Australian PC World back issues from May 2006:
Check out the view: the final release of Vista is on the horizon. This month we give you a sneak peek at the feature-complete version of Microsoft's new OS, and it looks promising. Beware, an upgrade path may be a tad confusing--especially for home users--with more OS flavours than ever.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
May 01, 2006; ... Vista is finally coming into view, after many years in development and months of beta releases. Microsoft has released the first beta of its Vista client operating system that is feature-complete, with a focus on tools for business users. Depending on who you listen to, the OS ...
AMD chip availability.(READERS FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2006; ... I read with interest your article in the Startup section (January 2006 issue) about the chipset shortage, and how the Intel shortage might affect AMD. I would like to tell you about my recent experience. I needed a new AMD Athlon64 754 3000 chip and my local repairman tried a ...
Solving those Linux gripes.(READERS FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2006; ... This letter is in response to Matthew Newton's article, everyday Linux gripes (www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php?id =1217197122): "I suppose all computing environments have their pitfalls, and I'll take this set of annoyances over adware and spyware issues any day. There's no ...
Linux install a breeze.(READERS FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2006; ... Just a quick note to say thanks to Matthew Newton for ending my frustration and delivering a fully functioning laptop! Having played with various distros over the years, I was extremely impressed with Ubuntu's "Hoary Hedgehog", but could never get wireless networking to function ....
CD shelf life.(READERS FORUM)(Letter to the editor)
May 01, 2006; ... I just read an article in PC World's daily newsletter regarding the shelf life of recordable CDs. It said in part; "To not be deemed negligent, customers need to store the media in a controlled environment free of heat extremes, humidity, moisture and dust ..." Now, if CD ...
Missive of the month.(READERS FORUM)
May 01, 2006 ... Congratulations to Phil Browne, you are this month's winner of the Digimate's Card Reader/Hard Drive Enclosure with 40GB 2.5in HDD, valued at $299 from Anyware. The Digimate Portable Card Reader and Hard Drive Enclosure supports nine memory card formats including CF I & II, ...
VoIP, mobiles winning call wars.(START UP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2006; ... A number of Australian companies have ditched their fixed phone lines in favour of mobile and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) services. Recent reports indicate the trend to VoIP--and away from fixed-line phones--is well and truly gathering steam. A joint Atug and ...
PS3 "prohibitively expensive".(STARTUP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... The cost of building Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3 could reach as high as $US900 per box initially, far higher than earlier estimates. This cost is sure to dampen user demand for the console, according to investment banking firm Merrill Lynch. The Merrill Lynch prediction ...
CeBIT: Origami device on show.(STARTUP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 01, 2006; ... Samsung Electronics has demonstrated the first device designed around Microsoft's Origami project at the CeBIT electronics show in Germany. It is a handheld computer that falls somewhere between a tablet PC and a PDA and runs a special edition of Windows XP. The device measures about 15cm ...
Build a budget PC for around $500.
May 01, 2006; ... The Sweet Spot section will provide you with a list of components that are excellent performers for the price when compared to high-end components in each of the major hardware categories (CPU, motherboard, RAM, graphics, storage, case and peripherals). Our test results show that a PC ...
New Intel dual-core chips out soon.(STARTUP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... Computer makers are planning to use Intel's next generation of dual-core processors to build smaller, cooler machines. The first of those chips will launch in volume quantities by June. The products, codenamed Dempsey and Woodcrest, are dual-core Xeon processors that will replace the ...
Report sparks fears China may split Net.(STARTUP: LATEST REVIEWS, INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... Western media was abuzz in March with reports that China plans to create a set of Chinese-language domain names in a bid to split China off from the Internet. There was just one problem: the story wasn't true. Reports cited an English-language story on the Web site of the official People's ...
Sony finally catches up with PSP.(QUICK TAKES)(PlayStation Portable )(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... The best media management tool on offer when the PlayStation Portable (PSP) launched was a pathetically mismatched application designed for Clie PDAs. Excellent third-party alternatives like PSPWare (see p127 of the April issue) are already available, so PSP Media Manager has lost much of ...
