Computer Act!ve back issues from September 2008:
Stay connected with a social web browser.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Wilson Stay connected with a social web browser Stay on top of your favourite social-networking websites with Flock With so many social-networking services in existence, it can be a real struggle keeping on top of all ...
Add album art to your iTunes music.
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Rob Beattie Add album art to your iTunes music Sometimes iTunes messes up album cover art. Here's how to sort out common problems Generally Apple's iTunes media player program is good at organising both music and video on a Windows PC, ...
Create custom Desktop calendars with Rainlendar.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Rob Beattie Create custom Desktop calendars with Rainlendar Rainlendar is an excellent program that's effective, unobtrusive and free Microsoft Outlook is very powerful, but it can be a bit complicated if you only need a simple ...
Transfer files faster.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Wilson Transfer files faster Downloading files via Bittorrent is extremely efficient and quite legal. We reveal all With the widespread availability of broadband connections, the internet is now being used to download more files than ever ...
The legality of torrents.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Wilson The legality of torrents The use of Bittorrent has become synonymous with illegal activity, such as the downloading of pirated films and music. But there is nothing illegal about Bittorrent itself. Of course, Bittorrent can and is used to download ...
How to share files using BitTorrent.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Mark Wilson How to share files using BitTorrent 1Remember, to share only legal material. Vuze will automatically share downloaded files. To view what is currently being shared, or 'seeded', click View, then Advanced and My Torrents or press Ctrl and 1 ...
Problem solved.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal Problem solved Computers are great, until they go wrong. Here we give solutions to 30 of the most common problems that get sent to our No Problem mailbox 1) Vista won't hibernate Q) I ran the Disk Cleanup Wizard on my Windows ...
Shoot the Messenger Q/Every time I start my Windows XP computer I am faced with a window stating that i?1/2Messenger Plus has not been installed properly on this system. Please download and install the set up packagei?1/2. I have gone through the instructions tha.
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith, Anthony Dhanendran Shoot the Messenger Q|Every time I start my Windows XP computer I am faced with a window stating that 'Messenger Plus has not been installed properly on this system. Please download and install the set up package'. I have gone ...
Protect your photos with an electronic watermark.
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Rob Beattie Protect your photos with an electronic watermark Getting good at digital photography? Protect pictures stored online with a watermarking tool The popularity and simplicity of modern digital cameras mean that it's never been ...
Best of the web.(Website list)(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Organise meetings, read blogs and choose complimentary colour schemes The Sims resource www.thesimsresource.com The Sims family of games has proved to be very popular, not least because of the way that your virtual friends and ...
Video reviews.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Stop the need to sort through email spam and find out ways to make your home more energy efficient MSI Wind review Mini Notebooks are all the rage these days, so what does the MSI Wind have to offer? Andrea-Marie Vassou likes the bigger ...
Downloads.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Organise your tasks, edit blog posts offline and brighten up your emails with images Chandler This personal organiser gathers tasks, contacts and events by theme. Signing up for a free online account enables syncronisation between PCs. ...
No pane no gain.
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Colvey No pane no gain You'll find lots of handy shortcuts in Microsoft Office's Task Pane. We explain all If you use Microsoft Office XP or Office 2003, you've probably seen the Task Pane. It's a column that pops up on the right-hand side ...
how to Manage items in the Office Clipboard.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Colvey how to Manage items in the Office Clipboard 1Copy items to the Clipboard using the Ctrl and C shortcut, or the Copy command from the Edit menu. Access the Clipboard Task Pane by holding down Ctrl and double-tapping C. 2Copied items are ...
What is Office Online?(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Scott Colvey What is Office Online? Click the 'Connect to Microsoft Office Online' link in the Getting Started Task Pane and your web browser will fire up and deposit you at Microsoft's assistance website. But what is it? Well, it's a digital repository for ...
Get to the root of Ubuntu.
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Anderson Get to the root of Ubuntu We demonstrate how to work with files and folders the Linux way While Windows remains by far the most popular operating system for home PCs, the number of people using or thinking of experimenting with an open ...
managing your files.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Anderson managing your files Nautilus is the Ubuntu equivalent of Windows Explorer and can be used to browse and manage files and folders in much the same way. Ubuntu's command line, however, is a handy alternative that is actually more powerful. To use ...
Why try open source?
Sep 04, 2008 ... Why try open source? A lot of people are convinced that the future of home computing lies with open source software such as Ubuntu. It's clear that the technology itself has come a very long way, worked on by developers around the world. Open source applications, ...
