Table of contents for 552 in Computeractive

Success can be the worst thing that happens to software. Programs that start as nimble tools, offering simpler ways of doing things, often become just as clunky as the established software they aimed to usurp. Developers get carried away with the popularity of their programs, thinking it means users want more updates (no matter how disruptive), more redesigns (no matter how confusing), and more pre-installed junk (no matter how many times we Name and Shame them – see page 21). Perhaps they rely on ‘user inertia’: the theory that customers stick with what they know not because they like the service, but to avoid the hassle of switching. But we’re talking software here, not banks or utility companies. Uninstall what you’ve stopped liking, then install its replacement. Easy(ish). I’m glad…

Windows 10 will no longer warn you that you may lose data on your USB sticks if you remove them without properly ‘ejecting’ them, after Microsoft changed how the operating system handles storage. Until now, you’ve been told to click through a series of menus to safely eject the stick - a message many users always ignored. This was because by default Windows delayed saving data on the stick to maximise speed, increasing the risk of losing data were you to abruptly pull it out. But starting from the May Update, Windows will use the ‘quick removal’ setting to store data, which means you can safely remove USB sticks without jeopardising data. You can switch back to the previous setting - called ‘better performance’ - by opening Disk Management, right-clicking…

TEST NEW ‘CHROME? BASED’ EDGE BROWSER Microsoft has released a test version of its revamped Edge browser, which has been rebuilt using Chromium – the source code behind Google’s Chrome. It said the early versions will focus “on the fundamentals”, with more advanced features coming later. Microsoft announced in December it would switch to Chromium in a bid to boost Edge’s popularity. Since launching in 2015, its market share hasn’t topped five per cent. Download it from www.snipca.com/31299. BIRMINGHAM STATION FIRST TO TEST 5G Birmingham New Street has become the first UK train station to test 5G services, despite the lack of any devices that work with the new technology. Vodafone ran trials that connected passengers’ 4G phones to a 5G router, which was receiving signals from a local mast.…

Asus is urging its laptop users to install a firmware update that protects against the ShadowHammer malware that may have infected over a million devices. In March, Kaspersky said hackers had accessed Asus’s Live Update tool, which delivers BIOS, UEFI and software updates to the company’s laptops. Kaspersky said it had identified 57,000 laptops that had been infected this way, but a further million may be at risk. Symantec also detected 13,000 infected laptops. Asus responded by insisting the malware has been installed on only “a small number of devices”, and that the hackers were targeting a “very small and specific user group”. It added: “Asus customer service has been reaching out to affected users and providing assistance to ensure that the security risks are removed”. To protect yourself, you…

I salute Windows 10 ‘guinea pigs’ In response to your feature on whether to install the Windows 10 April Update (Issue 551, page 60), I’d like to suggest that in future Microsoft releases two versions of every update. One should be called the ‘guinea pig’ edition, aimed at brave users who don’t mind being experimented on by Microsoft’s developers. These courageous volunteers should test all the problematic new tools for the rest of us, and be financially compensated for their trouble, as well as offered counselling for the horrors they may have experienced. The second version should be called the ‘boring but safe’ edition. It should be released a few weeks after the guinea pig version, giving Microsoft enough time to fix the problems encountered by the early testers. I’m…

Is Tesco responsible for supporting old Hudl tablets? LEAD CASE Q I recently tried to carry out a factory reset on my Hudl tablet (pictured) which I bought from Tesco about six years ago. Initially, I had problems connecting to Tesco’s server, but managed to reset it. However, I know a lot of other people have been unable to do this, leaving them with unusable tablets (see this forum: www.snipca.com/31172). Tesco seems to be saying it no longer supports the tablet, but does that mean it has no responsibility for it? Ron Keel A Retailers are responsible for repairing, replacing or refunding a purchase, but they don’t have to pay compensation if a manufacturer ends support for it. In the case of the Hudl, Tesco is both retailer and manufacturer.…

Reader Allan Cairnduff told us that after many years hosting his genealogy website on RootsWeb Freepages (www.rootsweb.com), it has been down for months with no sign of it coming back. The company isn’t responding to his emails, so he’s turned to us for help. “Can you suggest any other sites similar to Freepages where I can host my genealogy information?” he asks. Happily, there are several alternatives Allan can try. Factors to consider include the level of privacy you want for your tree, and whether you want it to show the latest state of your research (in which case an option offered by your family-history program is best). If you want to reach the widest possible audience, a collaborative website may be the way to go – we recommend FamilySearch…

What can I use to create my own subtitles? Q I’m an avid plane spotter and often share videos with fellow enthusiasts, one of whom is hard of hearing. Is there an easy way to add subtitles to my videos? A If you’re happy to use YouTube, it will automatically add captions to your video. Go to https://studio.youtube.com and log in using your Google account (if you don’t have one, click ‘Create account’). Next, click the blue Upload Video button, then change the default Public setting to Unlisted (this means only people with the link will be able to view the video). Now click ‘Select files to upload’ and choose the video you want to share. Once it’s uploaded, click Done, then copy the video’s URL, share it with your…

