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    Computeractive Issue - 624

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    of 76
    1 STOP USING OUTLOOK ¢ And ditch email folders for labels SB} This ebook reader is better Better search Automatic filters p20 1 . . j Don't pay for... 4 Software t Music @ Apps j Films Ebooks WINDOWS How to Master its Superb I New Tools Tools | > Everything it does better than Windows 10 WI Download apps to avoid junk 1 Control videos from taskbar i View multiple windows WI Take better screenshots 7 Turn off annoying alerts =P Best new keyboard shortcuts A you must memorise o-8 th olrria61 re21042 8 a [so PLUS ee) Ns TO YOUR LAPTOP Burn files the way experts do p35 _ Vact22) TW ecto ec GAMING —_ (elstela Me Tae) WWW.PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK © 0333 011 7000 ee 80 OGG BD ecspecialist WELCOME J Ce ir et an Feber Boom Pemerein lets oh nk Dan stan Po Narfors tara A Sow évetng Mages or Dept Aberin aero MaRXETOG ANOCRCULATN Stsrpencrrnee Forster ries 90590353 955, Seorecamest Ses Prato tree Grane cet ene tose rove uate amass ne Compare pang Fesrerlaederreacoaatahe INTERUTINAL UCSC AND SIRECATON [Grptecceis nae karang an syecton. Taha creator ‘cate Tispoesen meyretberesoneronewse Sette wee teow eave oe er CGriesxsueance aerbes rte sere Pemmassions ater moy tbe eed nay fm wo ‘wen arent eps Peas saess 500) ‘pes ocaoremputrane cose Were aston prep sagan he bers ana eres fr asec Ete romtnor an csewens re [ales ae based oneaupmert tet mgt ttre ree Contre te reget foes cea tes hoses ued he magne copy nae C202, iagrsrsenee| Inopesrom Gey mages Comptes ete tert Netra epson sna ay bereaaied sondnarersaysmtriei Zayfomoryaryeans iene wrtenperesa et renatoe Dstt Meetoce oy Paco ses bec 2059.648 D ceases Peas From the Editor friend told me recently that he loved ‘Windows 11 because it looked so similar to Windows 10. Another said he couldn't see the point of Windows 11 precisely because it looked so similar. Both have a point, but l agreed more with the former, and not only because it was his round next, After decades of trying I think Microsoft has finally hit the winning formula with Windows 11. It's remarkably simple: add as many features as you like, but make sure anew version looks roughly the same as rg VLEs | DsEverythingit does better than Windows 10 ‘Download apps to aed junk Control videos rom tashbar Mew rutile windows ‘2 Tumet mnyingaleris THIS ISSUEINNUMBERS Price ofa Kingston ‘SSD that boosted a reader's PC p40 348.8 million How tong UttraRAM Number of PCs sold could save data for In2021-the most without Itdegrading since 202 -p9 ~pas 1,000 years the system it’s replacing, That sens familiarity removes the biggest reason people don't upgrade, and gives them the confidence to try those new tools. Italso helps when you've got an expert like Robert Irvine explaining what to do. Follow the advice in his Cover Feature and ‘you'll be a Windows 11 master in no time. Daniel Booth editor @computeractive.co.uk + PS Our 2021 Back Issue CD will be available Soon ~ sorry for the delay Taker sceensots Best new tytoud shortcuts Yuma memos By SNIPCA URLs ‘We use snipcas to turn long URLS. that are hard to type into ones that are short and simple. They arent ‘websites themselves, which means they won't be recognised i you type them into Google. Instead, you need to type them into your browser address bar, then press Enter. Doing this will take you to the correct website Issue 624 + 2-18 February 2022 3 Contents 2-15 February 2022 + Issue 624. 6 News Openreach offers £20k to catch cable thieves Ci 10 10 Question of the Fortnight a Is 5G a dangerto aeroplanes? 11 ‘Protect Your Tech Edge updates containing ransomware 12 Letters | upgraded to Windows 11 despite Microsoft saying | couldn't 14 Consumeractive |s John Lewis allowed to repair laptop under warranty? 16 Grow Your Family Tree Find distant relations who emigrated 18 BestFreeSoftware OnlyOffice 7.0 Acer Aspire Vero 21 Named &Shamed @ Norton’s crypto-mining toot 22 Acer Aspire Vero Laptop makes room for improvements 23 Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go Use Chrome away from home 24 BenQMobiuzEX2710S Gaming monitor goes to the next level 25 Brother DCP-J1200W Inkjet prints charming Kobo Libra2 26 Realme85G @ Budget phone lacks photo opportunity 28 Lenovo Go Wireless Mouse Control your PC in comfort Asustor Drivestor2 NAS drive streams the house down 29 KoboLibra2 Ebook reader starts anew chapter 30 Buy It/Competition Win a devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 4 2-15 February 2022: Issue 624 Subscribe now! See page 58 for our special subs offer BC chy td Ty 35 Howto...Backupfilestoan externaldiscdrive 40 Readers’ Tips Create notes while browsing in Vivaldi 42 Browser Tips ‘Send web pages straight to your inbox. 44 Phoneand Tablet Tips Stop cookies. {racking you around the web 46 Make Windows Better Zoom into parts of your screen in Skype calls. 47 Make Office Better Change defautt orientation for pages 48 IntheCiub Make raffle tickets using Word templates 49 What's All the Fuss About? UltraRAM 50 COVER FEATURE How to master Windows 11 How to Master (<9... its Superb mm) Saar rae opens New Tools lim Microsofts latest operating system >} Everything it does better than Windows 10 60 Freeatlast! The best ebooks, films, audiobooks and software that no longer cost anything 62 Don'tbuy the wrongstylus Make sure the pen you buy to write, draw oF produce artwork on your tablets the one youneed 64 Problems Solved What happens when | remove my PC's CMOS battery? Tl Reader Support Is Ultimate Windows Tweaker unsafe? 