Navigate through your files with Nautilus.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Navigate through your files with Nautilus Ubuntu's file browser Nautilus can help you manage documents, pictures, music and more Managing files in Ubuntu Linux is easy using the Nautilus file browser. The basics are similar to Windows Explorer: you can ...
Terratec Noxon iRadio for iPod.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Cliff Joseph Terratec Noxon iRadio for iPod Listen to internet radio and iPod tunes Terratec's Noxon range of internet radios includes lots of models, each with slightly different features, but the new Noxon iRadio for iPod pretty much throws in ...
LG W2252TQ.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Gavin Stoker LG W2252TQ Great looks, great performance Want a better monitor than the one included with your computer, or a larger or wider screen for viewing movies? With its glossy black frame and blue power light, LG's 22in W2252TQ ...
Lexmark Z2320.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Lexmark Z2320 Good quality from a cheap printer The most popular printers tend to be multifunction devices with a built-in scanner and copier, and even wireless networking. However, Lexmark has gone back to basics with the Z2320 A- a ...
Elonex One.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Simon Williams Elonex One The cheapest notebook PC yet The price of notebook PCs has dropped dramatically in the last few years with both Asus and Acer nearing the [pounds sterling]200 mark, but it was still hard to believe when Elonex announced ...
Medion Akoya S5610.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Medion Akoya S5610 Good computer design isn't limited to Sony and Apple, it seems The Akoya S5610, Medion's latest notebook, is one of the first to use the new Centrino 2 technology, which means it should in theory have better ...
Avanquest Disk Copy & Clean Professional.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Monckton Avanquest Disk Copy & Clean Professional When it's time to upgrade a hard disk A- perhaps you've run out of disk space or the current disk may be about to fail A- it's necessary to find a way of copying data onto the new disk and erasing any ...
Driving Test Success: All Tests 2008/09.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Driving Test Success: All Tests 2008/09 Driving Test Success can help with the theory and hazard perception tests A- the new 2008/09 edition comes with the updated set of questions, guides to good driving and there's the full set of ...
Alone in the Dark.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Jonathan Parkyn Alone in the Dark Return to the root of all evil with this reimagined horror sequel Info: www.centraldark.com PEGI rating: 18+ Also consider: Penumbra Black Plague; Resident Evil 4 Overall: HHHHH ...
Buffalo WLI-TX4-AG300N.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Simon Williams Buffalo WLI-TX4-AG300N Makes several wired devices wireless Buffalo's WLI-TX4-AG300N won't win you over on appearance. The small, rectangular, semi-glossy black box has only two buttons on the front, five sockets on the ...
Magix Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer 2.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008 ... Magix Xtreme Photo & Graphic Designer 2 Draw and paint with one piece of software Vector graphics programs such as Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw define drawings using mathematics to make up lines and shapes. Conventional painting or photo software, by comparison, ...
Consumeractive.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Dinah Greek Bad connection My daughter is having trouble trying to get her HP notebook PC repaired. The PC was bought from Currys online in May 2007. In June this year she began having problems with it not connecting to or disconnecting from the internet. In ...
Homepage Maker 6 Ultimate.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Homepage Maker 6 Ultimate Homepage Maker 6 Ultimate bills itself as a business website maker that's easy for home users too. However we think home users, unless very technically minded, will be left behind by the sheer amount of knowledge ...
Taxcalc Personal Lite.(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Taxcalc Personal Lite For the self-employed, summer means it's time to start thinking about tax, as the returns for the previous year start to become due. This program looks good and was easy to install, as well as being simple to use. It ...
play the game.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran play the game Get closer to the experience of flying a plane, driving a Ferrari or fighting the enemy with these five game-enhancing accessories 1 Saitek Aviator Budding pilots can use the Aviator to really feel like ...
Free online games.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Free online games Switch The object of Switch is to move your puck around the board and pick up the balls that are coloured the same as the puck. Then click the mouse to change your puck's colour and mop up the rest. You can ...
Win security software from Agnitum worth i?1/21,200.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Win security software from Agnitum worth [pounds sterling]1,200 20 copies of Outpost Security Suite Pro 2009 worth [pounds sterling]60 each to give away Online criminals are getting smarter and more sophisticated, releasing viruses to ...
System Mechanic 8.(Product/service evaluation)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran System Mechanic 8 Keep your computer running smoothly The idea behind System Mechanic is that it gives your PC a thorough check-up as well as tweaks to keep it running smoothly. Installation was painless and the ...
