Computer Act!ve back issues from February 2008:
Pack a MAC.(Media Access Control)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Wilson Pack a MAC Supercharge your wireless network's security in a brand-new section that will guide you through clear but challenging projects Welcome to the all-new Computeractive Masterclass. In every issue we will focus on a different ...
Add HD DVD or Blu-ray to your PC.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Emil Larsen Add HD DVD or Blu-ray to your PC High-definition movies give amazing picture quality and HD drives are cheaper than ever. We show how to install one in your computer The successors to DVD have been around for a few years, but ...
Share photos with friends online If you have a growing collection of digital photos, take control by sharing them online using Flickri?1/2s privacy feature p52 Stay safe online with Internet Explorer version 7 The web is a dangerous place, but the latest vers.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Share photos with friends online If you have a growing collection of digital photos, take control by sharing them online using Flickr's privacy feature p52 Stay safe online with Internet Explorer version 7 The web is a dangerous place, but the latest ...
Share photos with friends online.
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Beattie Share photos with friends online Take control of online photo-sharing using Flickr's tagging and privacy features If you have a growing collection of digital photos, you might have considered putting them online so friends ...
Stay safe online with Internet Explorer 7.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Nick Peers Stay safe online with Internet Explorer 7 The web is a dangerous place, but the latest version of Internet Explorer can make surfing safer You could be forgiven for wanting to avoid all contact with the internet. Stories ...
Check your spelling with Microsoft Word.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Nick Peers Check your spelling with Microsoft Word It's easy to make sure documents are correctly spelled with Microsoft Word's proofing tools Few people have perfect spelling and grammar, which is why Microsoft Word's proofing tools ...
Logic3 Soundstage.(six-speaker setup)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Logic3 Soundstage Logic3's Soundstage is a surround-sound unit that has only one speaker section. While normal surround-sound sets rely on the user to place six speakers around the room, the Soundstage sits under the television and distributes sound from there. It ...
Out of harmi?1/2s way.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Andrew Zarkesh Out of harm's way Online backup keeps files safe from disaster and gives easy access to work if you're away from home A- we show you how to protect your files, photos and more Backing up important personal data doesn't factor very ...
Gadget goldmine.
Feb 07, 2008; ... Gadget goldmine Make a bit of extra cash from your unwanted gadgets If you remember the episode of Only Fools and Horses in which the Trotters discover they have a multimillion-pound antique sitting around in their garage, then we're sure you'd love to unearth your ...
Doni?1/2t be a litter lout.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Don't be a litter lout Sometimes a gadget really is worthless, whether it's damaged or so old as to be of no interest. But think twice before dropping it in the bin. In July 2007, the Government introduced the Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) ...
Asus Eee PC 701 4G.(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tom Royal Asus Eee PC 701 4G A tiny, cheap notebook computer, but one without Windows Notebook computers are cheaper today than ever before, but it's still unusual to see one on sale for less than [pounds sterling]350. What's more, ...
Digitise your memories.
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Rod Lawton Digitise your memories We show you how to transfer your old photographs to a secure digital format and repair some of the damage, before they fade out of your life completely What we often forget about our old photos is that their value ...
Epson PictureMate 290.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Gavin Stoker Epson PictureMate 290 A Swiss army knife of a printer Epson has been making photo printers for years, but the new Picturemate has to be one of the strangest-looking. First impressions aren't good A- its boxy grey ...
Canon Powershot SX100 IS.(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Gavin Stoker Canon Powershot SX100 IS A good-value camera that's easy to use The eight-megapixel SX100 IS, with its 10x optical zoom, is a new class of camera for Canon. It has a monster of a lens but is easier to use and more ...
HP Photosmart A626.(portable photo printer )(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Gavin Stoker HP Photosmart A626 A portable photo printer for affordable pictures Fashioned into a shape that suggests a toaster for a toddler, HP's miniature A626 printer shows that the company has cottoned onto the fact that fashion is as ...