WHAT THEY SAY Android Security & Privacy 2018 report www.snipca.com/31198 “The broadest statistic for measuring device hygiene is how frequently a fulldevice scan detects Potentially Harmful Applications (PHAs). Google Play Protect, Android’s built-in defense mechanism, is incredibly effective at keeping PHAs out of Google Play, but malicious apps can still be downloaded from other sources…” WHAT THEY MEAN Only install apps from Google Play Store. Anywhere else is too risky.…

What is it? The Energizer Power Max P18K Pop (pictured) is an Android smartphone with an 18,000 mAh battery. That’s more than four times the power capacity you’d normally expect. What does it do? Lasts ages: Energizer reckons four days of music playback or phone calls, or two days of video playback, which is more like the kind of test we run here at Computeractive. With other smartphones, anything over 20 hours is exceptional, and we’ve never seen battery life this long. Apparently it’ll also last 50 days on standby, but we’re not sure who in 2019 puts their phone down for a month. As well as keeping going itself, the Power Max P18K Pop will charge your other devices using the USB Type-C port. What’s the catch? You may…

What was it? First demonstrated in 1994, the Virtual Boy (pictured) was a virtual reality (VR) game console. In the late 1980s, US firm Reflection Technology, Inc (RTI) developed a groundbreaking stereoscopic headtracking display. Nintendo’s R&D boss Gunpei Yokoi, inventor of the Game Boy handheld console, was impressed and saw the potential for something unlike any rival video-game platform. Why did it die? The Virtual Boy effectively died when Nintendo, due to technical difficulties and concerns about motion sickness, decided to ditch the head-tracking and mount the 3D goggles on a tabletop stand, so the user would stand still and peek into the unit. This ridiculous setup still made some players dizzy, while creating the most anti-social gaming system ever – nobody else could see you play – and removing…

Pull Out & Keep Issue 552 14 pages of easy-to-follow workshops and expert tips What you need: E-Ink-based Amazon Kindle Time required: 20 minutes There are few greater joys than snuggling up with something to read at the end of a busy day… unless you’re using a smartphone or tablet. Humans are simply not built to use that kind of technology before bed. Here’s why: the quality of light changes throughout the day. In the morning, when we’re preparing our bodies for the day ahead, natural light can be ‘colder’, with hints of blue. In the evening, as we wind down and get ready for sleep, it’s ‘warmer’, and characterised by orange, yellow and sepia tones. Thus, our brains have evolved over millions of years to associate cold light –…

What you need: Macrium Reflect Free; external hard drive Time required: A few hours (including backup time) The next Windows Feature Update is due to arrive towards the end of May (See News, page 6), replete with a range of new features and – if previous updates are anything to go by – a bunch of new problems. By default, Microsoft only gives you 10 days to roll back your PC should anything go seriously wrong with the update. But, by creating a system image of your PC using Macrium Reflect Free before installing the update, you can restore your PC whenever you want – even if the update stops Windows from loading. STEP 1 Go to www.macrium.com/reflectfree. Click the Home Use button and you’ll see a window prompting you…

In Issue 549’s Readers’ Tips, Barry Ellison tells us how to use Send Anywhere (https://send-anywhere.com) to transfer files (videos) between devices. I have the same need but a simpler solution. If the videos are stored in your Dropbox or similar online-storage folder on your PC, they are accessible directly from a file-manager app on your phone or tablet. I use Solid Explorer (https://neatbytes.com/solidexplorer, see screenshot) and X-plore (www.snipca.com/31128) on my Android device, both of which can access my cloud storage and show its content side by side with my local folders. Just copy files from one side to the other. There’s no time limit, no code to tap in, no in-between service needed, just basic file management. (I don’t recommend using Dropbox’s mobile app because it’s less versatile). Synchronisation apps…

ANDROID & iOS Store Firefox passwords in a secure Lockbox Firefox has launched a password manager app its users. Firefox Lockbox (Android and iOS www.snipca.com/31213) automatically imports any passwords you’ve saved to your Firefox account, then offers to fill them in for you in Firefox’s mobile browser (www.snipca.com/31218). Lockbox isn’t a fully featured password manager app like LastPass. It doesn’t let you add items to your list of passwords, or edit them – you have to do this in Firefox itself. But if you’re fed up with Chrome or Safari, this may be the ideal time to switch to using Firefox on your phone or tablet. Installing Lockbox is quick and easy, and it offers to let you create a Firefox account upfront. For tightest security, follow the app’s prompts…

WINDOWS 8.1, 10 Find out if someone else is accessing your PC Worried that someone might be trying to log on to your computer? By creating a new registry valve, you can get Windows to display the last log-on attempt (whether successful or not) each time you boot your computer. Because it involves editing the registry, we recommend you first back up your important files and the registry itself; you can do the latter by creating a System Restore point (click Start, type system restore, press Enter, then click Create). To create the new registry value, click Start, type regedit, then press Enter. Next, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_ MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ System. Right-click the System folder, then select New, ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’. Rename this new value DisplayLastLogonInfo, then double-click it and change…