1GB MP3 player.(QUICK TAKES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... SanDisk is using its dominance in the Flash memory market to try and muscle in on Apple's Nano and Shuffle territory with its new Sansa m240 Flash-based MP3 player. The design is not as attractive as the more expensive e200 series. However, it isn't all bad as it fits in a 7.6cm x 2cm x ...
Freakin' lasers.(QUICK TAKES)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... ITech's Bluetooth Virtual Keyboard is designed to deliver a large keyboard for use on a small Bluetooth-enabled device like a PDA or a smartphone. Ideally, you need this keyboard to write long documents using your mobile device; not to type the odd, short SMS. Turn on your phone ...
Video blogs made easy.(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... While the name has changed, Vlog It! is a stripped down and re-jigged version of Serious Magic's video production tool, Visual Communicator (p23, September 2004). As a result, the operation is virtually identical, allowing you to create newsroom-style video reports in minutes, ...
Perpendicular storage: Seagate Momentus 5400.3 hard drive.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Seagate is the first hard drive vendor to release a hard drive that features perpendicular storage technology. Perpendicular storage offers a breakthrough in the way data on your hard drive is stored. It will no doubt herald a new era where hard drive capacities will increase by up to 10 ...
Time to lose your landline: Linksys WRT543G3.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Telstra recently announced that as of 1 April, its copper wire network service installation fee for residential customers will rise from $209 to $299, in addition to the $30 monthly line rental. Suddenly getting an ADSL connection costs more than before. So what are your options? ...
DVD burner, software upgrade: BenQ DW1650.(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... BenQ's latest burner hasn't changed dramatically since the previous version, the DW1640. In fact, almost all the specifications are the same. The only difference we could see was a slight increase in power requirements and an update of it proprietary burning software, QSuite, from 1.0 to ...
Silent assassin: ASUS EN7800GT TOP Silencer.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Proponents of silent computer systems usually have to compromise on the performance of the system when it comes to selecting the quietest components. Often, this means installing an entry-level or midrange graphics card without any fans. Fans are a quiet PC's worst enemy. The ASUS EN7800GT ...
Affordable SLI mobo: ASROCK 939SLI-ESATA2.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... ASRock's products generally find a sweet spot between price and features and the 939SLI-ESATA2 is no exception, even though it does feature a lesser-known chipset. It's an AMD-based motherboard that uses a ULi chipset instead of an NVIDIA- or VIA-based chipset. ULi was recently acquired by ...
Command and conquer: Altech Gameforce Commander.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Priced at just under $2500, Altech's Gameforce Commander is an extremely well-built and well-featured machine that is perfect for gaming, productivity and multimedia use. Its dual-core AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ CPU provides excellent multitasking capabilities and also makes this machine a ...
Attractive design, everyday PC: HP Pavilion a1370a.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... The Pavilion a1370a may not be the fastest or best-featured system on the market for its price, but it is a nice home PC that is designed for multimedia activities and everyday computing tasks. Its specifications are decent: it includes a 64-bit Pentium D 930 CPU, which has ...
Great performance, easy to set up: Linksys WAG54G.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... The Linksys WAG54G--at $210--provides an attractive price point for a modem/router. It has a 4-port router for wired networking and it also has wireless networking capabilities for 802.11b/g devices with support for 128-bit WEP and WPA (TKIP and AES) encryption standards. Its ...
Feather-touch monitor: ASUS PW191.(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... ASUS is looking to differentiate itself with its 19in widescreen LCD monitor, the PW191. And the industrial design of the PW191 is definitely eye-catching: a black bezel surrounds the screen, while a silver base props it up, allowing it to swivel and pivot. The monitor's controls are also ...
Feature-complete Vista beta: Windows Vista Beta Build 5308.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... In keeping with its new policy of providing frequent interim updates of its forthcoming Windows Vista to developers and customers, Microsoft recently released Build 5308 of the operating system. Most of the latest prerelease version's new features are aimed at enterprise ...
