Personal Computer World back issues from November 2008:
Database or spreadsheet?
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Mark Whitehorn Database or spreadsheet? Find out the best way to organise your information The question, 'Should I be using spreadsheet or database software?' comes up intermittently. Both tools are useful and adaptable, and I'm a fan of both, ...
What is Flash video?(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Ken McMahon What is Flash video? Flash video is a container file format that can be played using the Adobe Flash Player and web browser plug-in. Some other players can also play back .flv files, including MPlayer, RealPlayer and VLC Media Player. Windows ...
Video in a Flash.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Ken McMahon Video in a Flash We look at the creative side of Flash video for the web In 2003, I wrote of the options available, and the pitfalls to be avoided, in producing streaming video for the web. The crux of the matter was choosing which ...
Therei?1/2s life in the old dog yet.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Gordon Laing There's life in the old dog yet The disadvantage of recycling parts from an existing system for a new build is that the old machine obviously stops working. But that's not to say it should be consigned to the scrapheap. I may have removed the ...
Rebuild, recycle and re-use.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Gordon Laing Rebuild, recycle and re-use Careful upgrading can help you save money as well as improve performance If you're a serious hardware enthusiast, you'll know that incremental upgrades can only go so far to satisfy your desires for the ...
Email server for free.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Email server for free Take control of your email with a free mail server for your home network In last month's Networks Hands On I mentioned that a new, free, version of the popular MDaemon email server had been released. So here's a ...
Remote console access.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Remote console access I want to share a problem I encountered when using Remote Desktop to manage MDaemon Free on my Windows Home Server. Simply put, like a lot of server software, the MDaemon service and management tools are installed to run in ...
Quality street.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Gordon Laing Quality street Find out how to get the best quality from streaming audio PC-based audio has improved dramatically over the years, but if you're a dedicated audiophile it can still disappoint. While I still haven't nailed it, my latest ...
Tagging other formats.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Niall Magennis Tagging other formats As well as being supported by MP3 files, ID3v2 tags can also be used with the MP3Pro and MP4 formats, although their use with the latter isn't widely supported. Apple's AIFF also uses ID3 tagging and so is often a better ...
Tagging your music.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Niall Magennis Tagging your music Adding the right tags is the key to managing your digital music collection The shift towards digital music has brought us many benefits. Compressed music files mean we can fit hundreds of albums on our media ...
Make your first macro.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Stephen Wells Make your first macro Automating tasks in Excel is easier than you might think When readers ask me how to do something in Excel they frequently precede the request with the phrase, "How do I create a macro thata[bar]". Invariably I ...
Backup and restore.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Barry Shilliday Backup and restore Find out how to back up and restore your disk partitions in Linux Last month we saw how it's possible to make a complete copy of a partition using the standard Unix dd tool, and how this is useful to back up an ...
Position your pictures.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Position your pictures Digital Imaging QI recall reading in PCW that it is possible to add GPS information to digital photos from a sat nav. I have a Tomtom One Explore in-car sat nav which I bought from Halfords. Is it possible to transfer the data from ...
Reclaim your space.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008 ... Reclaim your space Linux QI have a large data partition which is nearly full. The system tells me that I have no space, but looking at the 'df' command I can see there are still several gigabytes. Is this a bug, or can I get this space back? Frank Oliva ...
Question time.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Databases QI've heard that in Access 2007 you can see a form and a datasheet view on the screen at once without having to build this view manually. This is a feature I've been waiting for and if it has been implemented, it's enough to make me upgrade! JB Cartwright ...
Recession i?1/2 a boon for open source.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Anderson Recession A- a boon for open source Should you choose a commercial or an open-source platform for your next programming project? Speaking at the Future of Web Applications (FOWA) conference in London, at the end of a week in which the stock ...
Hack attack.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Anderson Hack attack Prevent a common web hack by using MySQL Improved SQL injection is a common reason why websites get hacked. It is a simple hack, but thousands of applications are vulnerable, especially older applications made when the web ...