Double-sided printing (known as duplex printing) helps you use less paper (good for the environment)and save money (good for you). However, not all printers have duplex capabilities. If your printer lacks this feature, we’ll explain the easiest way to print double-sided manually. In LibreOffice Writer, open the document you want to print, then click File, then Print. Next, select the Page Layout tab and, in the Page Sides box, select ‘Back sides/left pages’ (see screenshot). Click OK and wait for the pages to print. Next, put the pages back into your printer’s page-feeder tray. Which way round you place them depends on your printer (it’s a good idea to find out which way your printer works by testing the process using a two-sided document). Next, return to your document in…

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO Start using the open-source alternative to CCleaner Avoid expensive disk-imaging programs and image editors Replace Picasa with a better, safer free alternative Ditch the official YouTube app and play music while your phone’s screen is off We’re all stuck in our ways. Whether it’s following the same morning routine, always going to the same shops or eating the same meals, humans are creatures of habit. But just because we’ve done something a particular way for years, doesn’t mean there aren’t better alternatives. And that’s no different when it comes to PC software. Technology moves fast. What was once the go-to program can rapidly fall behind and end up being slow and buggy and – worst of all – a security risk (that’s you, Picasa). The reasons…

There’s plenty of custombuild PC manufacturers to choose from - we list some of our favourites below. The process is usually very straightforward: choose the type of computer you want, then custom-pick its components via an online tool. The overall price of your system usually updates as you configure it, so you can keep an eye on the trade-off between performance and cost. PC Specialist www.pcspecialist.co.uk Tel: 0333 011 7000 Cyberpower: www.cyberpowersystem. co.uk Tel: 0333 323 7776 Chillblast www.chillblast.com Tel: 01202 068 333 SCAN www.scan.co.uk Tel: 01204 474 747 CCL www.cclonline.com Tel: 01274 471 200 Palicomp www.palicomp.co.uk Tel: 01270 898 104…

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT How do I check my BIOS version? Q The Ethernet connection on my ageing Dell desktop PC worked flawlessly under Windows 7. It still works in Windows 10 but has become unreliable, sometimes being fine all day, while on other days disconnecting me every few minutes. I’ve checked all the drivers and they’re all up to date. A friend suggested that I should also update the BIOS. I’m reluctant to do that because someone else told me that if it goes wrong then the PC could stop working (or become ‘bricked’). As well, I have no idea which BIOS to pick, or even if I need one. Would updating the BIOS fix the problem? If so, what’s the process? Paul Martin A Yes, theoretically at least,…

1080p 1920x1080-pixel video. 256-bit encryption Militarygrade level of encryption. 32bit/64bit A measure of how much data a PC can process at once. Older PCs are 32bit, modern ones 64bit. 3G/4G/5G Technologies that deliver faster mobile broadband. 4K 3840x2160-pixel video. 802.11ac A standard for wireless networks that allows for much higher transfer speeds than 802.11n. Adware Unwanted adverts that come with software. APK Android Package Kit. File format Android uses to install apps. Bandwidth Measure of how much data can be transferred through a connection at one time. Benchmarking Comparing products with an accepted standard. Beta Software that’s being tested. BIOS Software built into every PC that connects components. Cache A temporary space for storing information. Cast To send content from your PC to TV. Clamshell A mobile phone that’s designed…

Websites could be fined, ‘named and shamed’ or even removed from search results if they fail to tackle “online harms” such as child abuse and terrorist propaganda, under plans outlined by the Government. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has recommended that an independent watchdog should set up a code of practice for tech companies to follow. In addition to child abuse and online extremism, the Online Harms White Paper covers hate crimes, harassment, fake news, and ‘revenge porn’, in which sexually explicit content filmed by a couple is shared online by one of the partners after the relationship has ended. Ministers also said it would cover content that promoted self-harm or encouraged users to commit suicide. As well as websites like Google, Facebook and Twitter, the rules…

Countryside campaigners have urged the Government to force mobile networks to adopt ‘rural roaming’, which would let customers switch to any network to get a signal in remote areas - just as you can when travelling abroad. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has said that Government intervention may be the only way to deliver significantly better 4G coverage. It follows BT, owner of the network EE, recently rejecting proposals by rivals O2, Three and Vodafone to pool their resources to provide rural roaming throughout the UK. EE has invested heavily in rural networks, and wants to keep the rewards to itself. The problems faced by more remote communities are laid bare in research by Ofcom, which shows that only 62 per cent of rural areas are covered by…