72 Jargon Buster ‘74 Easy When You Know How Robert Irvine syncs bookmarks across browsers Issue 624 + 2-15 February 2022 5 | Ve " | \ | S The top stories in the world of technology i Openreach offers £20k to catch cable thieves penreach has offered a which knocked out services to reward of £20,000 for hundreds of homes. information that will The company said that on. help catch thieves who stole the evening of 2 January copper cables providing criminals used 4x4 vehicles to phone and broadband, drag large sections of live Itfollows a series of thefts in cable froma road in EW, the Cambridgeshire villages of Thieves struck again two days, ‘Swavesey and Witehord later, stealing cables in ‘Swavesey, damaging an RSPB PEAT Rd rnature reserve in the process. COpeneach is oflring the Capperpeestatetosoar | real hr Crimestoppers InMay2020estreqloba. | which ts ou submit economy reopened sooner information anonymously, fi ttanmanyexpected Tat | online (wwewsnipen, Speak'Up) Stay Safe: trendtacbeensustahedty | com/40697, You canalso thegrowthinelecrcvenices, | phone 0800 3551 togive _esentialemergency services Openreach has previous wichneedmorettan twice” | information without reveling alsobeing severely impacted offered £20,000 rewards fot theanounteteopper thon | your ident by this the potential thefts in Tamesmead east petiolones Severatanaysts | Annabelle Goodenough, devastatingeffect on human London (in 2020) ain favecaledcopperthe | Crimestoppers SouthEast Mecannotbe underestimated”. Roothing, Epping and Hark newt predetngprces | Regional Manage sad the ‘Engineers managed to. in sex (in 2021) todoubleaganby2025es | langerevard “reflects the minimise the disruption by Criminals are interested Governments pusharderto | hugeamount of damage replacing hundreds of metres oni in oder copper cables, Praseoupetolanddese | causedtoserices andthe ofeablewithinacouple days. not the newer oped bre Vehicles Cimnalgargswal | localenvironment andthe Cable thefts are becoming, cables in bret the- goaftertismoney.sosady | importance they place onthe increasingly common as the __ Premises (FTTP) networks, wweexpectmanymorecable | iste" price of copper has more than However, some gangs do ip These next decade, Sheadded:“Thisisnota doubledsincethestat ofthe’ up Abe cables mistaking vietmless crime, With firtlockown in Mareh 2020, them for copper Microsoft forces PCs to install Windows 21H2 lerosofthasstarted to Thecompany sldi’susing Windows 10 launched foee the 2112 update for machine laringto decide in 2016 Mlerosot wil Windows 10 = released in which computers are ready to support version 212 November 2021-on computers upgrade to 21H2, helping to. untlJane 2023, 3s runningversion 2042, which ensurea smooth update confirmed on its twas released 12 months eal. experience” (se wwrwsnip, Windows 10 Home and Itplanstostop supporting com’ 40709) ProLifecyee page: ws 201120n10 May, soneeds to Installing 21H2 should be snipca.com 40702 Upgrade computers stil furtystrightforward because Tocheck which version of WWE then click OK. You'll inningittoamore recent itsoneofthe hte and. Windows you're running, see Isted inthe box that version. least significant updates since _ press Windows key+R, type appears (see screenshot). You'll like this... but not this... Virgin Media 02 won't reintroduce roaming Nine-year-old children are hacking UK charges (www.snipca.com/40699) schools (www.snipca.com/40700) 6 2-15 February 2022 « Issue 624 Apple pulls fake Wordle games as popularity soars pple has removed several fake versions of the word game Wordle from its App Store, as imitators attempt to cash in on its sudden popularity The game, which challenges players 10 find a five-letter word in six guesses, launched in October and now has ‘two million users, Its creator, software developer Josh Wardle, designed the game as an alternative to phone apps that collect your data, are littered with adverts and constantly demand your attention with pop-up alerts But that hasn't stopped ‘opportunistic developers ‘mimicking the name to build their own games. Zach Shakked, for example, boasted that his game, called “Wordle ~ the App’, had been, downloaded 12,000 times Twill reportedly release its frst WI-FI 6 router to customers in the summer, helping to boost the speed of their home network and allow them to use more devices simultaneously: A “number of sources" close to the company told website IsPreview that BT will start sending the Smart Hub 3 router from July replacing the Smart Hub 2 (pictured), which was released in late 2018, BT hadl been expected to release the router earlier, but was delayed because of the Covid pandemic and a global shortage of processors. WORDLE within hours of launching. Apple removed the app even though the genuine Wordle is, available only as an online game (www.powerlanguage. co.uk/wordle, pictured), and not as an app to play on your phone or tablet. The name ‘Wordle’ doesn't appear to be copyrighted. ‘Shakked initially sald he It's thought that the router «will come with a new version of BI’s Complete mesh Wi-Fi system. The first edition of its Whole Home package remains ‘our favourite mesh WI-FI system (see page 33). Some of BT's biggest rivals have already sent Wi-Fi 6 had “crossed a line” by creating the app, but hhas since decided to peal against Apple’s decision. He has offered to change its name, design and the vay it works, 10 avoid players confusing it ‘with Wordle. He claims Josh Wardle turned down “a huge licensing fee to jointly build an official app version, Another Apple app called Wordle (www. snipea.com/ 40693) launched five years ago, has soared in popularity, as players searched! for an iOS version of the online game, There are at least two Android apps called Wordle, though neither are related to the game made by Josh Wardle, ‘re you addicted to Wordle? Letusknow: eters computeractve cou BT’s first Wi-Fi 6 router ‘coming in July’ routers to customers. This, includes Virgin Media 02, which released the Hub in October (wwwsnipea, com/40694). Read Issue 623's Cover Feature (pictured) for full details of how Wi-Fi 6 can improve your network, GOVT OFFERS FIRMS ‘£5K OFF SOFTWARE. ‘Small businesses can ciaim ‘discounts of up to £5,000 ‘on approved software tunder a new Government scheme. The ‘Help to Grow’ ‘measures cover programs suchas digital accounting and tools to manage customer Felationships. To be eligible businesses must employ between five and 249 staff, ‘and be buying the software forthe