Trust Universal Notebook Power Adapter.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Trust Universal Notebook Power Adapter PW-1700p Trust's Universal Notebook Power Adapter replaces your notebook computer's own power supply. That's handy for anyone who's lost or broken their original adapter. The adapter has a ...
Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere The Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere is an iPod dock that does nothing more than play music through its speakers. What it lacks in extras, though, it makes up for in audio quality. Although the Pure-Fi Anywhere ...
APC Universal notebook.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran APC Universal Notebook Battery 50 This product acts as a replacement or additional battery for a notebook PC. It sits between your computer and its power adapter and charges up along with the computer's internal battery. The ...
Perfect PDF creator.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Andrew Zarkesh Cosmi Perfect PDF Creator Save documents in a standard format It can be frustrating to receive an electronic document only to discover that you do not have the program needed to open it. This is a problem if the type of ...
An active decade.
Feb 07, 2008 ... An active decade It's been 10 years since Computeractive first rolled off the presses. We take a look back at the biggest stories of the past decade Ten years is a long time by anyone's reckoning, but in technology terms it's several generations. It was 10 ...
Counterfeit memory cards.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal Counterfeit memory cards In this new Computeractive Investigates section, we'll be taking an in-depth look at the latest news, technology and consumer rights issues. In issue 257, our Consumeractive column reported on the case of Andrew ...
Better letters.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Better letters Give your correspondence a personal touch and make letter writing easier Microsoft Word is great for giving a professional look to letters, but it can do more than simply adding dates and addresses neatly and printing in ...
Sharing photos online.(email photos to other people)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Rod Lawton Sharing photos online It is possible to email photos to other people, but this can be an inefficient and time-consuming business. It's much simpler to upload them to an online gallery that friends and family can visit. Most are free to ...
Film scanners.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Rod Lawton Film scanners A flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter can do a decent job of scanning slides and negatives, but if the originals are of good quality it's unlikely to pick up all the detail in the picture. This is because capturing lots of ...
the open alternative to word.(Openoffice)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith the open alternative to word For the examples in this article we've used Microsoft Word 2003, but if you don't own a copy of Word it's possible to create excellent letterheads using Openoffice, which can be downloaded free from ...
Templates for email.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Templates for email Emails can also be made more attractive using a letterhead. Rather than clicking on the Create mail button in the Outlook Express toolbar, left-click on the small arrow to the right of it to show a drop down menu with some ...
dvd dilemma.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Dinah Greek dvd dilemma I ordered a Sony DVD Recorder from Dixons online for [pounds sterling]273.45 at the beginning of August last year. In December, the screen displayed 'HDD FULL' and it would not record anything. I've tried deleting recordings and ...
Samsung L83T.(digital cameras)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Samsung L83T The oddly named L83T Midget Photographer is not much smaller than other tiny digital cameras, such as those in the Pentax Optio range. It does take good-quality snapshots, though, and has a simple interface. The ...
Tomtom Go 920 T.(GPS device)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Tomtom Go 920 T Tomtom's latest sat-nav device is the Go 920 T, which sits at the very top of the company's range. It's loaded with maps of 41 countries, including the US and Canada. Almost every major road in Europe is covered, ...
Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Microsoft Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 Recharge your keyboard and your mouse While many keyboard and mouse sets allow the user to recharge the mouse's batteries using a docking station, this is the first we've seen that ...
Drobo external hard disk.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Drobo external hard disk Most external hard disks come with just one disk inside, but Drobo has room for four A- although it doesn't come with any installed. It's designed to offer backup as well as storage, so you can copy files to it and ...
Neuros OSD.(a media streaming device with Optical Super Density)(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Neuros OSD A versatile device with interesting looks The Neuros OSD is a media streaming device that offers a range of ways to view and distribute music and video around the home. The device is designed to sit between a ...
MAC attacks.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Wilson MAC attacks Although MAC address filtering is a good way of locking down a network, like all security measures it's not infallible. It is, for example, possible to change the MAC address of a computer using special software. This is known as MAC ...
