.com/windowsmag www.twitter.com/windowsmag www.windowsmag.co.…

Editorial Editor Rob Mead-Green rob.mead-green@futurenet.com Art Editor Jamie Schildhauer Deputy Editor Nick Odantzis Editor in Chief Graham Barlow Senior Art Editor Jo Gulliver Contributors Desire Athow, Duncan Bell, Alex Cox, Nate Drake, Ian Evenden, Chris Lloyd, Adam Marshall, Joe Osborne, Nick Peers, Nick Rego, Mark Wyciślik-Wilson Advertising Media packs are available on request Commercial Director Clare Dove clare.dove@futurenet.com Advertising Director Richard Hemmings richard.hemmings@futurenet.com Sales Executive – Technology Callum Staines Director of Agency Sales Matt Downs Ad Director – Technology John Burke Strategic Partnerships Clare Jonik Circulation Head of Newstrade Tim Mathers Production Head of Production Mark Constance Production Project Manager Clare Scott Advertising Production Manager Joanne Crosby Digital Editions Controller Jason Hudson Production Controller Nola Cokely Management Chief Content Officer Aaron Asadi Vice President of Content & GEIC Bill Gannon…

It’s easy to keep tabs on a wide range of different chat systems Keeping up with everybody isn’t easy. Every friend seems to have their own preferred method of written communication, be it text message, email, or one of any number of chat apps. You might have four or five on the go, one friend on Facebook Messenger, a family keeping in touch on a WhatsApp group chat, and so on. While we can’t help you convince your friends to standardise – let’s face it, that’s often a lost cause – it’s worth knowing just how easy it is to keep tabs on all these different systems. WHATSAPP AND MORE Some are straightforward. Log in to Facebook on your PC, and you’ll be able to access the web equivalent of…

An official security patch, released by Microsoft on April 9th, caused users of many popular third-party anti-virus packages from companies like Sophos, Avast, and McAfee to suffer slowdown on their machines so extreme as to make them unusable. The update, one of Windows 7’s final security patches and also released on Windows 8.1 (though not on Windows 10) was quickly pulled – but users who received it before it was withdrawn were forced to wade through treacle to install a new version of their anti-virus software. If we were sensationalist, we might even dub the update akin to a virus in itself. PROTECT YOURSELF This isn’t the first time a Windows update has gone haywire, and it likely won’t be the last. Windows, frequently updated as it is against the…

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 a 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…

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 boot device order. 3 Windows 8.1/10 If Fast Boot is enabled, open Settings in Windows and navigate to ‘Update and recovery’…

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…

To believe some sections of the press today, it’s impossible to go on the Internet without having your computer taken over by hackers, who will use it to mine pornography using something called a “blockchain”, stealing your credit card details, and those of your 94-year-old grandmother who’s never been online, in the process. Things might not be that bad, but the threat of malware, unwanted apps that can hijack your PC or hold it to ransom, is real. There’s plenty you can do to protect yourself, and your grandmother, however. Some of it involves adding additional programs to your PC, but there are steps you can take that need nothing more than a web browser and your operating system. We’ll also touch on both ad and cookie blocking, and on…

You’d think that using your PC would be simple – you just turn it on and get down to whatever you need to do, right? But there are user accounts to think about. With security in mind, and the assumption that your PC may be used by several people, Windows 10 has a user account system that keeps your files separate from others’ and ensures no-one accesses your data. But this isn’t as simple as it sounds. You need to choose between a local account and a Microsoft account. You need to choose whether user data should be synchronised between computers. You need to choose between using a password, a PIN, or other options. There is actually quite a lot to consider. If you have been confused about where to…

APPLICATIONS Choose which applications EaseUS PCTrans will transfer. RESTORE POINT Creates a restore point on the new PC before transferring. FILES Choose which files will be transferred. ACCOUNTS Choose which user accounts to move across. EDIT Click this to choose specific files, apps or accounts. TRANSFER Press this once you’re ready to go. Some people go on about the smell of a new car, but for us there’s nothing like the smell of a new PC. It encapsulates the potential of the upgrade, the choice cuts of silicon within and the empty storage space eager to be put to use. If you have a new PC, you probably have an old one too, and it’s most likely crammed full of data that you’d like to keep. Luckily, you can transfer…

One of OneDrive’s biggest selling points is its support for online editing of documents using cloud-based versions of Microsoft Office. While feature-limited compared to the full-blown Office 365 found on your PC, you’ll find they’re more-than-capable substitutes when you find yourself on the road. The simplest way to access them is through your favourite web browser – simply browse to the file in question and double-click it to open it the appropriate Office app (Word, Excel or PowerPoint) in a separate browser tab. You’ll see a familiar-looking interface, although the Ribbon is cut-down compared to the desktop version of Office. However, it’s easy to navigate and changes are saved automatically as you make them. You can also access each Office app directly by clicking the app launcher button in the…