first ime. Apply athttps://helptogrow. ‘campaign gov.uk, (MICROSOFT SCRAPS ‘AUDIBLE APP Microsoft has removed the ‘Audible app fromits store and told existing users that ital stop working after -31)uly. said the decision Is based on “feedback we receive from our listeners” suggesting not enough people were using it. Users should play audiobooks through their iOS andl Android apps instead, Microsoft said, rin Audible's Cloud Player (wwrw.snipca.com/40692). audible Relay Ey WORLD ‘This is how an ‘avatar personalisation engine’ ‘works, according to a patent application from Facebook's ‘owner Meta, Itusesa'skin replicator to create a 3D virtual avatar of people, ‘so they can appear in the ‘metaverse, Think we'lstick toreallfe. Issue 624 » 2-15 February 2022 7 News] KCOM CANCELS. INFLATION PRICE. RISE FOR 2022 KCOM, which provides broadband to Hull and East Yorkshire, has scrapped its annual price rise, saying it ‘wants to help customers facing a“costof living crisis". Uke other companies, it planned to raise prices by the rate of inflation plus 3.9 per cent (see page 10, Issue 623), but will now freeze them Lunt 2023, See the statement at wwvwsnipca.com/40644. DHL SCAMS NOW MosT ‘COMMON WORLDWIDE Courier giant DHLhas ‘overtaken Microsoftas the ‘company most tkely tobe limitated in scams. Security ‘analysts Check Point said the firm appeared in 23 per cent ‘of scams worldwide in the last three months of 2021, ‘ahead of Microsoft (20 per cent) and WhatsApp (1 per cent) Other firms in the top 1Oiinclude Google, Amazon ‘and PayPal. Read more at ‘wnwnw.snipca.com/40654, THE WORLD'S (=>) GONE MAD! Ka) Isthe metaverse just one big conspiracy to sell ore ‘chewing gum? According to German researchers (www, sipca.com/40615), chewing ‘gum helps distract the brain ‘and prevent "visually induced ‘mation sickness” caused bby wearing virtual-reality hheadsets. They even tested whether different favours ‘work better (no, apparentiy) Good news for Wrigley; bad ‘news for pavements. 8 2-15 February 2022 «Issue 624 Scrap encryption that ‘hides’ child abuse, urges campaign new campaign backed by the Government is calling on tech companies to scrap end-to-end- eneryption (E2EE) in their messaging tools (TO HIDE) because it makes it . sending messages to children they're not ES connected with, and (CHILD SEX ABUSERS | Eat ieee S| under-18s private or “friends only”, However, many tech, experts claim it’s harder for the police to technologically detect child abuse. could mean around 14 million impossible to keep E2EE in When a service uses E2EE, messages containing images of messages while also checking only the sender and the child abuse going undetected, their content for child abuse recipient are able to read havinga “catastrophic impact They warn that weakening the message. In contrast, on child safety” F2EE would leave the public ‘messages that aren't protected They said: “We're callingon at greater risk of being hacked by E2EEcan be intercepted social media platforms to or blackmailed, but the Home and read by the company that makea public commitment Office said personal privacy is provides the service, as well that they willonly implement “compatible with safety asother interested parties end-to-end encryption when measures that can ensure the such as the police. they have the technology to detection of child sexual ‘WhatsApp and Signal ensure children’s safety won't exploitation and abuse" already use E2EE, while Meta be put in jeopardy asa result”. ‘The campaign is led by plans to add it to Facebook Meta argues that itcan use charities Barnardo's, the Lucy Messengerand Instagram in E2EE while implementing ‘Faithfull Foundation and the 2023. Campaigners at No Place other systems to Keep children Marie Collins Foundation, as {o Hide (hitps://noplacetohice. safe, pointing out that it well as safety-technology org.uk, pictured) claims this already restricts adults from company SafeToNet. Facebook legal case may give you £50 compensation Focrecneenssiony gitar Tost British users £50ifa Facebook was able rmasslegalcaim against the | todo thisbecause firms saccessfl the company had Its parent company Meta is such a strong. accused of abusing its market market dominance. dominance to gather personal Dr Gormsen said: data, and could end up paying “In the 17 years £2.3bn in damages. since it was created, access our service for free”. ‘The claim, which is the first Facebook became the sole He added: “They choose our ofits kind against Meta in the social network in the UK services because we deliver UK, has been lodged by Liza where you could be sure to value for them and they Lovdahl Gormsen, an expert connect with friends and have meaningful control {in competition law and family in one place’. ‘of what information they adviser to the Financial She will seek compensation share on Meta’s platforms Conduct Authority. for people who used Facebook and who with’, ‘The lawsuit alleges that inthe UK between 1 October The case will be brought on. Facebook made billions of 2015 and 31 December 2019, an ‘opt-out basis’, which pounds by forcing users to whien is thought to be more. _-means all users will ‘agree to “unfair” termsand than 44 million people. automatically be eligible for conditions that meant they In response, a Meta compensation unless they surrendered valuable personal spokesman said: “People choose not to be. 4 PC sales soared in 2021 to Coo nine-year high TaCOn OTR COMING TO LIBREOFFICE aes of computers ose by Trened Srey spercenin208, cana! Ny riven by more people Lbreoftce wt ‘working fom home, have Kingon Industry analysts IDC sid ason ofl that manutictares sold language, 548.8 milion machines in Version 3, due for release the past 2 months. up fom inFebruary. wi offer the S04 millon In 2020 Sere eel Thats an even bigger ise Sees than fom 209 to 2020, Great 2006 as aay or when sales increased by 13 per means they've increased by However, IDC also predicts Gitizens of Slavic countries Centasthestartofthe Covid.34>percentsince2017 winen sales growth to slowin2022 | to eonmuniate with