Master your computer.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Master your computer We've put together a free package of four programs to help make your PC safer, more reliable and much easier to use. Read on to find out how to download and install it As an operating system, it's the job of Windows to simplify the operation of ...
Keeping Windows up to date.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Keeping Windows up to date To keep Windows in shape, it's essential to download and install all the updates provided by Microsoft through its Windows Update feature. These updates not only plug security breaches as they appear, but also fix other bugs that can compromise your ...
Windows tools.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Windows tools Microsoft is not keen on users tinkering with Windows, so many of its tools are hard to find and use. Whereas Fix-It Utilities has Startup Commander to control which programs start automatically with Windows, Microsoft hides these settings in the System ...
Upgrade and save i?1/2i?1/2i?1/2s.(software upgrades)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Upgrade and save [pounds sterling][pounds sterling][pounds sterling]s V-Com Fix-It Utilities 7 Professional The Professional edition of Fix-It Utilities includes a powerful anti-virus module from Trend Micro, along with other enhancements. You can upgrade for only ...
LG Viewty.(touchscreen smartphones)(Product/service evaluation)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou LG Viewty Not quite a match for the iPhone but the Viewty is a beauty We hoped, when Apple's touchscreen iPhone appeared last year, that it was only a matter of time before other manufacturers followed suit. Sure enough, LG is ...
Shuttle LinuXPC SD3002Q 500.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Shuttle LinuXPC SD3002Q 500 A small, stylish PC without Windows One reason stopping people from trying the Linux operating system is concern about installing it, especially if Linux does not support a particular device that you often use ....
Online games.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Free online games Coffee Shop Coffee Shop puts players in charge of a hot drink stall. It's a kind of economic simulator in which you need to buy enough cups, coffee, sugar and milk, mix it together in proportions that satisfy ...
Games news.(Spore and Ship Simulator )(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Games news spore God game Spore will soon see the light of day, according to publisher Electronic Arts. The game, created by Sims maker Will Wright, will take players from the beginning of the universe to a commanding position ...
Fujifilm Finepix Z10FD.(new digital camera)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou Fujifilm Finepix Z10fd As trousers get skinnier and pockets get smaller, camera manufacturers are shrinking their products to fit. Fujifilm's Finepix Z10fd is one example. Although the camera is extremely small and light, we ...
Crysis.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Crysis Sets a new standard for first-person shooters Crysis is the sort of game that becomes a landmark before it's even been released. Images of its stunning graphics have been doing the rounds online and in magazines for well over ...
Data Disaster i?1/2 Your Options.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Data Disaster - Your Options Most of us are familiar with the sinking feeling of realising a vital Office document or precious photograph has just been accidentally deleted or overwritten. But can anything be done to recover those files? The answer may lie with special software ...
Win i?1/22,500 of Avira security software.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith WIN [pounds sterling]2,500 worth of Avira security software Stay safe online from hackers and phishing attacks Online security has never been so important. Once upon a time viruses would wipe some files, but now they can steal your ...
No Problem.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Tie a ribbona[bar] Q|Is there any way of hiding the new toolbar ribbon used in Office 2007? I'm using a widescreen notebook and it takes up too much space for normal writing tasks. Angela Kemp A|There is a ...
Downloads.(manage your photos)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Get extra online protection, tweak Linux and manage your photos LinkScanner Lite Linkscanner Lite offers extra online protection by scanning the results of Google and Yahoo searches. Type: Freeware File size: 3.5MB ...
Online video reviews.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Computeractive TV Vita DAB Radio 1950s styling meets the 21st century as Andrea-Marie Vassou takes a look at a radio that receives both Digital and FM. It has a remote control and alarm clock, and the sound quality is excellent, despite its ...
Best of the web.(http://tinyurl.com/2hcfx5)(http://tinyurl.com/2t2rfj)(http://tinyurl.com/23apd4)(Website list)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Site seeing Help for those in education and a list of free software and useful websites Ultimate Student Resource List http://tinyurl.com/2hcfx5 This is an exhaustive list of free software and useful websites, ...