At the heart of your processor is the section that takes the data and runs the x86-64 instruction set over it – this defines the PC. This is the microarchitecture. Around this sits a host of other transistors, the caches, memory controller, I/O controller, possibly on-board graphics, and more. What was once spread out across a motherboard has migrated into the silicon. The microarchitecture defines the abilities, efficiency, and ultimately the power of your chip and system. We are not going to delve into the inner workings of the actual execution units here, so you are spared the block diagrams. And we’re going to skip over mobile, embedded, and server offerings, too, otherwise we’d need the whole magazine for this. But if you’re going to pick the right chip, you…

Q I scan have in a – load some of of old them photos are to quite small. What’s the best way to blow them up and preserve as much quality as possible? Gregory Dahl Cat’s solution The following step-by-step guide is based around Dell’s scanning tools, but other scanner makers provide similar controls – and in some cases, better ones too, particularly when adjusting lighting and colour balance. 1 Set preview Open your scanning tool and click Preview. Use the selection tool to crop around the photo – the scanner will automatically adjust its lighting settings to adapt to the photo, ensuring a better-quality scan. 2 Choose colour settings While it’s tempting to preserve sepia tints in older photos, choose the greyscale option from your scanner’s colour…

Excel, PowerPoint and Word may be three of the world’s most famous office apps, but Microsoft doesn’t include them in Windows 10 by default, even though they’re made by the same company. That’s because Microsoft wants you to pay for them, of course. But given Office’s ubiquity – and that Office 365 is available from just £5.99 per month – mean getting it is one of the best things you can do for your PC.…

We’ve lined up some speed demons on the starting grid this month – from  Asus’ mini-tower of power, the PA90 (page 78), to the super-slick Razer Blade 2019 (page 80). But it’s the G-Drive mobile Pro SSD (page 82) we’re really excited about. This tiny, tough, solid-state drive is real gamechanger when it comes to super-fast storage on the go. It could even give that old wheezy PC a new lease of life – use it as a Windows 10 boot drive and watch it fly. Finally, don’t forget to turn to page 88 for our pick of the best free VPNs 2019.…

What’s the difference? Look at that picture. What’s missing? That’s right: it’s the small slot that would normally run horizontally along the centre and graciously accept a game disc. In this new cheaper edition of the Xbox One S, Microsoft has done away with the optical drive, meaning that this version will only be able to run games and apps downloaded from the web. That’s awful! But is it, really? Think about it: when was the last time you saw, say, a laptop with a DVD drive? They’re increasingly rare, and this is just another step along the road. The world is moving towards digital distribution of just about everything, from software to movies. And, of course, there’s an ulterior motive for Microsoft. Such as? Such as squashing that pesky…

1 What do the initials SSD stand for? A Solid-State Drive B Super Speedy Drive C Seven Sector Drive 2 How does an SSD differ from a standard hard drive? A It uses lasers instead of magnets B It’s incompatible with Windows 10 C There are no moving parts 3 Which of these is a format of SSD? A U.2 B We.3 C Them.4 4 What effect might an SSD have on your PC? A Faster connection B Faster boot times C Faster spell check in Microsoft Word 5 When was the first 20MB SSD released? A 1991 B 2001 C 2011 6 What is a hybrid drive? A Half-SSD, half-hard drive B Half-SSD, half-processor C Half-SSD, half-USB stick…

Reinstalling Windows is like death, taxes and washing up – try as hard as you might, you can’t put it off forever. The reinstall process is traditionally associated with giving your PC a major clearout – restoring it to its halcyon days when it fairly flew through the tasks you put in front of it. But reinstalling Windows can also fix any non-hardware problems, remove corrupt files and misbehaving programs to give you back control of your PC. Not all reinstall processes are the same, however. In this feature, we’ll look at five different scenarios. There’s the repair install that fixes minor problems without affecting your programs, files or settings, as well as the more familiar destructive install that removes everything and gives you a clean slate. But we’ll also…

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…

LOOKS One-shot edits that can radically change your image. BEFORE/AFTER Provides a divider to see the original and edited images. HISTORY/UNDO Lets you step back through your edits. TOOLS Crop, rotate, transform and clone here. FILTERS Sliders that affect different attributes of the image. LAYERS Create, blend, fade and stack layers. Luminar is one of our favourite image editing apps, and takes a slightly different approach to Adobe. That firm’s Photoshop apps enable you to edit photos in many ways, cut them up, apply special effects and blend images together, as well as altering an image’s colour balance, brightness and contrast. Luminar is less flashy, but applying its tools across every image you shoot. Luminar is non-destructive, so all the edits you make are stored in a database file alongside…