When you’re in danger, you want to be told simply and directly: ‘Get out - the building is on fire’, not ‘Please withdraw your presence from this edifice – it is conflagrant to a jeopardous degree’. Tech companies are finally beginning to get this. The latest sign is Mozilla simplifying Firefox’s security alerts. It has replaced confusing messages about ‘invalid security certificates’ with explicit warnings that scammers on unsafe sites ‘could try to steal information like your passwords, emails, or credit card details’ (see screenshot). The headlines are clearer too: ‘Warning: Potential Security Risk Ahead’. You’re not going to misunderstand those. So, well done Mozilla. It’s ironic, though, that the blog post explaining how it designed the new alerts is a soul-crushing mix of waffle and pointless flowcharts: www.snipca.com/31196.…

Surely the only reason the Government delayed its proposed porn ban is that introducing it on 1 April would have made it all the more obvious what a foolish idea it is (News, Issue 551, page 6). It disheartens me that so many of the world’s most popular websites are porn sites, and it must be made harder for children to access them. But forcing users to hand over their passport or credit-card details is a security catastrophe waiting to happen. The answer is for newsagents to sell porn tokens containing unique codes that the user types to access the site. Newsagents would just need to ask the buyer proof of age, as they already do for cigarettes and other age-restricted items. This option ensures the age limitation that the…

Where the law is ambiguous, it sometimes pays to stand firm when a retailer offers you a deal you’re not happy with, and demand a better solution. That’s the situation reader Ryan Hopkins found himself in, when Currys offered vouchers of £227 for an inherently faulty TV his father paid £349 for in November 2017 (see Issue 551). Now, Currys was entitled to deduct some money to reflect the time his father had used the TV, before its screen went dark. But there’s no legally agreed rate for this, such as 10 per cent deducted for every six months of use. However, we thought Currys’ offer of £227 was far too small. Ryan agreed, so we told him he had an ace up his sleeve: he didn’t have to accept…

I have the 1881 UK census on a CD that worked fine in Windows XP, but not in Windows 10. Is there any way around this or do I need another set of discs? The problem lies with the program Frank is using to access the disc’s content – Family History Resource File Viewer. This is no longer supported and is incompatible with Windows 10. The solution is to run it in Windows 10’s Compatibility Mode, which forces the operating system to run old programs. Right-click the installed program’s shortcut, click Properties, then the Compatibility tab. Tick the ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ option and select ‘Windows XP (Service Pack 2)’. Finally, tick ‘Run this program as an administrator’, then click OK. Have a genealogy question for Nick?…

Even if programs I don’t need (and possibly never asked for) steal only a few megabytes of hard-drive space, I’d rather be rid of them. Windows Task Manager (see How I Use, Issue 541) can always provide an indication of which programs are responsible, but Resource Monitor takes things to another level. I’ll admit some of the detailed information sends my head into a spin, but Resource Monitor does have some neat tricks that anyone can use. To run it, either search for Resource Manager in the Start menu or open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Escape), then click Open Resource Monitor at the bottom of the Performance tab. What’s using my network? In the Network tab, I can see a list of programs that are making use of my internet connection. I’m…

We all remember being 17. Some of us probably did a few things we shouldn’t have. But all of that pales into insignificance next to the antics of Zain Qaiser who, while still a teenager, blackmailed millions of pounds out of computer users. Working with Russian hackers, Qaiser, from Barking, Essex, posted fake adverts on websites which, when clicked, sent ransomware to users’ PCs. Deviously, Qaiser targeted users of porn websites, who would be embarrassed to contact the authorities. Now 24, Qaiser was recently jailed for six years after a lengthy investigation into his illegal activities, which may have netted as much as £4 million. Mike Hulett, National Crime Agency’s head of operations, called him “probably the most significant cybercrime offender” it has ever investigated.…

LAPTOP | £2,290 from Amazon www.snipca.com/31199 Asus invents the toplap This is a full-blown do-it-all gaming laptop with a six-core i7 processor and the latest RTX 2070 graphics card, yet it’s only just over a millimetre thicker than Huawei’s slim and light MateBook 13 (see page 23). And while Asus were busy doing the impossible, they thought they might as well redesign the laptop as we know it at the same time. Unfold it, and opposite the 15.6in screen is a full-size RGB-backlit keyboard, set at the very front of the case. Instead of a landscape-shaped touchpad between the keys and you, there’s a portrait-shaped area at the right that works like a touchpad until you turn on NumLock, at which point numbers magically light up (pictured below) for you…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2018 Back Issue CD: £15 from www.snipca.com/30307 LAPTOP HP Envy 13 £850 from www.snipca.com/29555 Tested Issue 539 The combination of an eighthgeneration quad-core i5 chip and MX 150 graphics makes this an excellent all-round laptop, let down only by the poor colour reproduction of its Full HD touchscreen. Seven-hour battery life is adequate, and it’s nicely made. ALTERNATIVE Dell XPS 13 This premium laptop starts at £1,200, but the best deal is with the brand new quad-core i7-8550 and QHD touchscreen. £1,300 from www.snipca.com/26796 ANDROID TABLET Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 £440 from www.snipca.com/30707 Tested Issue 501 Now discounted and with a stylus included, this full-size HDR tablet is a better deal than the new Tab S4 (see Issue 540).…