each pandemic forced millions to theysankaslowas260 milion. beeause demand during the | ether Read whatelsels tron om home TDC sad that sales would. pandemic has peaked Topeceamere: The ise lifts salesback toa have been even higher had" Lenovosold the most units | eam/40647 Tevellstseenin 2012. and the global processorshortage for the fourth consecutive not severely mite the Year withamarketshareof 98 AREAS To SWETcH iumber of computers Daspercent followed by HP, | OFF COPPER PHONE LENOVOREMAINS "] Tranuacureesbe to DeAppean crc ox | Opeweachashamedthe mnake, particularly inthe fnal lef) However, Dellenjoyed a | newt 9 exchange areas sLepov 819!iionunts so | tinee monthsoftheyeae. —laerannualineeasen PC. | where wl swatch ofits SAP” Fam TomMainel, group vice sales (7.9 percent) than espperphone eter ‘bet 593m president of IDCs Device and Lenow (41 percent) and HP | favour of VP an ile “Apple 277m Consumer Reseach, sake "We (8.3 per cen) fave, Youcan see the new heer 235m closed the year with many iivaeyseeiene”” | Ntlons plsthase “Oamers 17m buyer sil wating thelr ee ateatyramed by PConders to ship carpenccca eee ' eases — Sa Sipeacom/406T3, then Google updates Chrome to stop 100th — scatingcownionmer 458 (Aberdeen Balgownie). version breaking sites TESCO MOBILE DOUBLES ool has released a "EXCESS CALLS’ FEES Chrome update for Tesco Moblels mere than veal comers avo a deoubing te amount Mllennium Bugsy error charges cistomers for when the browser launches its ‘exceeding their monthly Tooth version in March ERATE cas Fom9 February itwants to avold a repeat of TEES, ces torcals above our errors caused in 2011 wen Umit ise rom asp Ghrome jurped fra minute to Sp, wetexts single-fgure version to double check thre digs, ermal servers that blocked! | wie fom fOpto20p figures-from 91010. any” Googlessolutionsorste messages beingsentafter | Italsolnereasing the trees couldnt cope with ownerstorumon theChrome midnight on New Year's Eve | ast other sees, thischange and wouldn't load —flag‘Force major version 0 (ee sue 623, page 9). Incdng sending pure Inthe browser 100th User Agent Itgives Hs malware seaning messages and making The problem isthat some moreinformation, including sytem names updates using [ational eas sites check only the first wo digits ofa browser's version, and will read ‘Chrome 100" as. “Chrome 10". It means they won't work in the browser until they've been modified to instructions for activating the fix, on its blog for Chrome Developers (wwwsnipea ccom/4063) Microsoft recently fixed a similar bug in its Exchange the year, month and date, followed by 0001, But it couldn't cope with the change from 2021 to 2022, causing a “date check failure”. Microsoft fixed the problem on 3 January. TESCO mobile Issue 624» 2-15 February 2022 9 Question of the Fortnight Is 5G a danger to aeroplanes? US airlines say it could disrupt vital landing systems G technology is meant 5 to give us faster and saa more reliable internet acoess wherever we are, boosting the economy and Improving publie services in the process. What i's not meant to dois disrupt the navigation systems used by aeroplanes, leaving them grounded and causing countess delays That’s what alte bosses in the US fear. They're worried that radio frequencies used by 5G are close to those used by altimeter, whieh tll pilots how high their plane is. These are especially crucial for landing airplanes when Visibility is poor. The problem was first *US networks have suspended the rollout of SGnear airports after altines claimed it could disrupt navigational systems + They had already set up SG'butfer zones’ by turing off transmitters within one rile of runways +The UK's Civil Aviation ‘Authority says there's no evidence that SG can cause aircraft systems tofall More significant though is that these countries have been highlighted in 2020 by using 5G near airports for the Federal Aviation ‘Asa compromise, US flights to the US. several years without any ‘Administration (FA) ~ the US networks tuned off their ‘That prompted US networks problems. Around 10,000 5G body for regulating airtravel 5G transmitters around 50 _tosuspend the SGrollout, _base stations have operated in and was backed up by the _arportsto create temporary _delightingairlines which___—_over 20 countries in Europe RICA, an organisation that “buffer zones’. These spread claimed it eased the potential during the past three years all provides technical guidance morethanamilearound for disruption. Networks at power levels similar tothe ‘were furious though. AT&T C-band used in America, ‘ ; spokeswoman Megan Keterer Here n the UK, where the 66 Without protectivemeasures sald: “Weare frustrated by the 5G range is 3.4GHz to 3.6GHz, there couldbe'catastrophic failures '*simiiliy doit regulators don’t seem to be nearly 40 countries have done, worried. In December, the it i ities’ which is to safely deploy 5G Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) leadingtomultiplefatalities JJ gy winoutdonuping sth he tenn aviation services” confirmed instances where 5G foraviatrs. {published a runways,andgive planes 20. Kettererssttement raises interference has resulted in reportclaiming that without seconds ofsgnal-fee ime thequestion of why ather—_aeraft system malfunction or appropiate protective While they come in for landing, countries have approved SG unexpected behaviour mieastres there could be But airineshavebeen = nearairports The answer's Some communications “catastrophic failures leading —_ calling for these zones to only partly technological. experts accuse airlines of ‘to multiple fatalities”. stretch two miles, and AT&T and Verizon's SG using faulty analysis to assess. But this view wasn't shared predicted "chaos" ffightsare —runsona partof the adlo_therlsk, leading them 0 by ATRT and Verizon, the two forced fo be grounded spectrum called the band, exaggerate the dangers. They networks rolingout 3Ginthe Thats exactly what Derween 37-3.98GHe else to point ut that mlitary radars US, nor by the Federal happened on 19 January, the 4.2-4.4GHz range used by - which use much more Communications Commission when SGtransmiters were altimetes.Coamtres in power than SG ~ don't cause (FOC), which regulates how due to be switched on. Europe and Asia run SG problems, But US airlines have theradiospectrum s used inline inching Emirates, between 3.43.8GHz, 0 "swan theargument- for now, the US. tesa SG transmitters pan Aitines, Air India fartheravay fom altimeers anya. Their wairing of andaltieters can worksafely and AllNippon cancelled inthe spectrum, posing ess “economic calamity" was to0 together some oftheir Boeing 777 riskintheary. potent for networks to quash 10 2-15 February 2022 « Issue 624 Protect your tech —] Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools Edge updates containing ransomware What's the threat? ‘Scammers are infecting, ‘computers with ransomwware by tricking people into are written in Korean BL So far this seam has targeted South Korean users only, but security specialists expect it downloading fake updates to spread globally justas, for Microsoft's Edge similar scams installing browser. Coen Magniber previously I'you install the update, Temper asus opr targeted Flash and Internet the Magniber ransomware Explorer users around the will enerypt your files, and world I's highly likely the then demand you pay attack will target UK users $2,550 worth of Bitcoin at some point this year, so tounlock them. This be warned. payment increases to $5,099 The number one rule ityou don’t pay within five Js that Edge updates days - as explained by automatically, so you'll Malwarebytes on its blog never se a random warning ‘wwewssnipea.com/40672 that it's out of date. To check The scam works by warning people Clicking the green “Update edge the latest version, click the top-right that they are using an “older version” of button Binsalls the malare. Settings mem (or press Alt), then Edge. This can appear as the heading on ‘Help and feedback’ followed by About web page orasa dropdown message How ean you stay safe? Microsoft Fdge This may prompt Ege 0 urging you to “update your browser to Look agin at the screenshot: you'l see update itself, or you'll ee the message the latest version” (fin our screenshot). thatthe buttons inthe pop-up message tha the bowser is already uptodate LN (eV ele Sisal Pen Like DuckDuckGo, reaper rating in the shield, Fake NHS Covid pass Startpage is a privacy- e ‘sky.com based on the number of Thanks to Computeractive ve been See Se | ccm Saeamtes Pee | coc ccccwoscen what you do online, ermcrrencinunamsee ©) five is best - or most ‘though | managed to avoid being Soe REARS | ‘oyccororonnesceneeccr from targeting you. One — — worst. January when I was texted a ‘way to use it is simply to 6 2 In our screenshot, Sky message to apply for an'NHS COVID eee S| 2 Fes | mee ‘wwwstartpage.com, com/uk) scores a com/4061). It said that “failure to though it’s easier to use Menage rat saan middle-of-the-range apply may result in fines", which isn’t ee | we 'retenecorcceuse Protection extension - available for ‘trackers and two cookies blocked. This. also looked highly suspicious: | vcresscr ence vay. Sa ee ee een canister SSR TGC ENAEE | notteccasconcurconseey above, pin its icon (a blue shield) to all got the lowest score of one. that was just a coincidence? | hope Your browser toolbar. Type something _ However, as Startpage explains (www. so, anyway. ae ee ee aa eee eaan ae present the results. lick through to depending on where you go online, ‘War yur feliow readers about scams SS Sa ee execs Issue 624 + 2-18 February 2022 Letters WP Tell us what's on your mind Virgin sent me router that won't work with Wi-Fi 6 When I received Issue 623 1 ‘tumed straight to page 50 to read the ‘Why you must upgrade to WIHT 6’ Cover Feature, hoping to get things moving straight away. already have all the Cat 6 cables ‘connected to my PCs, and one of them is already equipped with the WI-FI 6-capable Ethernet card. ‘However, in early January I was upgraded to Virgin Media 1GB broadband, but I was only given a Hub 4 router (pictured above right), which | now find doesn't work with Wi-FL6. | then asked Vingin why I wasn't given the ‘Hub 5 router, as was anticipated and expected, which does work with Wi-F1 6, | Was told the Hub 5 doesn’t work with \Vingin’s current telephone service, ‘that I'l have to remain with the Hub 4. Research tells me that there’s a Hub 6 due, butit seems that Virgin isn't even, supplying the Hub 5 yet for customers who have signed up to their 1 GB service. Derrick Barr Inflation-busting phone bills worse than broadband Issue 623's ‘Question of the Fortnight’ on broadband bills, rising by a record amount this year made for unpleasant reading. The impact will be even worse for mobile customers of Virgin Media 02 (like me), who are inereasing prices by the RPI (Retail Price Index) inflation rate, plus an extra 3.9 per cent. The RPI is normally about lone per cent higher than the CPI, so my bills could easily tise by 10 per cent this year. Add that on top of rising energy bills. ‘and 2022 looks like il burn through my. savings like a wildfire, Dave Ablett ‘The question has to be why broadband providers feel the need to add an extortionate 3.9 per cent on t0 the cost. The answer is probably that they've spent billions building full-fibre networks that millions of people will never want, When that realisation dawns, they'll have to raise prices by even more to recoup their huge losses. In years t0 ‘come we may look back at inflation plus 3.9 per cent as the good times! Colin Baxter 12 2-15 February 2022 « Issue 624 ve been with Virgin ‘Media for many years, but soon with the rise in bills il be paying £54.75 for 100Mbps plus a landline. My intention is to go with someone else for around 60Mbps and at least £20 less per ‘month, as I don’t need my current fast speed. Geoffrey Bow BT keeps pestering me for faster speeds | don’t want Tagree with readers recently who predict that broadband providers ‘il strugale to sel ful-ibre to enough homes to make it financially viable. As an ‘example, mon 100Mbps, which is