Legal liability for pornography stored on home PCs.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Allen Legal liability for pornography stored on home PCs Many people find adult material distasteful and even offensive, but it is a booming industry. But what's the legal status of pornographic websites? Could home PC users find themselves in hot water ...
Three golden rules to stay within the law.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Allen Three golden rules to stay within the law l Do not click on links in emails from people you do not know if they offer access to any form of pornography. l Never click links in windows that pop up to display adverts for pornography. Press ...
Our verdict If you do receive links or attachments that lead you to illegal pornography, our advice is to delete the offending material immediately. To be on the safe side, you can also clear your cache i?1/2 in Internet Explorer 7, select i?1/2Delete Browsing Hi.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Allen Our verdict If you do receive links or attachments that lead you to illegal pornography, our advice is to delete the offending material immediately. To be on the safe side, you can also clear your cache A- in Internet Explorer 7, select 'Delete ...
Games news.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran Games news Spore Long awaited God-game Spore may be turned into a Hollywood film. The game will be released on September 5. Creator Will Wright told Reuters: "We're basically planting the seeds to spread Spore to a wider group ...
move up to Serif Webplus X2 If you want to get more from your home page, why not consider upgrading to the latest version of Serif Webplus X2? This advanced tool will enable you to create and publish your own blog, as well as design your own web form, ad.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Chris Wiles move up to Serif Webplus X2 If you want to get more from your home page, why not consider upgrading to the latest version of Serif Webplus X2? This advanced tool will enable you to create and publish your own blog, as well as design ...
Serif Webplus 8 download workshop.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Serif Webplus 8 System requirements: Windows 98, Me, 2000, XP, Vista Download from: www.computeractive.co.uk/serif/index Registration: Required; see step 6 below Manufacturer: www.serif.com File size: 53 MB ...
how to get the most out of serif webplus 8.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Anthony Dhanendran how to get the most out of serif webplus 8 1Follow the instructions above to download the program. Once it's downloaded, you'll have a file called 'SerifWebPlus 8.zip' A- how you use this will depend on whether you have compression software ...
Add items to your toolbar The Office 2007 ribbon may change all the time, but the Quick Access Toolbar doesni?1/2t. This toolbar is also visible if the main Ribbon has been hidden to save screen space. To speed up your work in Microsoft Office you can add ite.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Add items to your toolbar The Office 2007 ribbon may change all the time, but the Quick Access Toolbar doesn't. This toolbar is also visible if the main Ribbon has been hidden to save screen space. To speed up your work in Microsoft Office you can ...
Take a quick look Mac OS X may have its QuickLook feature, but Vista has a very similar function that is just as useful and can view the contents of a file in Windows Explorer without opening it. This includes listening to music and watching videos as w.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Take a quick look Mac OS X may have its QuickLook feature, but Vista has a very similar function that is just as useful and can view the contents of a file in Windows Explorer without opening it. This includes listening to music and ...
Style icons The new style icons in Windows Vista can show more than just the type of file. They also show a preview of the file, whether it is a picture or a video. There is one disadvantage, which is the icons are normally too small to actually show wha.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Smith Style icons The new style icons in Windows Vista can show more than just the type of file. They also show a preview of the file, whether it is a picture or a video. There is one disadvantage, which is the icons are normally too small ...
Change the font size.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith Change the font size There is a quick way to change the font size in Word without opening the Format properties window. Select the desired text by clicking with the left mouse button at the beginning and the dragging the cursor to highlight it. ...
Web shoppers defy credit crunch.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Phil Muncaster Web shoppers defy credit crunch UK consumers are not letting the gloomy economic climate hamper their online spending, research has found. The Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) and Capgemini's monthly e-Retail ...
Cut your carbon footprint.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Cut your carbon footprint A search engine that helps people cut their carbon footprint has been launched. Click4Carbon.com is powered by Google search technology. It is also an online community and forum that promotes environmental ...
Degree in web behaviour Nottingham Trent University is offering postgraduate students the chance to learn about the psychology behind online gaming, gambling and dating. The Masters degree in Cyberpsychology will cover social networking, cybercrime, artif.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Degree in web behaviour Nottingham Trent University is offering postgraduate students the chance to learn about the psychology behind online gaming, gambling and dating. The Masters degree in Cyberpsychology will cover social ...
Anger at record site delay.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Anger at record site delay FAMILY HISTORIANS have criticised an indefinite delay in setting up a Government website that promised direct access to 171 years of family records, calling it "appalling". The Government had planned a ...
npsp users get soccer highlights Football fans can now watch goals from the Premiership on a Playstation Portable (PSP) games console. Users can use the Goview video-on-demand service to transfer 45 minutes of Sky coverage. From October they will also be.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou npsp users get soccer highlights Football fans can now watch goals from the Premiership on a Playstation Portable (PSP) games console. Users can use the Goview video-on-demand service to transfer 45 minutes of Sky coverage. From October they ...