Kindle isn’t the only game in town. We’re also fans of Kobo devices – sold online and through WHSmith. They don’t work with the Kindle store or ‘Send to Kindle’, but they do have one very neat trick: they work directly with reading app Pocket, which is free to sign up to at www.getpocket.com. Pocket is one of the best tools for saving online content you want to read later. It has extensions for most browsers, letting you save with a single click web pages you don’t have time for right away. That same button is built into Firefox by default. Logging into your Pocket account on your Kobo (by opening the Settings menu, tapping Accounts, then the Pocket option) syncs your saved web pages to the e-reader. To find…

Not everything you want to read on your Kindle will exist as a neatly packaged document. To save and transfer web pages you didn’t have time to read during the day you need to use the virtual printer driver in ‘Send to Kindle’. 1 Open Control Panel and click ‘View devices and printers’ below the ‘Hardware and Sound’ heading. Click ‘Add a printer’ 1. Within a few seconds, a link will appear saying ‘The printer that I want isn’t listed’ 2. Click this, then select ‘Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings’ 3 then click Next. 2 Click the dropdown menu beside ‘Use an existing port’ and select ‘SendToKindle Port (SendToKindle Port)’ 1 from the options. Click Next then, on the following screen, make sure Amazon is selected…

What you need: ProtonVPN; phone or tablet (Android or iOS) Time required: 15 minutes If you want to use a VPN to unblock content on your phone or tablet, ProtonVPN is the best choice. Its free VPN plan has no data limits and you can install it on as many iOS and Android devices as you like. However, unless you opt for a paid-for package, which start at $5 (£3.80) per month, you can only connect to a VPN one device at a time. STEP 1 First, create a free ProtonVPN account at www.protonvpn.com by clicking the green Sign Up button (top right). Next, click the Get Free button, scroll down and enter your email address 1, then click Get ProtonVPN Free 2. On the next screen, enter your verification…

Calibre Calibre (https://calibre-ebook.com) describes itself as the “one-stop solution to all your ebook needs”, and you can use it for converting ebooks in the EPUB format to Kindle. But I find it bloated and hard to use. And what I use instead… I have used Online-Convert.com (www.online-convert.com), a free file-conversion website, for some time now, and find it so good I rarely use anything else. It also has an excellent optical character recognition (OCR) feature, which makes scanned text editable and searchable. To convert scanned text into a PDF with searchable text, visit the website then click the ‘select target format’ dropdown menu within ‘Document converter’. Next, choose ‘Convert to PDF’ from the dropdown menu that appears (see screenshot), then click ‘Go’. On the next screen, either drag your scanned…

WPS Fill & Sign Free Android www.snipca.com/31232 Sign, fill in, save and return documents without printers, scanners or even pens, using this superb new app from the makers of WPS Office (www.snipca.com/31258). “Write” with your finger or tap the keys to fill in online forms or documents you’ve digitised using the built-in scanner. It’s a must-have – and no in-app purchases, either. Atmosphere Weather* Free Android & iOS www.atmosphereweather.com This stunning new forecasting app is especially well-suited to tablet screens, where its satellite map and ingenious blue-grey sky palette get enough space to shine (or rain, as the case may be). You automatically get the advert-free version free for two weeks; after which it reverts to ad-supported unless you buy a £3.69 annual subscription. FreePrints Cards* Free Android www.snipca.com/31233 This…

Web services such as Gmail, Google Docs and Outlook.com are great, but since they run as tabs within your browser they soon become difficult to locate if you have lots of other tabs open. Using Chrome’s little known ‘Open as a window’ tool, you can create shortcuts to open your most-visited sites as separate, program-style windows, making them much easier to manage. To try it with Google Docs, open Chrome, go to www.google.com/docs and, if prompted, log into your Google account. Next, click Chrome’s menu button (three vertical dots, top right), then select ‘More tools’, ‘Create shortcut…’ (see screenshot). Give the shortcut a name (such as ‘Google Docs’) then tick the ‘Open as window’ box and click Create. Google Docs will now re-open in a separate window, minus the Chrome…

Running a local sports, Bridge or chess club can be hectic. Sorting out fixtures, recording results and, of course, updating the all-important leaderboard takes time. Switching to an online leaderboard not only reduces the amount of admin, but can also create healthy competition between members. Share a simple leaderboard If you have a relatively simple leaderboard that you intend to update yourself, sharing it using Google Docs (www.google.com/docs) or Sheets (www.google.com/sheets) is a quick solution. Sheets (Google’s spreadsheet program) lets you sort your leaderboard so it displays the scores in ascending order. To do this, highlight all cells (including the column headers), then select ‘Create a filter’ from the Data menu. Each time you update your leaderboard scores, click the green arrow button at the top of the score column,…