Microsoft confirms vista editions after leak.(FIRST LOOKS)
May 01, 2006; ... Microsoft has officially verified the editions for Windows Vista after the information prematurely appeared on the company's Web site. Vista will have six core editions, four aimed at consumers and two aimed at the enterprise sector, said Neil Charney, Microsoft's director of ...
Quality photos, direct from camera: Canon Pixma iP6600D.(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... A 3.5in colour LCD dominates the top of the $399 Canon Pixma iP6600D. The display, the largest we've seen on an inkjet printer, flips upward, making it easy to preview images and navigate the menus, including options for touching-up photos. A door on the front of the printer conceals two ...
A good buy for students: Toshiba Satellite A100.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... The A100 is designed as an all-round notebook that would be a good buy for students, considering its price and specifications. It features an Intel Core Duo Processor T2300 running at 1.66GHz, 512MB DDR2 RAM and a 128MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics processor. Its LCD panel is ...
Well-priced widescreen notebook: MITAC DL75.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... The Mitac DL75 is a competitively priced notebook, which offers a big screen, decent connectivity and acceptable performance. It's a 15.4in widescreen notebook and it weighs 3kg without the power supply. Standard hotkeys for Web and e-mail are provided at the top of the ...
Waving the vista ready flag: Acer Ferrari 4006 WLMI.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... The Acer Ferrari 4006 has a superior build quality to the manufacturer's other notebook models. It uses carbon fibre for the chassis and a rubberised coating, which gives it an almost leather-like feel. Under the bonnet is an impressive line-up of hardware. Leading the charge ...
Mobile media central hub: Fujitsu N3530.(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Fujitsu's latest Lifebook models are moving into the media centre market by providing composite (RCA) inputs on the N-series notebooks. The previous prototype we reviewed, the N6410, was quite bulky. However, the 15.4in N3530 delivers a good balance of performance and features, packing it ...
Easy to use, remote PC access: GoToMy PC Version 5.0.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... If you ever wanted to connect remotely to your desktop PC, then the obvious solution was Windows Remote Desktop connection. However, this involves a convoluted setup process, and it will run at a slow pace without many of the features found in GoToMy PC. GoToMy PC does away with ...
Set and forget backups: SOS online backup.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... Backing up is an important yet time consuming task that is often overlooked in our day-to day-computing. Welcome Safe Off Site (SOS) online backup, a set-and-forget file backup system. Installing the application is simple. It walks you through the initial setup, locating the ...
Free voice and instant-messaging: Google Talk beta.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)
May 01, 2006; ... Gloriously clutter-free, Google Talk's beta gives you text- and voice-messaging, smooth integration with Gmail, rudimentary customisation options ... and that's about it. It's yet another potentially exciting service from the search giant that you can use in its beta form. If ...
Sophisticated web-editing: Netobjects Fusion 9.0.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... Fusion has long had a reputation as a sophisticated application that can produce competent results but is easy to use. While it provides plenty of wizards to set up pages quickly, it offers a wealth of tools to control some fairly advanced features for your site. This latest ...
Online desktop: Goowy.(FIRST LOOKS)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006; ... Goowy's name is derived from the pronunciation of the common computer acronym GUI, which stands for graphical user interface. Its aim is to become an online desktop that can be accessed from anywhere for people who need to access information remotely. Goowy unifies email, calendar, ...
Windows hacks: get the Windows XP you really want, thanks to these 12 tips for mastering the operating system's inner workings. Plus: our hands-on, in-depth preview of XP's successor, Windows Vista (see page 47, Vista comes into view).
May 01, 2006; ... Whether you've tweaked your Windows XP setup to the nth degree or have never even emptied your Recycle Bin, there are many ways for you to make Windows work faster, smarter and safer. All it takes is a willingness to brave the OS's vast repository of settings: the Registry. All ...
23 things to do with a thumb drive: put your USB drive to work as a portable desktop, PC recovery kit, entertainment platform and more.
