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videos,, photos
photos,, music and
documents now – and keep them FOREVER!
Beat Google’s December deadline

PLUS
UPDATE
PLUS SOFTWARE YOUTUBE’S SUPERB
100% SAFELY p35 NEW TOOLS REVEALED
So you avoid malware Plus a clever way to dodge annoying adverts p60
WELCOME
EDITORIAL
Group Editor in Chief Graham Barlow
Group Editor Daniel Booth
From the Editor
Deputy Editor Robert Irvine
Production Editor Graham Brown I felt anger and confusion when Google I suspect most readers won’t even
Art Editor Katie Peat
Contributors Keumars Afifi-Sabet, Judith Batchelor, Dinah
announced in May that it would close know what Google’s planning – or when
Greek, Jonathan Parkyn, Nik Rawlinson, Andy Shaw accounts that had been inactive for two it starts – which is why our Cover Feature
ADVERTISING
years. I thought it would catch out many is so urgent. Robert Irvine begins by
Advertising Manager Alexandra Thomas people who’d see their precious videos answering key questions, then explains
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
and photos vapourised. how to download your files from Google.
Subscriptions Juber Ahmed The average Google executive probably Microsoft’s policy on inactive accounts is
For subscription enquiries ring 0330 333 9493
signs into his account before getting out just as strict, so Robert also reveals what to
PRODUCTION of bed each morning. They couldn’t do with content stored on OneDrive.
Head of Production
Stephen Catherall
comprehend going two hours without Follow his advice and you won’t wake
Senior Production Manager logging in, let alone two years. But the rest up one day to find everything you’ve saved
Lawrence Brookes
of us have busy lives that often mean we for years has gone for good.
INTERNATIONAL LICENSING AND SYNDICATION forget accounts and passwords, or where Daniel Booth
Computeractive is available for licensing and syndication.
we stored important files. editor@computeractive.co.uk
To find out more contact us at licensing@futurenet.com or
view our available content at www.futurecontenthub.com.
Head of Print Licensing
p8
Rachel Shaw

ONWARD RESALE
This publication may not be resold or otherwise p38 p62
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can this publication be advertised for sale, transfer or
distribution.

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Material may not be reproduced in any form without the
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LIABILITY
While every care was taken preparing this magazine, the
publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy
of the information or any consequence arising from
it. All judgments are based on equipment available to
Computeractive at the time of review. Computeractive p50
takes no responsibility for the content of external websites
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copies per issue. THIS ISSUE IN NUMBERS HOW TO USE
Computeractive
Printed in the UK £853m 52,000 SNIPCA URLs
Amount Apple How many people We use snipcas to turn long URLs
is being sued for uninstalled AdGuard in that are hard to type into ones that
over ‘defective’ a single day following are short and simple. They aren’t
iPhone batteries YouTube’s ad-blocker websites themselves, which means
– p49 crackdown – p7 they won’t be recognised if you type
them into Google. Instead, you need to
31.5in type them into your browser address
Size of Lenovo’s L32p-30 monitor, bar, then press Enter. Doing this will
recommended by a reader – p41 take you to the correct website.

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 3

 Contents
22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

6 News Microsoft considers extending

Windows 10 support

10 Question of the Fortnight Do internet

providers use jargon to rip off customers?

11 Protect Your Tech

Fake DPD drivers taking packages

12 Letters P  asskeys are great, but password

habit is hard to break

14 Consumeractive Netflix has stopped

supporting my old TV – what are my rights?
p6
16 Grow Your Family Tree Search
Trafalgar and Waterloo battle records Windows 10 – to be continued?

18 Best Free Software

Files 3.0 Geekom AS 6
21 Named & Shamed Microsoft Edge begs p22
you not to ditch it for Chrome

Reviews
22 Geekom AS 6
Mini PC goes into graphic detail

23 Dell Latitude 7340

No-frills laptop gets down to business

24 Asus Chromebox 5
A new mini PC hits the Chrome front

25 Google Pixel 8
Google’s phone makes modest gains Dell Latitude 7340

p23
26 Apple iPhone 15 pxx
Flagship phone floats our boat

28 Hyper Mega Tech Super Pocket

Retro gaming console is child’s play
Logitech Wave Keys
Curvy keyboard shape of things to come

29 Fitbit Charge 6
Smartwatch is fit for purpose

30 Buy It/Competition
Win a WiZ Indoor Camera

4 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

 Subscribe now!
See page 58 for our special subs offer

Workshops & Tips Ease the download p35

35 
How to… Use package managers to
download software safely

38 
Use the new Windows Backup to
restore your operating system
PDF
40 R
 eaders’ Tips Make FastStone PNG
remember your last viewed image MP3 HTML
H3
MPTML

42 Browser Tips DOC PNG

PDF
Improve your address-bar searches ZIP MP3
MOV ZIP
44 Phone and Tablet Tips WADVOC PNG
Let people know when you’ve arrived PDF
PDF ZIP
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WAV MP3
46 Make Windows Better HTML
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STOP
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47 Make Office Better Use keyboard WAV
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48 In the Club PD
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Create a WhatsApp channel DOC
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49 What’s All the Fuss About? CO
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50 COVER FEATURE MO
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Stop Google deleting your files Download your videos
videos,, photos
photos,, music and JPG
Avoid losing photos, documents and emails
when tech companies threaten to close documents
MO now – and keep them FOREVER!
V

your inactive accounts Beat Google’s December deadline

60 Master YouTube’s superb new tools
How the website’s latest revamp will
enhance your video-watching experience

MASTER
62 Find Amazon’s secret Christmas
bargains
Save money on your Christmas shopping
with hidden offers, vouchers, trials and more

64 Problems Solved
YOUTUBE’S
What next for our rural broadband?
SUPERB
NEW TOOLS
71 Reader Support If broadband is slow,
what’s the point of a fast VPN?

(and skip ads!)