We doubt everyone will agree with our choices in this feature. After all, one person’s out-of-date, bloated software is another person’s classic, featurerich gem. If we’ve recommended you uninstall one of your favourite programs - and you’ve no intention of removing it - don’t keep it to yourself. Tell us which programs you’re hanging on to and, most importantly, why. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for alternatives to our recommended replacements. Email your comments and suggestions to letters@computeractive.co.uk.…

Q Your answer to Patrick Elvin’s question (Problems Solved, Issue 550) caught my eye. I have an Excel spreadsheet that does a very similar thing to Patrick’s, calculating energy use. I too have a column for the number of days in a year. However, my sheet uses the DATEDIF formula, rather than the DAYS one that you recommended to Patrick. This sheet is ancient so I can’t remember now why I used DATEDIF. I tried changing my formulae to use DAYS but it didn’t work, showing an error message. I wonder if this is because I use Excel and Patrick uses LibreOffice Calc? It’s not really a problem because my sheet works, but I’m interested in the difference. Mark Finch A Neither the difference nor the error message you experienced…

Thanks, Microsoft, you made us look like April Fools. No sooner had we gone to press with Issue 551, asking on the cover whether you should delay the imminent update, than it pushed the date back and renamed it. Still, no matter: Microsoft did the right thing. Too many recent updates have been released before problems were fixed, so a month’s delay for lastminute checking is fine by us – as is the option to postpone it for 35 days. It potentially means you won’t need to face the update until July.…

Security researchers have created malware that adds fake cancerous tumours to medical scans, fooling doctors into making an incorrect diagnosis. The team, from Israel’s Ben Gurion University, built the malware to show how easy it is to bypass the security systems used by hospitals to protect their medical equipment. They said hackers would have total control over the size, location and number of tumours added. In tests, the malware altered 70 images, tricking three radiologists into thinking the patient had cancer. Even after they were told about the fake tumours, they couldn’t tell the images apart. An artificial intelligence algorithm also failed to distinguish them. The malware added malignant growths to images of lungs (pictured) taken by MRI and CT scanning machines. The researchers also programmed the malware to remove…

Iranian hackers might be able to influence the result of UK elections after stealing MPs’ phone numbers, security experts have warned. Analysts at California company Glasswall said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched a coordinated attack on 23 December last year, taking phone numbers of at least 10 peers and MPs. They also targeted the Post Office and banks, stealing phone numbers and email addresses of thousands of employees. Lewis Henderson, vicepresident of Glasswall, said Iran could use the data to launch a more lethal attack: “As we’ve seen, you can do anything – influence elections, in particular. You can start to impersonate people within that government as well and be utterly convincing”. UK’s security chiefs haven’t confirmed Iran’s involvement, but the National Cyber Security Centre said it was “aware of a…

Readers warn readers ‘Refreshing’ scam from the NCA Having been targeted regularly by scammers claiming to be from Microsoft, Vodafone and BT, it was almost refreshing to receive a call from someone saying he was from the National Crime Agency. He said he needed access to my PC to investigate a crime. I asked him for more details, at which point he started getting tetchy (scammers tend to get antagonistic when you don’t agree to their request). I called him the world’s most transparent scammer, then hung up. Later I saw that my local Somerset website had reported it: www.snipca.com/31159. Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

Issue 551’s ‘Question of the Fortnight’ (‘Does the NHS want too much of your private data?’) explored the interesting dilemma of improving healthcare without risking patient privacy. But I think the question could be reworded as: ‘Are you happy to give the NHS your data in order to live longer?’ Let’s remember one simple fact: the NHS isn’t Facebook. Yes, it will be at risk of a cyber-attack – particularly if it doesn’t upgrade from Windows 7 soon. But it won’t sell your data to the highest bidder. The people who work for the NHS (and I count myself as a former employee) don’t wake up every morning with pound signs in their eyes, wondering what ingenious scheme they can dream up to make money from people’s data. Also, as…

In February 2017, I purchased a Hoover Freedom vacuum cleaner (pictured). An excellent piece of kit. A couple of months ago it started cutting out after about two minutes. I suspected that the battery was past its best, so emailed Hoover for advice. A member of their service team phoned me and confirmed the problem was most likely the battery. The cleaner was well beyond the 12-month warranty (this was pointed out to me), but as a goodwill gesture he promised to send me a new battery free of charge. This arrived, along with a new filter and brush head, a few days later. I’ve had no problems since fitting the replacements. I was willing to order a new battery, and pay for it - all I really wanted was…