UK airport tests face scans.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou UK airport tests face scans passengers travelling to British airports are to have their faces scanned and identities checked by computers. Already passengers with biometric passports are being scanned by a trial system at Manchester ...
Airline voids thousands of web tickets.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Airline voids thousands of web tickets Ryanair has cancelled thousands of tickets booked through price comparison websites. The move has been described by travel industry body ABTA as "an appalling way to treat customers", but the ...
Youtube shifts into Top Gear The BBC has teamed up with Youtube to let fans watch video clips from its popular motoring programme Top Gear. The new channel, the first Youtube channel dedicated to an individual BBC programme, will include clips from the sh.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Youtube shifts into Top Gear The BBC has teamed up with Youtube to let fans watch video clips from its popular motoring programme Top Gear. The new channel, the first Youtube channel dedicated to an individual BBC programme, will ...
nbetter playback without blu-ray Toshiba has unveiled a new DVD player that it says can significantly enhance existing DVD playback without the need for Blu-ray discs. The XD-E500 DVD player with extended detail enhancement upscales the DVD picture to 10.
Sep 04, 2008 ... nbetter playback without blu-ray Toshiba has unveiled a new DVD player that it says can significantly enhance existing DVD playback without the need for Blu-ray discs. The XD-E500 DVD player with extended detail enhancement upscales the DVD picture to 1080p. Toshiba ...
Regulator finds conversation cheap.(Brief article)
Sep 04, 2008; ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Regulator finds conversation cheap Consumers are spending more time using communication services but are paying less for them, according to the industry regulator. In its Annual 2008 Communications Market Review, Ofcom said people in ...
Surfers ignore ID-theft threat People willingly give away personal details online despite growing awareness of identity theft, research has found. In a survey of 1,000 people AOL found although eight in 10 people said they would not give away their income.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Surfers ignore ID-theft threat People willingly give away personal details online despite growing awareness of identity theft, research has found. In a survey of 1,000 people AOL found although eight in 10 people said they would not ...
nzero watt monitor launched Fujitsu Siemens Computers has launched what it claims to be the worldi?1/2s first zero-watt monitor. The technology could save people around i?1/26 per monitor per year, according to estimates. It works by triggering the power supply t.
Sep 04, 2008 ... nzero watt monitor launched Fujitsu Siemens Computers has launched what it claims to be the world's first zero-watt monitor. The technology could save people around [pounds sterling]6 per monitor per year, according to estimates. It works by triggering the power supply to ...
Asda slashes call costs.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Andrea Vassou Asda slashes call costs Asda IS to cut the charges for its prepay mobile phone services in half from September. The store will be offering its customers calls for 8p per minute and texts for 4p, which it claims will be the "UK's ...
New calls to save WWII site.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal New calls to save WWII site The campaign to save wartime code-breaking centre Bletchley Park continues to gather momentum. Both the Royal British Legion and actor and comedian Stephen Fry have lent their support in recent days to demand ...
Tips and tricks to make money online.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Tips and tricks to make money online The internet isn't just a great place for shopping, research and catching up on the latest news. It can also be a great way to make money, and the latest title in Computeractive's Ultimate Guide series explains how. Whether you ...
ngoogle - now with suggestions Google has added a new feature that attempts to guess what users are searching for as they type. Google Suggest, which is only available on the search enginei?1/2s US home page at present, reads what the user types into the sear.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal ngoogle - now with suggestions Google has added a new feature that attempts to guess what users are searching for as they type. Google Suggest, which is only available on the search engine's US home page at present, reads what the user types into ...
Child safety database hit by fresh privacy row.
Sep 04, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal Child safety database hit by fresh privacy row Fresh concerns have been raised about the controversial Contactpoint database after it emerged that police would be able to access the information it contains. The database, due to be ...
nPhotosynth is unveiled Microsoft has unveiled a new, free service for creating large 3D environments from smaller digital photos. Photosynth takes hundreds of photos and compares them. Once it has worked out where the photos overlap, it converts them int.
Sep 04, 2008 ... nPhotosynth is unveiled Microsoft has unveiled a new, free service for creating large 3D environments from smaller digital photos. Photosynth takes hundreds of photos and compares them. Once it has worked out where the photos overlap, it converts ...