72 Jargon Buster
p60
74 Easy When You Know How
Robert Irvine prints unprintable documents

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 5

 News
Microsoft considers extending
Windows 10 support
M
icrosoft’s bosses are
having ongoing
discussions about
whether to extend support for
Windows 10 beyond October
2025, company sources have
told our sister site Windows
Central.
It comes as Microsoft plans
to add more of Windows 11’s
new tools to Windows 10,
WHAT WE THINK
Might Windows 10 really be
reprieved? A year ago it faced
a slow death as Microsoft
announced it wouldn’t get
any new features. But now it
looks set to receive much of
what’s improved Windows 11
recently – and not just minor
settings but the powerful
Copilot, which Microsoft
hopes will win the battle of
AI tools. For the first time we
think there’s a real chance
of support being extended.
We’ll keep listening for leaks
that reveal more details.
Return O2 charger plugs after faults found
O 2 has recalled its 20W and
45W charger plugs after “a
very small number of reports”
showed they were faulty.
The plugs were sold
between August 2021 and
January 2023 and are in O2’s
Original brand (pictured).
Five chargers are being
recalled, including USB-C to
USB-C cables, and USB-C to
You’ll like this…
UK man used Google Earth to track down his
stolen car (www.snipca.com/48284)
6 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
The top stories in the world of technology
despite having
previously said
that it wouldn’t be
adding any more
new features to the
operating system.
This would mark a
significant change in strategy
that suggests Microsoft
accepts millions of Windows
10 users are never likely to
upgrade to 11.
The most significant
addition to Windows 10 will
be the new AI tool Copilot,
insiders said.
Microsoft brought Copilot
to Windows 11 in September
as part of the Moment 4
update. It has added only a
few of that update’s tools to
Windows 10, so it was widely
assumed Copilot would be
available on Windows 11 only.
As with Windows 11, it will
have a Copilot button on the
taskbar that you can click to
open a sidebar for searching
the internet and performing
simple Windows tasks like
opening Office apps,
Lightning cable. See the
precise models on O2’s forum:
www.snipca.com/48273.
O2 has asked customers to
bring affected plugs into any
of its stores to be recycled,
or drop them at a nearby
recycling point (find one at
www.recycleyourelectricals.
org.uk).
It added that the faults were
increasing volume and
turning on dark mode (see
screenshot).
Microsoft’s eagerness to
bring Copilot to Windows 10
is being driven by the
continuing popularity of the
operating system. It’s still
being used on around one
billion computers, more
than double the 400 million
running Windows 11.
It hopes to persuade
developers to build plug-ins
for Copilot to make it capable
of more tasks beyond
Windows. This will be easier
found following tests by the
third-party supplier Exertis,
which recommended a
voluntary product recall.
However, O2 claims there’s
a “very low likelihood of
public risk”.
You can request a
replacement charger by
emailing O2support@exertis.
co.uk and mentioning the
but not this…
Hackers can use Google Calendar to install
malware (www.snipca.com/48281)
to achieve if 1.4 billion people
are able to use Copilot, rather
than 400 million.
Calls for Microsoft to extend
Windows 10 support have
been growing. In October,
non-profit US organisation
Public Interest Research
Group presented a petition to
Microsoft signed by 20,000
people that asked it to keep
providing security updates for
the “millions of people who
can’t upgrade their computers”.
Do you want Microsoft to extend
Windows 10 support? Let us
know: letters@computeractive.co.uk
recall process. Exertis will
then deliver a new model to
your home.
People switch ad-blockers as
YouTube intensifies crackdown
T he number of
people switching
their ad-blocker has
1 ad-blockers, told the
soared following
YouTube’s aggressive
crackdown on the tools.
Thousands of people
have looked for more
effective ways to block
adverts after YouTube
recently launched a “global
effort” to encourage users
to allow adverts.
Attempting to watch a
video on Chrome with an
ad-blocker installed now
shows a black screen saying
that the tools “violate
YouTube’s Terms of Service”.
BT TV CUSTOMERS CAN’T SKIP ADVERTS
BT TV customers can no
longer fast-forward through
advert breaks in ITV shows
while in Internet Mode. It
affects BT’s 4K Pro Box and
the Mini Box. You’ll still be
able to pause, fast-forward
Microsoft removes apps from
Windows 11 clean install
M icrosoft has removed the
Maps and ‘Movies & TV’
WINDOWS 23H2
RELEASED
Microsoft has released the
23H2 update for all Windows 11
computers, though most of
the new tools had already
arrived in September’s Moment
4 update. It describes the update
as a “scoped, cumulative
release”, which means it
“contains all the recently
announced features as well as
some new enhancements”
(www.snipca.com/48261).
The main change is to the
Microsoft Teams chat app.
2 uninstalled its Chrome
You’re given two options:
disable your ad-blocker to
‘Allow YouTube Ads’ ( 1 in
our screenshot) or pay for
YouTube Premium to avoid
adverts 2 .
AdGuard (https://adguard.
com), which makes one
of the most popular
and rewind during the shows
themselves. The ad-skipping
feature remains on the ITVX
app’s Premium plan, which
costs £5.99 a month.
Read BT’s statement at
www.snipca.com/48256.
apps from Windows when
performing a clean install of
the operating system.
It announced their removal
in the blog post confirming
the release of the Windows 11
Insider Preview Build 25987
(www.snipca.com/48259).
It doesn’t affect any other
version of Windows, nor if
you upgrade to Build 25987.
Microsoft didn’t say
whether it’s closing these
apps, and said they’ll continue
to be available to install from
its store.
However, the move could
suggest that Microsoft will
soon axe the apps completely.
It doesn’t update the apps
regularly, and recently even
Wired website that
YouTube’s crackdown
led to a surge in people
uninstalling the tool.
At least 11,000 people
extension every day
from 9 October to the
end of the month,
peaking at 52,000 on 18
October. Before the
crackdown around 6,000
would normally uninstall the
extension every day.
Ad-blocker Ghostery
(www.ghostery.com) was also
affected, with many users
who uninstalled the extension
blaming the fact it had
stopped working on YouTube.
However, both companies
also reported large numbers of
people installing their tools,
as users switched from rival
ad-blockers looking for an
extension that was continuing
to block adverts.
• How one reader avoids
adverts on YouTube – page 41
removed the option to
download maps to view
offline.
You can uninstall the apps
yourself by searching for
them on Windows, then
right-clicking them and
selecting Uninstall (see
screenshot). Removing them
frees up over 95MB: the
Maps app is 43.3MB, while
‘Movies & TV’ is 51.8MB.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 7
IN BRIEF
BRAINTREE FIRST TOWN
WITH 5 FTTP NETWORKS
Braintree in Essex has
become the first UK town
where some residents
have the choice of five
fibre-to-the-premises
(FTTP) networks. Over 400
premises can sign up to a
provider that uses Openreach
or one of four smaller
firms: Gigaclear, Lightspeed
Broadband, Nexfibre and
Swish Fibre. More than 3,600
premises have the choice of
one of four networks.
MOVE YOUR CO-OP
EMAIL SERVICE NOW
Customers with Co-op
Broadband have until 26
November to say they want
their email address moved
to a new service, after the
company confirmed plans
to close the existing service.
To do this, fill in the form at
https://mail.coop. The new
service will cost from £24 a
year for one mailbox and
5GB of storage.
TOMORROW’S
WORLD
This is Mika,
recently appointed
by Polish drinks
firm Dictador
as the world’s
first AI-powered
CEO. In a video
interview with Reuters
(www.snipca.com/48257)
it/she said: “I don’t really
have weekends – I’m
always on 24/7, ready to
make executive decisions
and stir up some AI magic.”
Hmm. What’s the Polish for
‘publicity stunt’?
 News
IN BRIEF
FLY OVER NORDIC
REGIONS IN FLIGHT SIM
Microsoft has added scenery
from Denmark, Faroe Islands,
Finland, Greenland, Iceland,
Norway
and
Sweden
to Flight
Simulator.
The update
covers 90
landmarks,
including
Geiranger Fjord (pictured)
in Norway, 10 cities and five
airports. Watch the trailer at
www.snipca.com/48245.
WATCH APPLE TV+
ON VIRGIN TV BOXES
Virgin Media has added
Apple TV+ to its Virgin TV
360 and Stream boxes.
Apple TV+ now costs £8.99
a month, following a recent
price increase from £6.99.
Virgin has also added six
new channels to its Stream
service: Bloomberg, CNBC,
HGTV, Legend, PBS and
TalkTV.
THE WORLD’S
GONE MAD!
If someone falls in a river,
should you: a) throw them a
life ring, or b) record them on
your phone? If you answered
b), you’d have fitted in with
onlookers
who didn’t
help a man
struggling
in the River
Ouse in
York. North
Yorkshire Police reported
it online (www.snipca.
com/48242), urging
people to be lifesavers
not bystanders. They even
posted a photo of the life
ring. Let’s hope the phone
addicts take note.
8 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
CCleaner admits user info
leaked on the dark web
C Cleaner has admitted that
hackers have stolen the
names and contact
had been “exposed on the
dark web”.
It added that this
information of some users in a information is “primarily
major security breach. limited to name and/or
It said that the attack contact information, as well as
exploited a flaw in the popular information on the product
MOVEit file-transfer tool. This you purchased from us”. com/48231). The email didn’t