more than enough for me. But BT keeps pestering me to upgrade to 500Mbps at a much higher price. live alone, and so never have more than one computer or smart TV eonnected tothe internet at anytime. Tve told this to BT, but stll they keep sending me marketing offers ~ emails, leaflets through the post and so on. At this rate, they'll waste more money on marketing than they will laying cables. Jonathan Brewster Alexa doesn't know how dangerous driving is ‘Your article on how to use your phone legally and safely while driving (issue 622, page 60) told us to make sure your phone is nota distraction” Good advice, but even under the new ‘Way back in Issue $17 there was ‘a Workshop on finding and removing programs making your PC start slowly. Haven't you covered this subject more recently? Robert Vickery FESR rs something we regularly fue advice on, but we think youl Particularly appreciate our feature in Issue 592 (pages 60-61). 'm wiring my conservatory to ‘my garden shed, and need the name of the outdoors Ethernet cable laws this will no doubt be ignored by ‘many: How will those who are addicted to their phones and have to constantly ‘check them manage to drive safely? ‘Together with ‘infotainment’ screens in ‘many cars, which are known to impair drivers’ reaction times more than alcohol and cannabis use, it putsa driver and Other road users at an increased risk. ‘Years ago I could listen to the car's radio, ‘but that was when traffic was lighter and. speeds were lower. Not now: Driving is ‘more hazardous than ever, but Alexa is, not aware of it. David Page Shopping coupons drove me to the Edge Thank you so much fr the tip in Issue 622's ‘Named and Shamed (page 21) on disabling the shopping coupons in Edge. They are so irritating, and [ad tried every way [knew to turn them off, but thanks to Computeractive {can remove them forever. They're as misleading as they are annoying, [was looking to purchase an item when the coupon advised I could buy it cheaper. [did look atthe ‘offer’, but taking into account the postage it actually worked out dearer! K wilson Don't forget about bigger laptops in your reviews Thanks for an excellent and Informative magazine, though Ido have one small gripe. Your laptop reviews you suggested some time last year. Douglas Stewart Ie was made by Smedz and ‘costs £11 for 10 metres (wwwisnipea, ‘com/393I2). See Issue 615, page 61 I can't find the reader's tip that recommended a program for resizing desktop icons. Can you help? Steve Batchelor FEESIGM Nes, i as from reader Fraser Drummond in Issue 604, page 42. always seem to focus on ‘the smaller the better’, and seem to downplay the usefulness of desk-sized laptops. I'm retired and no longer have any need to carry my laptop around. | realise 'm probably part of a minority market, but would it be posstble to review nice, big laptops, with a minimum screen size of 17 inches, and possibiy with a CD drive? You may ask why not get a tower PC? Simply, I don’t want or need the power or the size ofa big machine. My 17in Acer Aspire E17 Is enough for me. Peter Dunn ESIXEM Peter raises an excellent point. It’s easy to assume that small is better, but many people use laptops as a replacement for a desktop PC rather than ‘a device to take anywhere. Please let us know your views. My ancestors’ colourful past Issue 622's feature about readers! favourite programs of 2021 (page 63) Included the wonderful Colorze tool (wwwisnipea.com/ 38167) ve been using it for about two years to add colour to family photos from the 1960s and calier. The results are excellent an remind re of the colours of old familiar things and people that are no longer with us. You requested seeing our examples of using Colorize, so here's a photo (below) of my great-grandparents and their three daughters (one of whom was my’ grandmother). The picture certainly, brings to life the colours of the time and ‘makes the subjects seem more rea TimDowting Noble prize for security Your password setter in Issue 623, Derek Merchant, must have studied chemistry at university because his password (He2NelOANISKra6XeS4RN86) relates to elements and thei atomic ‘numbers, as follows: Helium 2, Neon 10, Argon 18, Krypton 36, Xenon $4 and Radon 86, More specifically these are the noble gases, making up Group 18 of the EF Facebook: wwwfacebook.com/computeractive Sy de Bi emait-ietters@computeractive.co.uk "WD Twitter: "Computeractive wwuctwittercom/computeractive Iupgraded to Windows 11 despite Microsoft saying I couldn't Readers may be Interested in my findings regarding the {installation and use of Windows 11 on computers powered by unsupported. processors, Town a few laptops but my favourite isa Medion Erazer e681 (pictured), which hasan Intel 7200U processor that Microsoft says won't work in Windows 11. The laptop is perfect for my needs, having, both an SSD and an internal hard drive, as well as a dise drive. 1 ‘wondered what would happen if! tried clean install of Windows 11 using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool. downloaded the file to an empty USB drive and installed an empty 1TB SSD to the laptop (I wanted to retain Windows 10 on the original SSD in case the experiment didn’t work). The laptop does have TPM 2.0 om it, so that wasn’t a problem. Imagine my surprise when Windows. 