Quick launch.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Quick Launch It can be frustrating trying to get to a file on the Desktop when there are lots of programs open at the same time. The Quick Launch Toolbar in the Taskbar has an icon that minimises every window with just one click. The icon in ...
Organising the Start menu.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Organising the Start Menu If you have a lot of programs installed, then the All Programs list in the Start menu can be huge and unorganised. Luckily, it's easy to group them into categories. To do this in Windows XP, left-click on the Start Button ...
Mailbox managing.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Mailbox managing Setting up filters on a Google Mail inbox can keep your inbox under control. Log in and then click on the Create a Filter link. Enter a means of identifying the email in one or more of the boxes that appear ...
Bid to boost surf speeds.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Dinah Greek Bid to boost surf speeds European-funded research into boosting broadband speeds is to be put into practice by DAS Photonics. This spin-off company claims the technology, which has been developed by the Gandalf research project, could ...
Deaf messaging.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: staff nDEAF Messaging AOL has created an instant messaging system designed for deaf and hard of hearing users. The system works in real time, adding text from messages while still being typed, instead of waiting for the 'send' command. Tom Wlodkowski, ...
Share your language.(Voxswap)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: slive akass Share your language A social-networking site aims to help people learn languages. With Voxswap, the person specifies which language or languages they speak and which ones they are trying to learn. Users can browse the profiles of other Voxswappers ...
Jail threat for illegal sales.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008; ... Byline: Dinah Greek Jail threat for illegal sales Online retailers who sell alcohol, knives, pornography and other age-restricted products to children should be jailed, according to an MP. Margaret Moran, Labour MP for Luton South, claimed internet ...
Free shooter.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: staff nfree shooter Electronic Arts has announced plans to release new online games for free. 'Play 4 Free' will launch in the coming months with Battlefield Heroes, a cartoon-style online shooter that will be free to download and play. The game ...
Energy saving phones.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: staff Energy-saving phones BT has unveiled a range of energy-efficient phones designed to consume around half the power of previous units. The new phones are the Graphite 1500, Graphite 1100, Freestyle 610 and Freestyle 650. BT said these devices ...
Smith: ban terrorist sites.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Smith: ban terrorist sites Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has urged internet service providers (ISPs) to ban websites that promote terrorism. Speaking at the launch of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and ...
Sewers provide super-fast broadband.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Dinah Greek Sewers provide super-fast broadband Welsh firm H2O Networks is to provide super-fast broadband using fibre optic cables laid in sewers. The company has short listed three towns to test the new system: Bournemouth, Northampton and ...
BBC joins Myspace.(Brief article)
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: staff nbbc joins myspace TV The BBC has sealed a partnership with Myspace to offer a range of BBC content on the social networking site. Users will be able to subscribe to BBC Worldwide's MyspaceTV video channel to view and share BBC content. Content will ...
Logger doubts.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: staff Logger doubts Monitoring software that is being developed by Microsoft could fall foul of the law, according to top lawyers. Details have emerged of the patent application for a system to monitor all aspects of an employee's activity. The software would ...
Eavesdropping on public conversation's 'intrusive'.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Dinah Greek Eavesdropping on public's conversations 'intrusive' The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has warned companies that fitting microphones to CCTV cameras to record people's conversations is a "highly intrusive" development. The ...
Free photo-editing programs.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Free photo-editing programs In this article we've used Adobe's Photoshop Elements to demonstrate common photo-fixing techniques, but there are many other choices, including Corel Paint Shop Pro and Photo Impact. These are commercial programs, but there are free alternatives too, ...
Bid to outlaw suicide sites.
Feb 07, 2008 ... Byline: Dinah Greek Bid to outlaw suicide sites A national charity has petitioned the Government to outlaw suicide websites. Papyrus, a charity dedicated to stopping young people from committing suicide, said it had overwhelming support from the public for ...