vulnerability first came to These details didn’t include say how many users had been
light in May when the Russian passwords, credit cards or affected, but a Gen Digital
gang Cl0p used it to steal bank accounts, it said. spokesperson later said that it
personal data of employees In the email CCleaner amounted to less than two per
from over 2,500 companies offered victims six months’ cent of users.
and organisations around the free use of Avast BreachGuard, It’s not known whether the
world, including the BBC, which alerts you if it detects leaked details will appear on
Boots, British Airways and your personal information on Troy Hunt’s ‘Have I Been
Transport for London. the dark web. Both Avast and Pwned?’ site (https://
In an email to affected CCleaner are owned by haveibeenpwned.com), where
users, which security expert US-Czech firm Gen Digital. you can search to see whether
Troy Hunt subsequently Some users were suspicious your email address has been
posted online (www.snipca. about this offer, asking on part of a data breach.
com/48230), CCleaner said
some personal information
Avast’s forums whether it was
a scam (www.snipca.
• Use BleachBit instead of
CCleaner – page 19
Cheapest Netflix package now lets you
download shows
N etflix subscribers on the
‘Standard with ads’
package can now download
shows to watch offline.
Previously, only viewers on
the Standard and Premium
tiers could download shows.
It announced the news on
the same day that Disney+
launched its new
ad-supported tier, which
doesn’t allow downloads.
Both packages are the
companies’ cheapest tiers,
and cost £4.99 a month.
To download shows, follow
Netflix’s instructions at consecutively with ads. It said between July and September.
www.snipca.com/48236. this would “tap into the It said this was down to new
The company didn’t say viewing behaviour of watching customers signing up
whether the downloaded multiple episodes in a row”. following the introduction
shows would include adverts Netflix recently increased of a £4.99 monthly fee to
Netflix also announced a prices for its Basic and share passwords between
forthcoming ‘binge ad’ format Premium plans, to £7.99 and households.
that lets you watch a fourth
episode of a show without
£17.99 a month respectively.
The rises come after it
• Cancel Netflix for Freevee
instead – see Issue 670:
adverts if you watch three added 8.8 million subscribers www.snipca.com/48238
AI named word of the year, as
Musk says it will replace jobs
C ollins Dictionary has
named AI its Word of the
Year, saying it was a source
of anxiety and fascination
throughout 2023.
It defines AI as “the
modelling of human mental
functions by computer
programs”, adding that its use
has quadrupled since January
(www.snipca.com/48202).
Collins managing director
Alex Beecroft said AI “has
been a big focus this year in
the way that it has developed
and has quickly become as
ubiquitous and embedded in
our lives as email, streaming
or any other once futuristic,
BEATLES USE AI TO RELEASE ‘LAST SONG’
The Beatles have used AI to
retrieve John Lennon’s vocals
from an old cassette to create
their “last song”, called Now
and Then. Lennon recorded it
in 1977, before it was worked
on by the remaining band
members in 1995 and finished
by Sir Paul McCartney and Sir
Ringo Starr last year.
Sign into WhatsApp using email
W hatsApp will soon let
you log into your
account by email. It has added
the option to the Account
Settings menu in a beta
version of the app, available
to selected users.
You first need to link your
WhatsApp account to your
email address. To do this,
you have to enter the email
address you want to use, then
click the verification link that
WhatsApp sends to your
inbox.
You still need a phone
number to have a WhatsApp
account, but adding an email
now everyday technology”.
Its announcement came in
the same week that Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak hosted a
world summit to discuss how
best to maximise the potential
Watch the video at www.
snipca.com/48205.
address means you can
log in when you can’t
get a mobile signal.
It’s also working on
the option to let you
share a different profile
picture and username
with certain people.
For example, if
you’ve changed your
settings so that only
your contacts can see your
profile photo, you can show
an alternative photo for people
outside your contacts – such
as those you talk to just once
or rarely.
Like the new email option,
of AI while minimising the risks.
In an interview with the
Prime Minister (www.snipca.
com/48203), Tesla and X
(formerly Twitter) boss Elon
Musk predicted that AI
would be able to “do
everything” in future.
He said: “I don’t know if
that makes people comfortable
or uncomfortable. It’s both
good and bad. One of the
challenges in the future will
be: how do we find meaning
in life?”
Musk added: “There will
come a point where no job is
needed – you can have a job
if you want to for personal
satisfaction.”
adding an alternative photo is
currently available only in the
beta version of WhatsApp.
If both tools are popular
with users and run smoothly,
then WhatsApp will probably
add them to the full version of
the app soon.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 9
IN BRIEF
WATCH NEW NASA TV
CHANNEL ONLINE
Nasa has
launched a
new online
TV channel
showing live
coverage of its missions,
plus documentaries and a
“handful of new series”.
Called NASA+, it’s free,
doesn’t have adverts and is
available on major services
including Netflix, Disney+ and
YouTube, as well as Roku
and Fire TV Stick streaming
devices. For more info visit
www.nasa.gov/plus.
BT DIGITAL VOICE COMES
TO GREATER LONDON
BT is now inviting customers
in Greater London to switch
to Digital Voice phones,
following trials in the East
Midlands, Yorkshire and the
Humber, Northern Ireland
and the North West. Eligible
customers will be contacted
four weeks in advance. It
will be hosting community
events during November and
December to help customers
make the switch – see www.
snipca.com/48191 for details.
GOOGLE REMOVES
COVID-19 NOTIFICATIONS
Google has removed the
option from Android to get
notifications when you’ve
been exposed to someone
who has Covid-19. It added
these in June 2020 at the
height of the pandemic, as
did Apple – meaning they
could be sent between
Android phones and iPhones.
The option is still listed on
iPhones (pictured below),
but it no longer works.
 Questionof
Question ofthe
theFortnight
Fortnight
Do internet providers use
jargon to rip off customers?
Most people don’t understand broadband terms used by firms
D
o you have FTTC or
FTTP? Or perhaps
you’re still stuck on
ADSL? Do you get superfast
speeds or ultrafast? Or maybe
even gigabit? If so, you’ve
probably benefited from LLU.
But do you know your
broadband’s contention ratio?
And is your traffic being
managed? Or does all that
jargon leave you feeling
throttled?
Usually, that paragraph
would be a sea of red – which
is how we highlight words we
consider to be jargon (see
pages 72-73 for definitions).
We’ve refrained from doing
so above because we didn’t
want to make it unreadable.
But it’s a sign of how
confusing technology can be
that so many words get the red
treatment in every issue.
Fewer than five per cent of those
surveyed can explain what ADSL,
FTTC, FTTH and FTTP mean
Computing is complex, so
some jargon is unavoidable.
But we’ve long thought that
tech companies hugely
overestimate how much the
public understands. And the
more cynical firms exploit this
ignorance to deliberately keep
customers in the dark.
It’s a suspicion shared by
comparison site Broadband
Genie, who recently asked
over 2,000 customers whether
broadband providers “hide
behind confusing terms to get
the most money out of their
customers” (www.snipca.
10 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
com/48290). The suggestion is
that providers deliberately
bamboozle customers with
jargon so they end up paying
more for a service they don’t
really need.
More than half (53 per cent)
of Broadband Genie’s
customers answered yes. Even
more (63 per cent) agreed that
“the technical terms used in
broadband deals could be
much clearer”.
Broadband Genie also asked
customers which terms they
understood – and the results
starkly demonstrate the gap
between industry jargon and
public knowledge. Fewer than
five per cent thought they
could explain the terms ADSL,
FTTC, FTTH and FTTP to
someone, while only six per
cent know what Gigabit
broadband means.
There’s more awareness of
ultrafast (14 per cent) and
superfast (16 per cent) speeds,
but that still leaves the vast
majority of people not
knowing the difference.
The terms that customers
understand best are
broadband (30 per cent) and
Wi-Fi (40 per cent). Though
for many people these will
be interchangeable, and will
simply mean ‘internet access’.
Most revealing perhaps is
that a mere 10 per cent know
what Mbps is. They know that
100Mbps is faster than 10Mbps
– simply because it’s a bigger
number – but many don’t
appreciate the difference it
makes.
Broadband Genie claims
that one “huge implication” of
this confusion is that new
customers shopping for
broadband “may feel they lack
confidence making a good
decision”. Its survey found
that 44 per cent of shoppers
worry that a new deal won’t
be right for them and 31 per
cent of customers have been
put off switching to a new
deal because of the baffling
language.
Of course, Broadband Genie
isn’t a neutral observer. It makes
money when people use its
site to switch broadband, so
THE FACTS
• A Broadband Genie survey
of customers found that
more than half think
providers deliberately use
jargon to get the most
money out of them
• Fewer than five per cent
thought they could explain