May 01, 2006; ... Once known as simple little gizmos that were basically just modern replacements for floppy disks, USB flash drives have suddenly grown up. You can now replicate your desktop environment, encrypt files on the fly and even rescue your PC with one of these formerly modest devices. ...
The new virus fighters: today's antivirus programs have no trouble stopping familiar intruders, but how safe are you from the unknown? Our tests of 10 contenders reveal a new Best Buy.
May 01, 2006; ... We have both good and bad news about the ongoing war against computer viruses. The good news: all the antivirus products we tested for this article were 100 per cent successful at identifying and blocking recognised security threats. The bad news: such utilities still can't completely ...
Super-size me: want to watch the action in all its glory? These projectors will give you a front-row view (some are even work-suitable, too).
May 01, 2006; ... If you've ever wanted a truly big screen on which to watch your DVD movies or special events, such as the World Cup soccer, then you simply can not go past a projector. While they won't replace a TV for everyday viewing, projectors have small footprints, enabling them to be ...
Beware bargain hunt blunders: want a cheap PC or a good value one? Here's some advice on where you can safely save, including expert tips from PC World's editors.
May 01, 2006; ... PC manufacturers make a profit margin of between 5 and 8 per cent. Any lower and--if it wasn't for the cost of exiting the market--they might as well sell up and put their capital on deposit. So for a manufacturer to sell below market price, corners are cut. One of these corners ...
Better ways to eBay: want to make some extra cash on eBay? Read on for our tips & tricks for selling at top dollar (and buying for the lowest price).
May 01, 2006; ... Know someone making a killing on eBay? With eBay research suggesting around 2500 Australians use the site as their primary source of income, it seems lots of people are looking to the auction behemoth to avoid the nine-to-five grind. In fact, that same research indicated around 7000 eBay ...
Now screening.(BEST BUYS: TOP HARDWARE, REVIEWED AND RATED)
May 01, 2006 ... If you're gearing up for the Soccer World Cup or just want a huge screen on which to watch sporting events or movies, then tune into our projector feature on page 68, where we tested 10 of the latest models on the market. We looked primarily at projectors designed for home theatre usage, ...
PCs.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> PCs [pc world TEST CENTRE]$1500-$3000 FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS 1 Altech Gameforce Commander AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ dual-core Price $2490 CPU, nForce4 chipset, 256MB Phone: (02) 8831 9999 ...
Notebooks.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> NOTEBOOKS [pc world TEST CENTRE]SUB-$2500 FEATURES AND SPECIFICATONS 1 BenQ Joybook R53 V14 Intel Centrino Pentium M 1.73GHz, Price: $1999 Intel 915GM chipset, 128MB ATI Phone: (02) 9352 8800...
TV tuners.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> TV TUNERS [pc world TEST CENTRE]MODEL FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS 1 DViCO FusionHDTV PCI; USB 2.0; HDTV; SDTV; Dual DVB-T DVB-T Dual Digital tuners; PIP; time-shifting; recording Price: $325...
19in LCD monitors.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> 19in LCD MONITORS [pc world TEST CENTRE] PANEL TECHNOLOGY RESPONSE TIME INPUT MODELDOT PITCH SPEAKERS 1 Diamond Digital DV197Not ...
DVD burners.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> DVD BURNERS [pc world TEST CENTRE] MODELCD SPEEDS DVD SPEEDS 1 ASUS DRW-1608P2S CD-ROM 40xDVD-ROM 16x, DVD+R DL 8x,Price: $79 CD-RW 32x DVD-R DL 8x, DVD-R 16x,Phone: 1300 278 788 CD-R ...
High-end graphics cards.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> HIGH-END GRAPHICS CARDS [pc world TESTCENTRE] CLOCK SPEED VIDEO-OUT MEMORY SPEEDVIDEO-INMODELRAM HDTV 1 Albatron 7800GT 400MHz ...
Wireless routers.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> WIRELESS ROUTERS [pc world TEST CENTRE] WI-F1 SPEEDSMIMO ROUTERS WI-FI SECURITY 1 Netgear RangeMax WPN82411Mbps, 54Mbps, 108Mbps Price: $249 Phone: 1800 502 061...