Think about power settings in Windows, and your mind probably turns to the various ways in which you can reduce power consumption in order to improve the battery life of your laptop. This is certainly part of it, but it is far from being the end of the story. With the correct power settings in place, you can not only look forward to longer periods between charges, but you can also help to improve the security of your PC. You don’t even need to own a laptop either – some settings will work on your desktop, too. Having your screen turn off when you’ve not used it for a while has dual benefits. As well as saving precious battery, it also helps to protect your privacy – perhaps you’ve just…

1 Restore deleted files When you delete files from OneDrive, they’re not immediately wiped from your system; log into OneDrive in your browser and select ‘Recycle bin’. Use the Sort button to help you locate the files, select the ones you wish to recover and finally click Restore. 2 Roll back to an earlier version To undo recent changes to a file, browse to and select your file in the OneDrive browser interface. You should see a ‘Version history’ button appear at the top of the screen. Click this to open the version history window in a separate tab. 3 Review and revert Supported documents will open in the relevant Microsoft Office app. Use the left-hand pane to select an earlier version and review it in the…

When I go to change my lock screen settings, it tells me some settings are disabled because of administrative policies. How do I fix this? Keith Furnell Open Ultimate Windows Tweaker (https://bit.ly/uwt-10 ),and go to the Customization > Universal UI tab. Then, untick either ‘Disable Lock Screen’ or ‘Disable Changing Lock Screen Image’. After double-clicking an ISO file to access its contents, how do I remove it from my PC? Louise Harris Open a File Explorer window and select This PC in the left-hand pane. Right-click the virtual drive and choose Eject to unmount it. I was recently forced to disable my Surface 2’s ambient light sensor driver to fix a memory leak. How do I resolve this? Anthony Parlance Install the latest version of the Ambient Light Sensor driver…

When it first appeared, Windows 10 introduced lots of new features, from a revamped desktop to Cortana, the virtual personal assistant who’s always on hand to help, provided you’re prepared to give up some of your privacy. Internet Explorer got dumped in favour of the all-singing (if not, initially at least, all-dancing) Edge web browser. It also blended the best bits of Windows 8.1 – the vastly superior File Explorer for accessing your files, for example – with the best bits of Windows 7, such as bringing back the Start menu. Other changes have followed with each new successive feature release. The step-by-step guide on the facing page highlights six major new features, but numerous smaller changes have been applied with each release too. For example, the Anniversary Edition also…

The Windows desktop has undergone some radical changes over the past few years, but after experimenting with Windows 8’s Metro user interface – which was rapidly scaled back in Windows 8.1 – Windows 10 has returned the desktop to something closer to Windows 7. This means the desktop has returned to its original function – as a virtual desk. You can use it as a simple backdrop when switching between application windows, or keep shortcuts, files and folders on it for easy access (right-click on it and choose Personalise to change its look and feel). Adding items to the desktop is simple enough – just drag them from a File Explorer window following the tips on page 72. You can also create desktop shortcuts by right-clicking the file or folder…

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,…

Razer Blade 2019 Supplier www.razer.com/ CPU 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-8750H (hexacore, 9MB cache, up to 4.10GHz) Graphics Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 (8GB GDDR6; MaxQ); Intel UHD Graphics 630 RAM 16GB DDR4 (2,667MHz) Display 15.6-inch FHD matte (1,920 x 1,080, 144Hz, IPS, 100% sRGB) Storage 512GB SSD (NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4) Connectivity Intel Wireless-AC 9560 (802.11ac); Bluetooth 5.0; 1x Thunderbolt 3; 3x USB 3.1; 1x mini DisplayPort 1.4; 1x HDMI 2.0; 3.5mm headphone socket Camera HD webcam with Windows Hello (1MP; 720p) Weight 2.10kg Size 355x235x17.8mm…

1 Hotspot Shield Free  www.hotspotshield.com/free-vpn Not only is Hotspot Shield Free one of the better known free VPN options in our rankings, we also reckon it’s the best. You can choose to anchor yourself to one of 25 countries if you pay for the Elite version of the app, and this should enable you to access just about anything you want; in the free version, you’re limited to locations that Hotspot Shield chooses for you and you’re presented with adverts. If you’re on the free plan, you can protect up to five devices simultaneously, and are limited to 500MB of data per day (so around 15GB per month). That may sound restrictive, but compared to TunnelBear below, it’s actually one of the more generous free VPN limits. If security…