the terms ADSL, FTTC,
FTTH and FTTP
• Ofcom has proposed
guidelines to force
providers to give customers
a “short, easy-to-
understand description”
of the network they are
signing up to
it’s always going to criticise
anything that makes switching
harder. And just because most
customers think providers
exploit jargon doesn’t make it
true. It’s just as likely that naive
experts simply don’t realise
that the terms they use every
day mean little to the public.
But there’s definitely a
problem, and the solution will
never come from providers. So
we keenly await more details
on Ofcom’s proposals to force
firms to give customers a
“short, easy-to-understand
description” of the type of
network they are signing up to
(www.snipca.com/48292). It
also wants to tighten the rules
on how firms use the terms
fibre and full-fibre.
That will make some
difference, but as technology
evolves so will the jargon used
to describe it. We’ll still need
lots of red ink for many years
to come.
Protect your tech
Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools
WATCH OUT FOR...
Fake DPD drivers taking packages
What’s the threat?
A devious new scam sees
fraudsters dress as DPD
drivers and take back
packages deliberately
delivered to the wrong
person. First, the scammers
order an item – normally an
expensive phone – using
stolen bank details, then
give the delivery address of
another innocent person.
They then track the delivery,
wait for the item to be handed
over by a genuine DPD driver
(example pictured), then
turn up later to say it was
delivered by mistake.
They ask to take the package back
so it can be dropped off at the ‘correct’
address. But this address doesn’t exist,
and instead they keep the item. If DPD
investigates, its records will show that the
item was successfully dropped off – albeit
New tools Proton password sharing
www.snipca.com/48116
Sharing passwords generally isn’t a
good idea, especially if you do so by
email or text, or via a messaging app.
A safer alternative is to use the new
password-sharing service from
privacy-focused Swiss firm Proton,
which lets you send them using
end-to-end encryption (E2EE).
It works with Proton Pass (https://
proton.me/pass), which is the
company’s password manager.
First, choose the password or vault
(which can contain other sensitive
details, such as credit-card numbers)
to share, then enter the email address
of the person you want to share it with
(see screenshot).
Once they accept your invitation
and create a Proton Pass account, they
can see what you’ve shared. You can
prevent them from accessing the
to someone who never ordered it.
The scam gained attention after
TikTok member @shonelise explained
how her friend’s dad received an iPhone
14 from a DPD driver, even though he
hadn’t ordered it. Minutes later scammers
turned up claiming it needed to be
passwords at any time.
If you use Proton’s free service you
can share passwords and vaults with
up to two people. Pay €3.99 (£3.48) for
Proton Pass (www.snipca.com/48117)
and you can share with up to nine
people. Read more on Proton’s blog:
www.snipca.com/48115.
delivered to a different
address. Dozens of people
replied to the video saying
they had been targeted in the
same way – see www.snipca.
com/48121.
How can you
stay safe?
DPD is aware of the scam,
but says it’s “incredibly rare”
– which isn’t surprising
because it’s a complex fraud
that requires a lot of planning.
You don’t stand to lose any
money by handing over a
parcel to fake couriers, but
you can still feel violated or humiliated.
It’s worth opening a parcel as soon as it’s
delivered to check it’s something you
ordered. Also, always be suspicious if a
different driver from the same courier
asks to pick up a parcel that arrived
recently.
ScamWatch
Readers warn readers
Facebook buyer tried
PayPal scam
I tried selling a digital clock radio on
Facebook Marketplace and suspected
a scam when a potential buyer said
they wanted to pay by PayPal. When I
challenged them they replied rudely
and terminated all contact, which was
fine with me! I then received an email
claiming to be from PayPal saying I
had a payment of £65 but it was
‘pending’ because there had been a
problem crediting my account. It
wanted me to click a link to expand
my limit and receive the payment.
This is a well-known scam, so I hope
you can warn fellow Marketplace
sellers to look out for it.
Anne-Marie Nicol
Warn your fellow readers about scams
at letters@computeractive.co.uk
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 11
 Letters
Tell us what’s on your mind
Indian scammers
forced me to
give up landline
For me, two news
stories in Issue 670
were connected on a
personal level. First, on
page 7, you explained how
Indian police had raided over 70 call
centres targeting Brits (why is it always
us?) with scams. Good for them. Then a
few pages later, in ‘Question of the
Fortnight’, you quoted the figure that
landline calls fell from 103 billion
minutes in 2012 to 32 billion in 2022.
We scrapped our landline just before
the pandemic because the only people
who ever seemed to phone us were
Indian scammers. They were inviting us
over for dinner, but impersonating every
company you could think of: Microsoft,
Amazon, Apple, Google, Intel etc. I always
hung up within seconds and never gave
the slightest indication that I might be
gullible enough to be conned, but still
the calls kept coming.
In the end me and my wife told all our
friends and family that we were ditching
the landline, and told them to use video
chat or WhatsApp instead. It’s what
most of them were using already, so it
was no great upheaval. Sadly, I expect the
scammers have moved on to pestering
some other potential victim.
Martin Dickinson
We need UK petition to extend
Windows 10 support
I hope some UK campaigners can
repeat the US petition calling for
Microsoft to extend support for Windows
10 beyond 2025 (Issue 670, page 7). If it
doesn’t take action, we’re heading for an
environmental disaster.
Millions of users were told by Microsoft
that Windows 10 would be the final
operating system, and so have refused on
principle to upgrade to 11. Many users
who wanted to upgrade haven’t been able
to because of Microsoft’s ridiculously
strict technical requirements.
Figures show that over 70 per cent of
computers run Windows 10 – that’s
over a billion machines. Come October
2025, many of these will need replacing.
It’ll be a big number, even if you subtract
those that will – as the deadline looms
– be upgraded to 11, or possibly 12 if it’s
12 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
out by then.
Where are all these
redundant machines
going to go? It’s such a
waste. They’re capable of
doing what their owners
want: print documents,
send emails, browse the
web etc. They don’t need Windows 11 for
that. As a happy Windows 10 user, I’m
content with the fact that it won’t get
many more features. Fair enough. But I’m
outraged that it won’t receive any security
updates after October 2025. Show me a
petition against this and I’ll sign it.
Douglas Plant
Audacity rescued
my uncle’s audio archive
I’m afraid a rue smile crossed
my face when I read of Stephen
Paynter’s plight regarding playing audio
cassettes (Issue 668, page 65). When
my beloved uncle passed away, the
family had to quickly clear the house
he had lived in for nearly 60 years.
This resulted in me inheriting many bits
and pieces, including a USB turntable
(I already possessed one, so I gave it
away), a digital audio cassette-to-flash
drive converter, and a portable battery-
operated slide viewer.
Most surprising was an original
1960s reel-to-reel tape recorder/player
(sadly not in mint condition) and an
accompanying box of audio-tape reels.
I had to learn how to thread audio tape
and what a four-track machine was.
When extended family and friends found
out, I started receiving requests to digitise
all manner of audio items. Thankfully
What’s the Issue…?
When did you explain how to
hide passwords on secret
desktop sticky notes?
Terry Machin
In Issue 662, page 62 – buy it
CA SAYS
from www.snipca.com/48111.
I want to boost my free online
storage. Didn’t you explain tricks
to do this recently?
Ian Meredith
Audacity was able to rescue much of it!
Morvyn Finch
CA SAYS Stephen Paynter’s question
in Issue 668 prompted several emails
for readers seeking further advice on
converting audio cassettes to digital.
We’ll go into more detail in a
forthcoming issue. If you’ve had trouble
finding the Digitnow converter we
recommended to Stephen, turn to
page 71 for an update
Closing WordPad only suits
Microsoft’s bean counters
I read the news that Microsoft is
“deprecating” WordPad (Issue 667
page 49) with mounting cynicism. It’s a
regrettable decision. I often
work with large text files
that Notepad has difficulty
handling. But WordPad
opens them instantly, and
is blindingly fast too. I have
WordPad on my context
(right-click) menu and it seamlessly
opens MS-DOS text files, as well as files
from my Linux devices, plus documents
from Word and LibreOffice.
On the downside, it doesn’t handle
graphics, tables or other more complex
word-processor features, but this isn’t its
principal function. It is, primarily, a basic
text editor with some limited word-
processing tools and – as such – is an
excellent product.
However, WordPad’s major downside
affects Microsoft more than its users. It
comes free with Windows, so doesn’t add
to Microsoft’s revenue stream. Given that
Microsoft is increasingly moving to
?
CA SAYS We did, in
Issue 663, page 62 –
buy it from www.
snipca.com/48112.
Have you explained how to deal
with letters peeling off a keyboard?
Kevin Tuck
CA SAYS Yes, in Issue 634, page 62 –
read it on our 2022 Back Issue CD:
www.snipca.com/44660.