IMAGE-EDITING SOFTWARE GIMP 2.10.10 www.gimp.org What you need: Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 GIMP is the free, open-source alternative to Adobe’s far-from-free Photoshop, which is now only available as a subscription (£120 per year). Despite constant updates over the years, GIMP’s core design hasn’t changed much. This means long-term users don’t have to worry about learning new menus, but the complex layout and sheer array of buttons and controls can be confusing for newcomers. There’s plenty of help available, however, including a series of tutorials at www.gimp.org/tutorials. Of the new features in this latest release, ‘Fill by line art detection’ is the most impressive, letting you colour linedrawn images (for example, a hand-drawn cartoon that you’ve scanned in – see screenshot) in just a few seconds. Unlike with the standard…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Nvidia’s graphics cards The other day I was writing about the relative merits of integrated graphics versus dedicated graphics cards (see ‘Custom-build your next PC’, page 60). But there’s one factor I didn’t mention: all the junk that comes with the latter. While integrated graphics (graphics chips built into your motherboard) tend to keep drivers relatively lightweight, dedicated card manufacturers like Nvidia seem happy to overload your hard drive with junk. For example, in one of my PCs I have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 graphics card. In addition to the driver that allows it to work, the card comes with a ton of other software, much of which just isn’t relevant for most people. There’s the Nvidia Control Panel tool (which lets you configure…

PC | £1,349 from Cyberpower www.snipca.com/31168 More power per pound The essential ingredients of a serious all-round desktop PC are a processor (CPU) installed on the motherboard; a graphics card (GPU) plugged in at right angles; some storage, typically a 3.5in mechanical hard drive plus a solid state drive (SSD) installed either as a 2.5in SATA package or – for higher speeds – a little circuit board plugged into an M.2 socket; at least 8GB of memory (RAM); and a case to put it all in. “This is a monster of a PC for multiple heavy tasks or 4K video processing” Add up all those parts and you’re looking at around £750 for a basic system; £1,000 for a solid specification; or £1,500-odd for something with a little bit extra…

PHONE | £299 from Sony www.snipca.com/31212 A tall order As a 300-quid device with a refreshingly decent specification, the Xperia 10 is a successor to last year’s Xperia XA2 (see our review, Issue 523). But it’s a strikingly different animal. The screen has increased from 5.2in to 6in, yet the phone itself is slightly narrower than before. The extra space is all vertical: while some edge-to-edge phones have 18:9 screens, and some iPhones are 19.5:9, Sony has gone the extra mile – well, two centimetres – to 21:9. “An elegant design and a screen that reaches high and wide, but unremarkable” Your high-school maths teacher would put big red crosses through these weird screen ratios, but it’s convention to express them over 9 for comparison with the 16:9 widescreen standard.…

Q For years now I’ve used a Motorola V220 clamshell phone for occasional texts and phone calls. I also have a Medion Pocket PC running a version of Windows, mostly for Calendar, Tasks, Excel and Notes. Neither connects to the internet, and both are wearing out. Can you recommend a device to replace them? I don’t need all the bells and whistles of a smartphone – I can do all that at home with a PC. A A smartphone may be overkill, but it’s a good way to get SMS texting, phone and computer features in one unit. As little as £99, plus a first £10 top-up, would get you the Vodafone Smart X9 (see www.snipca.com/31261, pictured); the Moto E5 Plus, Moto G7 Power and Honor 10 Lite are other…

Winner of a ‘Great Pick’ award in Issue 550, TP-Link’s WPA9610 powerline kit offers fast speeds (up to 2Gbps) through your home’s electrical wiring. It’s extremely easy to set up – there’s no configuration involved, so just plug it in. It supports dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi (2.4GHz and 5GHz), helping you get strong signals in every room of your house. Cleverly, it instantly adds extra extenders to your powerline network by automatically syncing settings, such as SSID, password and Wi-Fi schedule across all devices. You can also use the Gigabit Ethernet ports to connect smart TVs, game consoles and computers to a reliable connection. To enter this competition, email your address to cacomp@dennis.co.uk with ‘TP-Link’ in the subject line by midnight 7 May. Good luck! You can buy TP-Link’s WPA9610 powerline…

Being able to stack up pages to read later, on a device specifically built for that purpose, lets me quickly gather the many things I want to learn about each day, without worrying about a bloated browser bookmarks list. Dispatching them to my Kindle or Kobo (I use both) means they’re dealt with in an instant, allowing me to get on with more pressing matters in the knowledge that, when the time comes, I can properly enjoy my reading, rather than feeling like it’s just another job. How do you manage the constant barrage of new content you encounter every day? Let us know: letters@computeractive.co.uk…

You may still need to pick up your phone or tablet to check a text or email shortly before bed. Make sure it automatically switches to night mode by following these steps. iOS Open Settings then tap ‘Display & Brightness’. Tap Night Shift and make sure the switch beside Scheduled is switched on (see screenshot). Next, tap From To, and select either ‘Sunset to Sunrise’, or Custom Schedule. If you’ve picked the latter, use the Turn On At and Turn Off At lines below to set its active times. Android The exact sequence depends on the version of Android you’re running and how your manufacturer has tweaked it. Try opening Settings, then tapping Display followed by Night Light. Tap beneath Schedule and select ‘Custom schedule’ or ‘Sunset to sunrise’. If…