1 installed without any problems. I've subsequently installed Magix. Photostory 2022, Adobe Creative Suite The Star Letter v periodic table, hadn't before thought about using this table asa way of generating passwords, but I now see the potential. For example, you could also use LLISNalIKISRDS7CSSSFY87 as a password. they are the six alkali metals. also studied chemistry, so sequences like this, would come quite naturally to me. Otiver Chambers Oliver was the first reader to crack the code, so a Computeractive mug, Is on its way. We're not sure a background in chemistry will help with the next challenge though. A password with character(s) ‘One of the hardest challenges in coming up with sequences as passwords is finding logical reasons to ‘Views expressed don’tnecessarily reflect those of Computeractive Aertel 6, Bitwarden, Chrome, Brave, ‘Thunderbird, IrfanView and a free office suite, They're all working, smoothly, even though the laptop only has 8GB RAM and an unsupported. processor. This makes me ‘wonder just why Microsoft tells us the processor is incapable of running Windows 11, Ron Hagley FEEXEM Ron's nor the onty reader to have success upgrading to Windows 1 after Microsoft claimed their PC ‘wouldn't runt. This isn't too surprising, Is PC Heath Check App (an automatic download from www. snipea.com/38799) can only offer a best guess about whether your computer is compatible, not a fiarantee. Theres nothing to stop you ‘trying to upgrade even when Microsoft says you can, but i carries risks. For example future updates to Windows 1 ‘might not work on machines it has alvays deemed incompatible, and it would be unlikely to fix such problems. ( hE {insert special characters, such as punctuation marks, I's unlikely you'll ‘come up with a memorable sequence ‘at ineluces characters like the asterisk or the percentage symbol. Exclamation and question marks are the most ‘common, so I try to find natural ways to use them, Here's one example which isn't a chronological sequence, but refers to something specific: HiWypphm?ByTBL&M196s. [even ‘managed to squeeze in an ampersand, ‘making three special characters. Can anyone work out what it refers to? Erie Spall This might be our trickiest challenge yet, though we still expect correct answers within minutes of subscribers receiving their issue. Issue 624» 2-15 February 2022 13 Is John Lewis allowed to repair laptop under When I returned a faulty watranty? ieeesaeecnas D laptop (pictured) bought from John Lewis under the retailer's two-year warranty, [thought Pd geta replacement or perhaps a partial refund. However, John Lewis returned it to Microsoft for a repair, saying that was its policy. estan odes iis ns waranty hn Leis woul ke kane only ith llowe thse ts One aisha sy ene he Consus Rg CRA). Tb the warn on meant ashe da ANN Lesley Reilly We think it was right because geile JOHN Tawar) have to prove the fault was inherent. As John Lewis pointed out, i's a retaller and not a repairer, so will normally return to the manufacturer any items that need fixing. Under its warranty, ifit had been unable to do this Lesley could have expected some ind of refund, just as she could under the CRA. Lesley says she’s lost confidence in the laptop and John Lewis's warranty, but she still has plenty of protection. If another inherent fault shows up, then she should use the CRA to claim a refund (which John Lewis may deduct money from to reflect how long she’s had the laptop). Under the CRA, John Lewis wouldn't be able to fob her off with another repair CoE DoCCRs apply ifretailer adds extended In response to Shelagh Docherty's returns? case in Issue 621, you say that 1] she wouldn't be covered by the ‘Consumer Contract Regulations (CCRs) period because otherwise how would you know it exists? No, Frank wouldn't have Tost any Coo Reader keeps printer after getting £160 free ink © Wethought we had closed Gerald Sables'case inisve @ 622:KHer Epson had sent hima refurbished printer to replace his fulty WorkForce Pro WF-CS210 (Gictured twas the second refurbished printerhe'd received after the rst ct work, Exasperated he was going toretum itand pursue a full efund,buttwo gestures one fram Epson the other from the retaler Leo Office Supplies (LOS, htp:// leooficesupplies co.uk) ~ have made him YA 2-15 February 2022 « Issuie624 change his mind. First, Epson has given him £160 worth of Ink touse in the printer as a goodwill gesture. Second, LOS offered 2 partial refund of £100 off the £299 he spent on the printer. The second refurbished printer seems tobe working property, so despite the inconvenience Geraldhas gota reasonably good result. Toremind readers, Gerald had no choice butto accept a replacement printer because ‘more than six months had passed ‘since purchase. Replacements must bbe the same make and model as the original, and are allowed tobe refurbished ~ though we understand ‘hiy Gerald was seeking laity on this point It's also worth pointing ‘ut that Gerald would have had to accept a repair had Epson or LOS decided to attempt one. Contact us so we can investigate your case emall:consurne \e@camputer Please include your name, phone number and adcress, Can I return a watch I’ve lost faith in? where items are purchased. Since first contacting us, Honorah has emailed again to say the watch appears to be working, The question is what should she do ifit stops working again. Bradleys claims it has not been able to find fault with the watch, and the fourth ‘repair’ was simply replacing the battery, and so this shouldn't count as a repair at al. BRADLEYS 1970 is posite, because the way OY eerste: Couttbe nbrach ee Consumer Pteton fom Un ‘Trading Regulations (CPRS, www. Thos ret aren place tos rales fom nf tang paces sacha ontng crud infomation the ott of purse tach ing te Gomer uae ‘iv cnget reds ityoutinkyoure eon ip at tn October 2019, my husband [ey resins cise Matchen £80, fom Brahe ont in arog Sine prc te wah hasbeen ent back ones ur tine real and nger hae conten nt working ro there hog Tanda? von Wind bat were neding tice becuse tei these a er Have Ibeen ripped off by Currys? BD I recently bought a Dyson VI0 ‘leaner (pictured) from Currys ‘and was told I could have the floor docking station - which costs £99 - for free. Now Currys has said I can't have this, but as compensation I could have a £20 discount. I accepted this offer, but I feel ripped off. What’s your opinion? Peter Sheen Cella ae Following this logic, Bradleys might ‘claim itis entitled to attempt a first repair should the watch develop ‘what it considers to be an Identifiable fault. Also, because ‘more than six months have passed since purchase, it ‘would be allowed to ask Homorah to prove the fault was inherent. Regardless, Bradleys appears to have failed in ‘communicating its position to Honorah, so we've contacted Longines to see