subscription-based products, it’s clearly
decided that WordPad doesn’t fit in. It’s a
retrograde step that benefits only
Microsoft’s bean counters.
David Tennant
Brave got AOL Mail
working again
I’m so grateful to Computeractive
for recommending the Brave
browser (www.brave.com). It’s now our
main browser, and it came to our rescue
recently. On both our Windows 10 PCs,
AOL Mail utterly failed to load. All we had
was a blank page and this error message:
‘upstream connect error or disconnect/
reset before headers. reset reason:
connection failure’.
I searched for this online and found it
was a common problem on numerous
platforms, and is really hard to resolve.
I was assured that AOL itself wasn’t
down. Advice suggested that a simple
refresh will sort it, or that I had to empty
my browser’s cache. There were also
reams of impenetrably technical
instructions that were no use to me.
None of this worked, so as a last
resort I opened Brave’s Shields tool in
settings. I disabled the top option
‘Trackers & ads blocking’. No joy at all.
So I tried the opposite and set it to
Aggressive (see screenshot below),
not expecting anything to happen –
but it did! On both machines, AOL Mail
sprang instantly back to life. Our relief
was enormous.
We can’t be the only people to fall foul
of this particular and very distressing
crash, whose cause is utterly obscure, so
I’d be grateful if you would pass this on.
Pam Crane
CA SAYS We’re delighted that Brave’s
Shields worked for Pam. In Brave’s own
words, it’s an effective way of blocking
“the creepy stuff that tries to track you
across the web”. If nothing else fixes a
problem online, it’s worth tweaking the
Shields setting. For more information on
Views expressed don’t necessarily reflect those of Computeractive
Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive
STAR LETTER
Passkeys are great, but password
habit is hard to break
I was greatly interested
in Issue 670’s Cover
Feature on why passkeys
are safer than passwords
(pictured). I share some of
your enthusiasm for them,
having used Windows’ face
recognition to sign into my
PC for the past year. It’s
never failed me – yet.
But like most new
advances in technology, I suspect it will
take much longer to catch on with the
public than experts think. The main
problem isn’t the technology, but
people’s behaviour. I remember the
novelty of creating my first password
for our company’s shiny new computer
system back in the early 1980s. Since
then I must have created hundreds of
passwords. It became a habit that you
never questioned.
That habit has been with most
computer users for at least a couple of
decades, so breaking it will take time.
People regard passwords as a necessary
The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug!
this powerful tool read Issue 668’s ‘Stop
using browsers that track you’ Cover
Feature – buy a back issue from www.
snipca.com/48181.
I browse for £5 a month and
spend savings on wine!
I do wonder at the problems
people have when they say they
can’t afford the internet. I have relatively
simple needs. I use my dated Samsung
phone as a hotspot to link my computer
to the internet, letting me send emails,
shop on eBay,
manage my finances
and so on.
I pay £5 a month
to Lebara for 5GB of
data, and 1,000
minutes of calls and
texts. I can roam on
the phone in France,
and I also get 100
international
Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk
(formerly Twitter): @ComputerActive
www.twitter.com/computeractive
nuisance, and often leave it
until the last minute before
changing them. But it’s a
nuisance they feel familiar
with. It’s also easy to
understand – type your
pet’s name plus your year
of birth and you’re signed
in. That wouldn’t take a
Computeractive Cover
Feature to explain!
It’s also important to remember
that the password-passkey debate isn’t
just about security. It’s also about
convenience. While some people will
find it easier to sign in with their eyes
or face, others will wonder what
happens if this method malfunctions.
Passwords can’t ‘break’ in this
way, and to avoid forgetting them
you can always write them down.
Experts would ridicule this as
horrendously unsafe, but it’s a
fallback solution that brings
peace of mind to many.
Michael Cairns
minutes. It lets me use any surplus data
to watch UK TV, though I accept that
speeds aren’t as fast as they would be
on broadband.
The savings I make enable me to enjoy
a glass or two of excellent French wine to
try and prolong my four score years and
one!
Stan E Clarke
Water resistant isn’t
waterproof
With regard to Alan Bewlex’s
Consumeractive question about
Samsung’s waterproof watch (Issue 669,
page 14), I learnt many years ago that
when a watch is said to be ‘water
resistant’ to 50m, it doesn’t actually mean
that it is waterproof to that depth. To be
suitable for swimming, a watch needs a
rating of at least 100m. There is a full
explanation on the website Watch
Researcher (www.snipca.com/48154).
Patrick Sheahan
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 13
 Consumeractive
We stand up for your legal rights
Netflix has stopped
supporting my old TV
– what are my rights?
I’ve got a Samsung
Q TV, which I admit is
getting on a bit, but
it still works well. I’ve found
out that Netflix is going to
stop supporting old models,
and I think mine might be
affected. I pay for a Netflix subscription,
so can I get any money back for
compensation?
Hilary Foster
No, Hilary won’t be able to get
A any compensation. Companies
are allowed to stop supporting
services on devices they believe are too
old. She might have had a valid claim
if she had paid for an annual Netflix
subscription and was now unable to use
the service, but Netflix only offers
monthly subscriptions. Many other
companies do offer annual subscriptions
though, so keep this in mind if any
services you subscribe to stop working
on old devices.
But while Netflix is allowed to do this,
it hasn’t handled the move well. The only
information it gives is a brief message at
CASE UPDATE
Currys refunds game card not valid in Australia
Currys has refunded reader
Paul Taylor after he bought two
£50 Nintendo game cards for
his grandson who was visiting
from Australia (see Issue 665). When his
grandson returned home, he was unable
to redeem the cards because they weren’t
valid there.
We’re delighted by this outcome because
Currys didn’t have to give Paul any money.
It’s perfectly legal for manufacturers and
retailers to restrict certain products to
14 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
LEAD
CASE
www.snipca.com/48074. It does list all
the devices it works with (www.snipca.
com/48073), which is helpful. But there’s
no reason why it can’t also reveal those
which are losing support.
Many Netflix customers are angry
about the move. They reported seeing
error messages when they tried to log in,
and that it affected TVs made around 10
years ago by companies including
Samsung, Sony and Toshiba. Netflix also
appears to have stopped working on
some old PlayStation consoles and
Blu-ray players.
For more information, it might be worth
contacting your TV’s manufacturer, or
asking a question in their customer
forums. Samsung, for example,
confirmed in August that Netflix had
stopped working on their 2010 (D-Series)
and 2011 (E-Series) TVs – see www.
snipca.com/48075.
CASE ONGOING
specific regions of the world.
Currys had initially refused to
help Paul because it claimed his
grandson had tried to use the
card’s validation code.
Despite this, we asked
Currys for a goodwill gesture.
It was an honest mistake from
Paul – he had no idea the card
wouldn’t work in Australia.
Happily, it refunded him in full. We had also
asked Nintendo for a solution – perhaps
Can I be charged
after cancelling
subscription?
I cancelled my domain name
Q with web-hosting firm UK2
(www.uk2.net) last year, but it
has sent me a message saying my
subscription will be automatically
renewed for this year. UK2 told me that it
agrees I’ve cancelled, but claims it can’t
stop these reminders going out. Could
UK2 get away with charging me again?
Peter Philips
No, it couldn’t, and it would have
A to refund him immediately, so
we’ve asked Peter to keep an eye
on his bank balance. For extra security,
he should tell his bank to block future
payments to UK2. If he does this within
14 days of any money being taken he’s
entitled to a full refund from the bank.
If it won’t pay this, or fails to block
payments, he should report the bank
to the Financial Conduct Authority.
When we spoke to Peter he said the
subscription wasn’t due to renew for a
couple of weeks.
We’ll contact UK2 to make it aware of
his concerns, and ask why it can’t stop
reminders being sent. Such technical
glitches are annoying and worrying, even
if they’re not illegal.
CASE ONGOING
by allowing the card to be used in
Australia – but it wouldn’t help.
Paul had used his credit card to
pay for the game card, so wondered
whether he could get a refund from
his bank through Section 75 of the
Consumer Credit Act. This wouldn’t
have been successful because the law
only covers single purchases above
£100 (ie, £100.01 or higher) and
below £30,000 – and Paul had made two
individual purchases worth £50 each.