POP-UP BLOCKER Block ‘live chat’ pop-up boxes Every website I visit these days seems to ask me ‘Do you need any help?’ in a pop-up box. Maybe I’m getting grumpy and impatient in my old age, but these drive me bonkers. But no more! I’ve now installed the Chrome browser extension Hello, Goodbye (https://hellogoodbye.app), which blocks these pop-ups. Once you’ve installed the extension, click its icon (at the top right of your screen). Look for two speech bubbles with a line through them (see screenshot above). If it’s working, you’ll see the red option to Disable. If it’s not switched on, you’ll see the green button to Enable. It’s worked well for me, though I’m not sure if I believe its promise to block every chat box on the internet.…

Medion Erazer P6681 laptop Medion range from £149 from Laptops Direct www.snipca.com/31162 I would heartily recommend the Medion range of laptops for anyone looking for a more substantial portable computer. My new Medion Erazer P6681 15.5in laptop certainly falls within the ‘sturdy’ category. It has 8GB memory, 1TB hard drive, Windows 10 as standard, DVD-RW optical drive, seven ports and a card slot. It caters for all ages, even ancients like me! I opted for an Intel Core i5 processor – fast enough for me – since I use it to store my music collection, photo projects and a host of usual activities. I bought it from Laptops Direct on Black Friday last year, with set-up service and warranty extension, for £678. I visited John Lewis, PC World, Hughes and…

Be My Eyes Free Android & iOS www.bemyeyes.com If you’re blind or partially sighted and you need help – say, you dropped your keys, or you’re not sure what colour a shirt is – send a request to Be My Eyes, and you’ll be connected to a sighted volunteer via a live audio-video link. This awardwinning project now has 2 million sighted volunteers covering 180 languages. Best For: Instant help from real people TapTapSee* Free Android & iOS http://taptapseeapp.com Double-tap your screen to get an audio and text description of whatever the camera can see. We found this AI-based app is faster and more accurate on iOS than Android, but it’s improving and could help reconnect you with your world if you can’t see as well as you used to.…

LIBREOFFICE CALC Get Calc to fill in a missing value Calc includes a useful tool called Goal Seek that can tell you what the value of a single cell needs to be to meet a certain criteria. For example, let’s say we’re taking a series of five tests and need to score an average of 50 per cent to achieve a pass mark. If we’ve taken four of the five tests, Goal Seek will tell us the result we need in the final test to pass overall. So we’ve created a spreadsheet showing our four test results in a column, along with ‘0%’ for the untaken fifth test. In the cell below the results, create a cell to show the average of all five results, by typing the formula =AVERAGE(B1:B5)…

What are they? Small but significant changes in your online behaviour that artificial intelligence (AI) can spot. The US military wants to detect these changes so it can identify potentially untrustworthy staff. Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t gone down well with privacy campaigners. What are they worried about? They say that in future companies might be able to use the system to spy on employees, warning it’s the “epitome of total surveillance”. What kind of behaviour can be tracked? Almost everything you do online - emails sent, websites visited, photos uploaded, messages posted. The theory is that what you do on the internet reflects your state of mind and events in your life, such as emotional problems, getting divorced, entering into a lot of debt, and sudden foreign travel. US military chiefs…

Aside from the fact that your number might change when you switch phones or mobile plans, your mobile phone number probably isn’t the best tool for securing your online accounts. Although technically difficult, it’s still possible for hackers to clone your SIM and thus gain access to your text messages. Alternatively, they may intercept the incoming codes before they even reach your phone. This happened to German bank-account holders in May 2017, when criminals stole account details from their PCs and used a fake telecoms provider to redirect incoming messages to their phones. The criminals were then able to log into the bank accounts, initiate a payment, and receive the diverted 2FA code they needed to authorise the transfer. For this reason, authentication apps that don’t rely on text messages…

Why can’t I connect to my SSD? Q I’ve been following Nik Rawlinson’s Workshop to build my own SSD (see Issue 547). However, having bought the recommended SSD and enclosure I’ve been unable to get very far. I can get to Disk Management, as advised, but it just shows a message about connecting the Virtual Disk Service – but it never progresses. I have Windows 10 (version 1803) and, having Googled this message, I understand this may be due to a bug in the Anniversary Update. Can you help me to solve this problem? Sam Creighton A It could be related to a Windows bug, yes, but let’s first discount some other, simpler-to-fix possibilities. Do you have a memory-card reader attached to or built into your PC? If so, check…

While an anointed few Windows 10 users get to play with future features such as Windows Sandbox, Android mirroring and “hoverbased Mixed Reality” (www.snipca.com/31180), the rest of us are left pressing our chilly noses at the window, waiting. “I found joining it disappointingly easy. Surely such a hallowed cabal requires a more hardcore initiation” To be honest, I’ve never minded being a plain old Windows 10 outsider. I’m not one of those tech writers who eats Git code and APKs for breakfast. You lose perspective when you’re inside a clique. I know what it’s like to shout at an installer. And yet, and yet. I’ve now spent five years dutifully installing bog-standard Windows 10 updates, hearing my colleagues whisper about “insider build” tools that aren’t released yet. I’d quite like…