At your command.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Nott At your command The Windows command line is still as useful as ever Last month we mentioned that the command prompt interface was alive and well in Vista. If you think this is just for the nostalgic, think again. There are many things you ...
The saga continues.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Nott The saga continues We wrap up a look at long documents with an index Over the past three issues, we've been looking at the tools available in Word for creating long documents. We're going to wind up this month with indexes A- or indices ...
Wei?1/2ve got it covered.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Nigel Whitfield We've got it covered Hands On is the part of the magazine where we go under the covers and help you make the most of your computer, and this month's no exception. We have a look at some useful command line tricks in Windows this month, and ...
Troubleshoot i?1/2 i?1/2i?1/2i?1/2codecs.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal Troubleshootcodecs They may be small and forgotten pieces of software, but as Tom Royal explains, audio and video codecs can cause you major grief when they don't work properly Once upon a time, computers and multimedia ...
Patently confusing.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Tom Royal Patently confusing When it comes to video and audio codecs, there's one legal grey area to be aware of. Many of the most popular video formats of the moment, including DivX and XviD, are variations of the MPEG-4 standard, which incorporates several ...
Codecs be gone.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Tom Royal Codecs be gone If you've tried and tried but just can't get the right codecs to play a media file, there is one simple alternative: try a player that includes all the codecs it needs. One excellent example is VLC (downloadable from ...
Canon DR-3010C.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Canon DR-3010C Scanning on a large scale A- fast and with minimum fuss Size-wise there's not much to the latest member of the Canon Image Formula family of workgroup scanners, but don't let that fool you. Despite its small dimensions ...
HP CM2320fxi.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens HP CM2320fxi This MFP is a real small business workhorse It may not be the cheapest multifunction printer on the market, but that doesn't matter. The HP CM2320fxi is a quality product and a lot more than just another printer with a ...
Yoggie Gatekeeper Card Pro.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Yoggie Gatekeeper Card Pro Security solution for notebooks aims to do away with software The idea behind Yoggie's Gatekeeper Card Pro is to provide notebook users with protection against common security threats without the need for ...
1&1 Mail Xchange.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Tim Smith 1&1 Mail Xchange An online replacement for Exchange There can be no denying the advantages of shared email and files for organisations large and small, but a full-blown Microsoft Exchange server is hardly practical for those who have ...
Kodak Zi6.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Cliff Joseph Kodak Zi6 Pocket-size camcorder that shoots 720p high-definition video The pocket-size Flip camcorder was one of the top-selling gadgets this summer and has inspired a slew of imitators, including Kodak's Zi6. At [pounds ...
Apple Macbook.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Cliff Joseph Apple Macbook Think of it as the Macbook Semi-Proa[bar] The new Macbook does not A- as you might expect A- replace the old one. There's an updated version of the original Macbook with the white case still on sale, with a 2.1GHz Intel ...
Nero 9.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Tom Royal Nero 9 Some handy new tools, but not a vital upgrade There was a time when merely burning a DVD required extra software, and Nero's Burning Rom was one of the best tools available for that job. These days, with Windows Vista able to burn ...
Portrait Professional 8.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Monckton Portrait Professional 8 Turn snaps into magazine-quality portraits in just a few mouse clicks If you were to use a tool like Adobe Photoshop, retouching a portrait could involve painstakingly removing blemishes and resculpting bones ....
Diskeeper Undelete 2009 Pro.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Diskeeper Undelete 2009 Pro Recover important files and Office documents with ease If you're concerned about losing vital files and documents from your PC, it would be wise to invest in a file recovery application such as Undelete 2009 ....
Verbatim Mediastation Pro.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Verbatim Mediastation Pro A network streaming and storage solution for your digital media If you're in the market for a digital media streamer that can store content locally, then Verbatim's Mediastation Pro may be ideal. It comes with ...