What are my rights for extended
Christmas returns?
I’ve already bought several
Q Christmas presents online, and
some of the retailers offered me
until the middle of January to return any
unwanted items. Do my rights remain
the same if I accept these offers?
Anne Smith
There’s a risk some parts of
A consumer law might not apply,
so Anne needs to read the
Why can’t I
get refund for
cancelled
Just Eat order?
I placed a grocery order with
Q Just Eat on the TopCashback
website. The money was taken,
but the shop couldn’t get a delivery
driver. I cancelled the order, but the shop
won’t refund me. TopCashback says it’s
nothing to do with them, while Just Eat
says that because I cancelled I can’t have
a refund. Can you help?
Gilly Schofield
CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE
Giffgaff’s forums make up for no phone support
I had often been
tempted to sign
up to a pay-as-
you-go deal with
Giffgaff, but their lack of phone
support put me off. I eventually
gave it a go after friends told me the site’s
online support and forums are excellent. My
experience since singing up confirms this.
For help, start at Giffgaff’s Community
page (pictured). The best forum is ‘Help and
support’ (www.snipca.com/48077), where
Contact us so we can investigate your case
Email: consumeractive@computeractive.co.uk
Please include your name, phone number and address.
retailer’s terms and conditions closely.
An example could be the right to reject
unwanted goods under the Consumer
Contract Regulations (CCRs). If you tell
the retailer within 14 days of receiving an
item that you don’t want it – and then
return it within a further 14 days – you’re
entitled to a refund for what you paid to
have it delivered to your home. However,
a retailer’s extended returns policy might
state that you’re not entitled to have these
We’ll try, but first we need to
A untangle this case and work
out who’s responsible. We
were fairly sure that TopCashback
(www.topcashback.co.uk) wasn’t liable.
Retailers sell products and services
through it at a discount, and they’re
responsible for fulfilling this once the
you can post questions and
search past answers.
I’ve asked questions relating
to PayPal payments, swapping
SIM cards, transferring old
numbers and topping up my
account, and they’ve all been answered
within minutes. I’m not always sure whether
the helpers are Giffgaff staff or other
Has a company impressed you with its
customer service? Please let us know:
editor@computeractive.co.uk
delivery costs refunded.
Also, a retailer’s terms might state that
you’re not entitled to a full refund, or that
you have to accept a voucher to spend at
the store. If goods are inherently faulty, a
retailer can attempt to repair it or send a
replacement once 30 days have passed
from purchase. It might therefore be
sensible to inspect goods before
Christmas Day to avoid an unwanted
repair or replacement.
CASE CLOSED
purchase is made. A chat with
TopCashback confirmed this to be the
case.
We then spoke to the grocery shop
that Just Eat was meant to collect from.
It was extremely unhelpful, claiming it
hadn’t received Gilly’s payment from
TopCashback. If this is true then it can’t
be held responsible.
So that leaves Just Eat. It told Gilly that
she can’t get a refund because she
cancelled the restaurant order. But it was
a grocery order, not a restaurant booking,
so this sounded like a poor excuse. We
explained this to the company and it’s
investigating. We think it owes Gilly a
refund, so we’ll keep chasing and let you
know what it says.
CASE ONGOING
customers, but their advice has never let me
down. Sometimes I’ve had to ask clarifying
questions, but I’ve never needed to use
Giffgaff’s online chat for further help.
Frank Morgan
Contact
Giffgaff
• Forums
https://community.giffgaff.com
• Online chat www.snipca.com/48078
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 15
 Grow Your
Family Tree
If your ancestors fought in the Napoleonic Wars, follow
Judith Batchelor’s advice to…
Search Trafalgar and Waterloo battle records
T
wo of the most iconic battles in
British history took place during
the Napoleonic Wars. On 21
October 1805, the Royal Navy, under Vice
Admiral Horatio Nelson, took on the
combined French and Spanish fleets at
the Battle of Trafalgar. Despite being
heavily outnumbered, Nelson won a
famous victory and thwarted Napoleon’s
plans to invade Britain.
Almost 10 years later, on 18 June 1815,
British and Prussian forces defeated
Napoleon at Waterloo, now in modern-
day Belgium. Napoleon was captured
and exiled to the island of Saint Helena in
the South Atlantic.
Find Trafalgar surnames
in National Archives
For Trafalgar ancestors, search the
database at the National Archives: www.
snipca.com/48107. Start with the ‘Basic
search’ on the left for simple surname
searches. I searched for ‘Little’ and found
seven men who fought. Clicking ‘More’
gives details including their job on board,
the ship they served on, and how old they
were when they joined.
If the surname you’re looking for is
more common, try the ‘Advanced search’
Your Genealogy Problems Solved
I have an ancestor who died in 1872, the
same year his son was born. He joined the
army in 1862, but deserted soon after. He
ended up back in Yorkshire and married in
1886. But I’ve found an 1887 edition of the
Police Gazette with a warrant for his arrest.
How can I confirm cause of death? Some
family members think he was executed,
while others say he committed suicide.
Kevin Smith
Your ancestor’s death certificate should
16 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
1
2 the Waterloo
3 Medal Roll
and look for extra details including rank,
ship and approximate age on 21 October
1805 ( 1 in our screenshot above). Take
care when searching for a birth place
because it will always produce an exact
match unless you add an asterisk on
either side 2 . Note that the birthplace of
officers and Royal Marines was generally
not recorded.
You can also search Nelson’s 27 ships,
from HMS Achille to HMS Victory 3 , to
see who served alongside your ancestor.
If you come across any unfamiliar
state the cause of death. If he was
executed, then there are likely to be
newspaper accounts on his crime and
prosecution. Suicides were also widely
reported in newspapers. Search
newspapers at the British Newspaper
Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.
co.uk) and on Findmypast (www.snipca.
com/47992).
Have a genealogy question for Judith?
Email letters@computeractive.co.uk with
‘Grow Your Family Tree’ in the subject line.
Next issue: Find where ancestors are buried
In ‘Advanced search’ look
for rank, ship and age on
21 October 1805
terminology, click
Glossary 4 .
4
Look through
Over 40,000 British
soldiers fought at the
Battle of Waterloo under
the command of the Duke
of Wellington. To celebrate
the victory – and for the
first time in British
military history – a campaign medal was
awarded to everyone who took part,
regardless of their rank. They were all
recorded in a huge leather-bound volume
called the Waterloo Medal Roll, which has
been digitised by the Royal Mint.
To search it, visit www.snipca.
com/48108 and type a name. I looked
for my friend’s ancestor Samuel Scott,
and found that he served in No.49 1st
Battalion, 92nd Regiment of Foot. The
results page shows an image of the
record, so I clicked that, double-clicked
to zoom in, and saw him listed as entry
number 352 (see screenshot below).
Note however that the full number is
only given every 10 entries – so 350, 360,
370 and so on.
Judith found Samuel Scott’s entry in the
Waterloo Medal Roll
 Best Free Software
Robert Irvine recommends new programs that won’t cost you a thing
FILE MANAGER