ADSL modems.(BEST BUYS)(Table)
May 01, 2006 ... <Pre> ADSL MODEMS [pc world TEST CENTRE]ADSL MODEMS ADSL STANDARDSNETWORKING 1 Dynalink RTA1025WADSL; ADSL2; 4-port switch; DHCP Price: $199 ADSL2+server; port- Phone: 1300 269 927 ...
Paint job.(Windows 98)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q I'm running Windows 98 and my Paint program no longer runs. I receive the error "MSPAINT caused an invalid page fault in MFC42.DLL at 017f:6c37f9eb". I have tried removing and reinstalling it from Control Panel, but that didn't help. --Ron Hayward ...
Faster bootup.(Windows 2000)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q I am running Windows 2000 and on booting I am asked for my username and password. Can I proceed to the desktop without interruption? ...
Deleting restore files.(Windows Me)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q MY computer is running Windows Me and has a 12GB disk. 2.5GB of this is occupied by System Restore temporary backup files. I would like to delete them as System Restore doesn't work anyway, but when I try to do this I am told "Access Denied", even in Safe Mode. --Leigh Easton ...
Search freezes.(Windows XP)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q When I click on Start-Search in Windows XP Professional, nothing happens except that the screen freezes for about a minute. Any thoughts? --Patrick Johns A This can be resolved by reinstalling the components for the Windows XP Search Assistant. Click on Start-Run ...
What's running on your computer?(TOP TIP)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Malicious software could be eliminated if all apps carried a certificate to say whether they can he trusted. Sadly, the sheer number of programs makes this idea impractical. Software can be signed with a digital certificate to show that it is really what it appears to be, but as this is ...
NTFS convert.(Windows XP)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q MY hard disk has five partitions. Can I convert the C drive to NTFS in order to improve the stability of Windows XP and still keep the other partitions as FAT32? Or must I convert all of them? --David Lang ...
Removing Ctfmon.(Windows XP)
May 01, 2006 ... Q I have been analysing what programs run at startup on my computer and getting rid of the things that I don't want. One program I can't eliminate is Ctfmon.exe. I realise that it is a harmless process connected with the Alternative User Input Text Input Processor and the Microsoft Office ...
Unexpected error.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q I am running Windows 98 SE and have an HP PSC 2110. When I try to use the scanner a message appears saying: "An unexpected internal error has occurred. Click OK to close the program, and then try one of the following: restart the program. Restart the PC and try again. Reinstall the HP ...
Can't write.(HARDWARE)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... I'm using a PC with Windows XP SP2 and I have a problem saving files to CD. When I try to do so, the box with files to be written appears, but when I insert a blank disc and click Write these files to CD the wizard reports "There is no disc in the drive". How can I resolve this? ...
Verify me.(SECURITY)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q I downloaded a program from the Internet and a message appeared saying: "The publisher could not be verified. Are you sure you want to run this software?" I decided not to. Could the program have been something harmful? --Anne Wilkinson A It's a ...
Explorer crashes.(SECURITY)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q MY computer is running slowly these days--even Web pages take a long time to load. When I have several pages open and try to close one, they all close and a message appears saying: "lexplorer.exe--Application error. The instruction at '0X0390c512' referenced memory at '0X00000000'. The ...
Deleting C-Dilla.(SECURITY)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Q The program C-Dilla--CDAC11BA.EXE--has installed itself in my Services and runs automatically at startup. I can't find a way to uninstall it short of using HiJackThis or deleting it from C:\Windows\System32\drivers\. Can you advise me? --Simon Stone A We ...
Toying with backups.(Microsoft SyncToy)(Brief article)
May 01, 2006 ... Microsoft's free PowerToy for Windows XP, SyncToy (www.microsoft.com, search for "SyncToy") makes a useful backup utility. You can use it to create mirror copies of your data folders on an external hard drive, a Flash drive or a backup folder on a different computer un your network. ...