whether it can intervene. Coo you have only 90 days from purchase to ‘cancel - or, in legal terms, ‘unwind? - the contract. Its clear that a £20 discount doesnt equate in value of usefulness to a £99 docking station, so there's no doubt the offer is unsatisfactory. However, Currys could argue that Peter has accepted the offer, and therefore has no room for argument. ‘The other problem is how Peter would prove that he was offered the docking, station for free. We've asked Currys to Investigate, pointing out that Peter is ‘unhappy with the outcome despite accepting the £20, pp ERA fixed problem by deleting Y-Cam account twas recently trying assistant told me that the problem stemmed tosetupmy ERA {rom the company buying Y-Cam in 2019. Protect Floodlight ‘had an old Y-Cam account that wouldn't HD outdoor security ‘work with ERA cameras. He talked me camera (£99 from www.snipca, through how to delete my old ¥-Cam ‘com/4068}, pictured), but couldnt ‘account and update to a new ERA one. ‘manage to pairitwith the required had a good chat with him about phone app. Even my electrician how security cameras work, friend couldi't solve the problem. ‘easing concerns Ive always The trouble seemed to be working out hhad. twas such impressive the range itwas operating in. service that feel confident ERA rang ERA, and a customer-service ‘would help me again should | need further assistance, ‘Adam Schofield Has acompany impressed you wath is ‘astome service? Peaseletusknow: ‘edtor@computeractve cous Contact ERA See eae Bee scree oLY) Issue 624 + 2-15 February 2022 15 Grow Your Family Tree In his final column, Nick Peers reveals how he tracked down his great-granduncle. Follow his story and you may also... Find distant relations who emigrated his is my last column, so '™m Tissot apesat oy designed to fuel future research {nto your own tree. I's tempting focus on your direct ancestors - grandparents, sreat-grandparents and so on = ut ike ‘me you may find faseinating characters in ‘more distant branches of your tree ‘My example is James Peers (1862-1933), uncle to my paternal grandfather (which ‘makes him my great-granduncle), In my Grandfather's autobiography he said James (or ‘Uncle Jim’ as he called him) ‘went to live in Philadelphia, married a Dutch woman, had two children, and ran a restaurant oF cae. I decided t see could trace the story of Unete Jim through online records. Confirming Uncle Jim's birth year My grandfather's father, John Pees, ist appeared in the 1881 census asa three- year-old child, and fames was par of the same household, The census gave his age 2519 and his trade as apprentice to confectioner, which fed into the idea ot him being inthe food trade later in life James Peers is a common name in the Nantwich area, where he was born, bt I also knew his mother’s maiden name (Crane, which i ess common, Combining these I uncovered the correct birth year and quarter via the General Records Office birth indexes (www:snipea. ‘com/40588) ~ see Issue 611s column for ‘more advice on this excellent resource. ‘Most of James’s family worked as. labourers or on the railway, so it didn’t surprise me when | found him in Ancestry’s railway records. It seems that, by 1883, ‘however, he had abandoned his culinary dream to become a railway labourer. Looking in the US censuses James was absent from the 1891 census, appearing next in 1901, where he was, recorded in his sister's household asa ‘Journeyman Baker’, returning to the career he'd given up earlier. Originally assumed he'd emigrated after this date, so searched Ancestry’s UK and Ireland. (Outgoing Passenger Lists for him - to no avail, Widening my search to US passenger lists - which requires an upgrade to Aneestry’s top-tier package (£19.99 a ‘month, or £9.99 for 12 record views) ~ 1 found James travelled from Liverpool to Philadelphia in October 1902. Intriguingly, he was described as an “American citizen returning home”. That made sense when I subsequently ound Uncle Jim living in Wilmington, Delaware, in the 1900 US Census (the ur Genealogy Problems Solved "ve upgraded to the new RootsMagic 8 (wwwrootsmagic.com) and am struggling to find where can add street, addresses to places. Previously it was in the Places Details section, Gavin Philips First access the Places Details section by navigating to Places, then click the > button under the Detalls column. From 16 2-15 February 2022 « Issue 624 here, click + to enter your street address. In the Enter New Place Detail box that Pops up. Once that's done, you can use ‘the Edit Place Detail column on the ight to assign precise location coordinates, then {add notes, attach pictures and carry out other tasks. Deg teasers seston? Ema “Grow Your FamyTree!inthe subject ine. wth James Peers sent this postcard to his younger brother Joe, who was being held prisoner in Germany during World War 1 1900-1940 US censuses are free to access (on FamilySearch, wwvfamilysearch. org) identified him from his date of birth (August 1862), country of origin (England) and profession (baker). Italso revealed he'd frst entered the US in 1888 ~ 12years before. James also appeared in the 1920 and 1930 US censuses, which revealed he was living in Philadelphia, had married and ‘had not two, but three children (the third ‘was born much later than the others, in 1923). Idug out a posteard (pictured above) oftheir two eldest children from a collection shared with me online. It had ‘been sent to James's younger brother Joe while he was a prisoner of war during World War 1 Using Ancestry’s US records I then tracked down details of James's marriage {to Lena Huss (1905 in New Jersey), along with birth records for their first 60 children. James was 68 when the 1930 ccensus was taken, and was absent from the 1940 census, So it was no surpris when, via Ancestry, I found details of his death, on 2 February 1933. US death certificates contain lots of useful info, ‘though it recorded the birth year wrong: 1864, not 1862 (see screenshot below). James's death certificate wrongly Next issue: Sign up to access the 1921 Census 1