Files 3.0
www.snipca.com/48213
What you need: Windows 10 or 11

Although Microsoft has made several improvements to File
Explorer in 2023 – in Windows 11, at least – we still prefer the
open-source file manager Files. This brilliant free tool is
packed with useful options you won’t find in File Explorer
and the latest version adds even more.
Files 3.0 updates the program’s interface to give it a more
modern look. The main files area has been given Windows
11-style rounded corners; the left-hand sidebar is better
organised; and folders you pin to your Favourites list now
have distinct icons.
When you move or copy and paste large files and folders
between drives on your PC, you’ll now see a progress graph
that includes details of the file size and transfer speed. Click
the ‘Status centre’ button in the top-right corner of the
program to view your current and completed transfers.
One of the most notable new features is the ability to
preview Office files, so you can see the contents of Word
documents and Excel spreadsheets without needing to open
them. Simply select the file and click the
Preview button – or press Ctrl+P – to display
its content in the Preview pane.
Another welcome addition is the Command
Palette, which lets you perform quick actions in Files. Press
Ctrl+Shift+P and choose from the long list of commands,
which include ‘Create new folder’, ‘Empty recycle bin’, ‘Sort
items by date created’ and many more. Files has also added
the option to keep it running in the background, so you
don’t need to launch it each time you want to browse your
files. This is enabled by default, but you can turn it off in the
Advanced section of the program’s Settings.
To get the free version of Files rather than the paid-for
Microsoft Store app, click the tiny ‘classic installer’ link on
the Download page (www.snipca.com/48224). The EXE file
may ask if you want to install 7z Setup SFX, but this is just
the name of the Files self-extracting archive - so don’t worry,
you haven’t downloaded the wrong program.

4
2

1 Files can now display the
contents of Office files in its
Preview pane, meaning you
don’t need to open them
first. Click the ‘Preview’
button to show the pane,
then click the Preview tab.
You can also click Details to
view file information.
2 To use the new Command
Palette feature in Files, press
Ctrl+Shift+P. This will replace
the program’s address bar
with a dropdown list of quick
actions, such as ‘Create new
folder’. Select a command to
carry it out.
3 Files has also made it easier
to free up space on your
drives. Right-click a drive
and choose Properties to
view available storage, then
click ‘Clean up your drive
contents’. Alternatively,
click ‘Format’ to erase and
format the drive.
4 To set Files as your default
file manager instead of File
Explorer, click the Settings
button in the top-right
corner and select Advanced.
Switch on the option ‘Set
Files as the default manager’
– but be aware this is still
‘experimental’.