Teamviewer 3.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Teamviewer 3 Take control of remote systems with this easy-to-use utility Ever wished you could fix customer problems remotely, give a presentation over the internet or retrieve important files when out of the office? Teamviewer 3 is a ...
Grand Designs 3D.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Dinah Greek Grand Designs 3D Plan home changes without moving a muscle Home improvement software is not always the most intuitive type of program, and it's certainly not for the faint-hearted. But Grand Designs 3D has placed more emphasis than most ...
Citrix Xenserver 5.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Citrix Xenserver 5 The latest Xenserver is ready to take on hypervisor rivals A lot has happened since the release of Xenserver, the first commercial implementation of the open source Xen hypervisor (PCW May 2007). First it became a ...
AVG Internet Security 8.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester AVG Internet Security 8 Price [pounds sterling]39.99 Contact AVG 0844 894 1000 www.avg.com/uk.homepage AVG was made popular through its success as one of the most effective free virus scanners around, but these days the software aims ...
Bitdefender Total Security 2009.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Bitdefender Total Security 2009 Price [pounds sterling]44.95 Contact Bitdefender 08451 305 096 www.bitdefender.co.uk Bitdefender has been in and around the top few security suites for the past few years, but has tended to stop short of ...
The changing face of viruses.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester The changing face of viruses The increasing importance of technology in our day-to-day lives means that it's more essential than ever to take system security seriously and make sure you're adequately protected and aware of the different types of ...
Certification bodies offer seal of security approval.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Certification bodies offer seal of security approval The ever changing face of viruses and new malware threats makes it impractical to thoroughly test the efficiency of security suites and their ability to guard against and remove threats in our ...
Bullguard Internet Security 8.5.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Bullguard Internet Security 8.5 Price [pounds sterling]44.99 Contact Bullguard www.bullguard.com Bullguard is the only suite here that hasn't 'officially' been released in a new version for 2009. The software on test is the recently ...
GT_Security_EdsChoice.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester We were surprised at how well most products fared in the comprehensive protection stakes for 2009, which just goes to show how seriously these established names are taking home security. Even though some suites clearly made or kept their reputations as the ...
F-Secure Internet Security 2009.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester F-Secure Internet Security 2009 Price [pounds sterling]39.95 Contact F-Secure www.f-secure.co.uk F-Secure's Internet Security 2009 is a straightforward security solution in that it doesn't offer any additional features for tune-up, ...
Maximum security.(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Maximum security Paul Lester puts a dozen security suites through their paces Capable security software is a must for every home user, and that need is reflected in the wide range of solutions available to help you protect your PC and ...
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Kaspersky Internet Security 2009 Price [pounds sterling]39.99 Contact Kaspersky 0871 789 1632 www.kaspersky.com Kaspersky's Internet Suite 2009 adds some interesting new features to an already comprehensive security package to heighten ...
McAfee Total Protection 2009.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester McAfee Total Protection 2009 Price [pounds sterling]59.99 Contact McAfee 01753 217 500 www.mcafee.com/uk McAfee has been one of the leading names in home security almost since viruses first appeared, but recent versions of its suites ...
Norton 360 v2.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Norton 360 v2 Price [pounds sterling]59.99 Contact Symantec 0800 331 6025 www.symantec.co.uk Norton 360 was one of the first security suites to incorporate additional features to help you back up and optimise your computer, so the ...
Panda Global Protection 2009.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Panda Global Protection 2009 Price [pounds sterling]48.99 Contact Panda 0870 243 0690 www.pandasecurity.com/uk We've been quite impressed by Panda's software in the past and chose its Global Protection 2009 for this group test as a ...
PC Tools Internet Security 2009.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester PC Tools Internet Security 2009 Price [pounds sterling]49.95 Contact PC Tools www.pctools.com PC Tools' Internet Security 2009 is the full-blown version of its successful anti-virus and anti-spyware suite. It adds a firewall and ...
Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2009.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Paul Lester Trend Micro Internet Security Pro 2009 Price [pounds sterling]54.95 Contact Trend Micro 01628 400 500 http://uk.trendmicro.com/uk/home Trend Micro's Internet Security Pro 2009 is a rebranded PC-Cillin and attempts to compete with ...
Microsoft Windows Live Onecare.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Microsoft Windows Live Onecare Price [pounds sterling]37.99 Contact Microsoft 0871 789 1632 www.onecarelive.com Windows Live Onecare hasn't fared so well against more established anti-virus/malware vendors in the past, but Microsoft ...
Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite 2009.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite 2009 Price [pounds sterling]39.95 Contact Zone Alarm www.zonealarm.com Zone Alarm likes to remind people that it pioneered the first personal computer firewall, but it has had its work cut out since ...
VehoFilmScanner.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Paul Lester Veho USB Film Scanner Create digital copies of your favourite photos from film Most modern photo printers come with attachments to process negatives and slides, but if you don't own one of these you could use a dedicated solution like ...
Beef up your Wifi security.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Beef up your Wifi security Security remains one of the biggest Wifi worries, but home routers often come with low-security settings as the default to ensure maximum compatibility and a trouble-free 'out of the box' experience. In this workshop we ...
Do you need a dynamic domain name service?
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Do you need a dynamic domain name service? If you want to connect to your home network remotely, you need to use its public IP address or, better still, a domain name that can be resolved to that address using DNS, the Domain Name System. ...
Whati?1/2s a firewall?
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens What's a firewall? A firewall is software that sits between your local network and the internet inspecting the data traffic passing between the two to protect local users from hackers, trojans and other common threats. At its most basic a ...
Which addresses?(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Which addresses? On a private home or small-business network you can use any IP addresses you like, but the DHCP server inside most routers will be preconfigured to use officially reserved ranges. These can vary but, typically, will be in the ...
Free routers, what are they good for?
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens Free routers, what are they good for? You've received a router as part of your broadband deal, but could you do better? For most people the answer is 'no' as the router they've been sent is guaranteed to work and is easily fixed or replaced, ...
When routers go bad.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Alan Stevens When routers go bad Routers can and do go wrong. Fortunately, their settings are held in non-volatile memory, so switching them off and back on again usually fixes most common faults. If this doesn't work, it may be because you have ...
Why not ad hoc?(ad hoc networks)(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Why not ad hoc? You can build a Wifi network without a wireless router or access point. Called ad hoc networking, client Wifi adapters can be set up to talk directly to each other on a peer-to-peer basis. However, ad hoc ...
Hidden assets.(routers (network hardware))(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Hidden assets Switches are cheap but you don't necessarily have to buy one to build a cabled network. Take a look at the router provided as part of your broadband package, as often you'll find it's a combined router/switch ...
Cable matters.(network cables)(Brief article)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Cable matters Be careful when buying network cables as there are two types. Most are wired straight through and it's these that are used to connect PCs, servers, printers and other devices to switches. Such cables are often called 'patch' cables, ...
Navigating the network maze.
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Alan Stevens Navigating the network maze It's all too easy to be left dazed and confused by the networking maze, admits Alan Stevens, but this special guide will help you gain your bearings A- and the upper hand Once something only of interest to ...
Planon Printstik PS950.(Product/service evaluation)
Nov 27, 2008; ... Byline: Andrea-Marie Vassou Planon Printstik PS950 Print on the move from your mobile phone or PDA As the devices we use to read emails and web pages become smaller and more portable, so more of us feel the need to have a portable printer too. This is the ...
The write stuff.
Nov 27, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Nott The write stuff Self-publishing has not had a very auspicious history, but modern technology makes it a popular option for aspiring authors, as Tim Nott explains When William P Young wrote his guy-meets-God novel The Shack he had trouble ...