18 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

SYSTEM CLEANER
BleachBit 4.6
www.bleachbit.org
What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11, or Linux
This open-source
alternative to
CCleaner has been
updated for the
first time in two
years. Rather than
revamp its interface,
BleachBit has
simply added further
cleaning options to make it even more thorough at removing
junk from your PC. These include deleting ‘session restore’ data
from Firefox, so nobody can reopen your recently closed tabs;
wiping auto-fill information from Chromium browsers, to stop
your personal details being entered in forms automatically;
and improved support for the image editor GIMP. Additionally,
BleachBit now cleans more Windows updates, to prevent old
files from clogging up your hard drive – scroll to the bottom of
the list of Microsoft Windows entries to select this new option
(see screenshot). BleachBit detects which programs you have
installed, to show you only relevant settings, and lets you
preview the junk it finds before you click Clean.
PRIVACY TOOL
DoNotSpy11 1.2
www.snipca.com/48214
What you need: Windows or 11
Although it’s not as
sophisticated as O&O
ShutUp10++ (see Issue
670, page 19), DoNotSpy11
still offers an effective way
to tweak your privacy
settings in Windows 10
and 11. The latest version
focuses mainly on the latter, adding support for the recent
23H2 (Moment 4) update, and new options that target
several Windows 11 features. Unsurprisingly, these include
Microsoft’s new AI tool Copilot, which you can disable in the
program’s Privacy section; and account-related notifications
in the Start menu – deselect these in the Start section. Most of
the other new settings relate to boosting your privacy in Edge,
such as disabling text prediction, search suggestions and
thumbnail images of your browsing history (see screenshot).
All the blue tweaks in DoNotSpy11 are safe to apply, but you
should leave the red ones alone – with orange entries, read
the description carefully before you apply them.
SHOULD I PAY FOR…?
Choose the right version of software
Icecream Ebook Reader Pro
www.snipca.com/48219
Price: £14.95 per year or £37.44 one-off fee
Free trial: None
What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11
Unlike actual ice cream, which we love unreservedly, we
have mixed feelings about the developer Icecream.
Although its programs are easy to use and free to download,
you usually need to pay to unlock all their features and
remove annoying restrictions.
Icecream Ebook Reader is one such example. Its free
version offers a simple way to read ebooks on your PC and
supports a variety of formats, including EPUB, MOBI, PDF,
TXT and CBR – but not DRM-protected content such as
Kindle books from Amazon. It has a dark mode to reduce
eye strain when you’re reading at night; provides a text-to-
speech function so you can hear books read aloud;
and lets you adjust the formatting and font of text to suit
your preference.
Useful though those options are, you’ll quickly
encounter tasks that require you to upgrade to the Pro
edition. These include editing the titles and authors of
ebooks in your library; highlighting and copying text; and
adding notes to books – even though there’s a tab for notes
in the free download (see screenshot).
You can’t even view your ebooks full-screen without
paying nearly £15 for an annual licence or £37.44 for a
lifetime one. We understand that developers need to make
money, and that freemium software lets you try before you
buy, but the open-source ebook manager Calibre (www.
snipca.com/47743) offers the same features as Icecream
Ebook Reader Pro – and many more – for free.
OUR VERDICT: Don’t pay for it
The free version of Icecream Ebook Reader restricts what
you can do with ebooks, while the Pro edition charges too
much for essential tools. If you want to have your cone and
eat it, we recommend downloading Calibre instead.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 19
 Best Free Software

What should I download?

We advise you which software and apps to use

What can I use instead What’s the best free

cloning tool?
of Macrium Reflect?
Macrium Reflect is closing at the end of year, so I
Q have two questions. Is it safe to use afterwards?
And if not, what should I use instead? I use it
regularly to make system images of the three drives in my
PC, because their contents are continually changing and I
would be devastated to lose anything.
Alan Turk
I’ve just refurbished an old computer, and it’s now
Q working with Windows 11 Pro. But I want to move it
over to a bigger drive by cloning it to a SATA 3 1TB SSD.
Everything I look at requires a purchase of something that I’ll
probably never use more than once. What’s the best free tool?
Gary Graham
We recommended

Macrium says that it’s only axing support for the

A AOMEI Backupper
Standard as a
A free version of Reflect, though the software will
continue working “in perpetuity” (to read its
solution to Alan Turk’s
disk-cloning problem (left),
policy visit www.snipca.com/48066 and scroll down). but cloning your entire
That said, if it’s not being updated with security fixes, you system in AOMEI requires
shouldn’t keep using it. This is true of any software. you to upgrade to the
You could switch to the paid-for edition, called Reflect Professional version of the
Home. Macrium is freezing the price of the home software. An excellent free
edition at $79.99 (about £66), despite raising the prices of alternative is Hasleo Disk Clone Free (www.snipca.com/48017,
its other products on 1 January. Alternatively, try creating pictured), though it doesn’t clone to USB-attached external
system images using built-in tools in Windows 10 and drives. If you need to do that, try WinToUSB (www.snipca.
Windows 11 (follow Microsoft’s instructions at www.snipca. com/48018) instead, though you’d need to pay $29.95 for the
com/48011). Professional version (£24.62).
But if you want a free program to replace Reflect,
download AOMEI Backupper Standard (www.snipca.
com/48012). When running the installer, you’ll come across
Is Iridium browser no
a ‘Better Choice’ pop-up message outlining the benefits of
the paid-for Pro edition. If you want to stick with the free
longer safe?
version, click Skip. There’s another option to upgrade when Issue 668’s
you’ve finished; click the ‘x’ at the top to close it. Once it’s
running, click Clone in the sidebar ( 1 in our screenshot),
Q Cover Feature
on privacy-
followed by Disk Clone 2 . focused browsers
didn’t mention
Iridium (https://
iridiumbrowser.de),
which I’ve been
using since you
recommended it in Issue 649 (page 62). Do you no longer
2 consider it safe?
Phil Aylward

Iridium is still safe, and continues to focus on

A protecting your privacy. But it lacks some of the
features provided by the browsers we recommended in
1
Issue 668. If you’re happy with Iridium, there’s no reason to
stop using it, but equally we’d encourage you to try the five
browsers we suggested: Brave (the best for all-round privacy,
pictured), DuckDuckGo, Firefox, Mullvad and Tor Browser.

20 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671 Email us your questions at letters@computeractive.co.uk

Named & Shamed
Keumars Afifi-Sabet puts the boot into tech villains,
jargon-spouting companies and misbehaving software
SOFTWARE WARNING!
Microsoft Edge begs you not to ditch it for Chrome
W
hen it comes
to browsers,
Microsoft has a
huge inferiority complex. Its
Edge browser is just as good as Google’s
Chrome, but its market share is a
measly five per cent, far below the latter’s
63 per cent. But that doesn’t excuse its
increasingly irritating attempts to keep
you using it.
In the past few weeks trying to
download Chrome while using Edge has
brought up a survey asking why you had
the nerve to try another browser. “We
love having you!” it pleads ( 1 in our main
screenshot), before offering you options,
including you don’t like its news feed
and you can’t search Google easily 2 .
These options appear on the right,
in the Edge sidebar, which Microsoft
claims is a place for you to “multitask”
on the web. On this evidence, it’s clearly
also a place for Microsoft to act like a
needy ex-lover wondering why they’ve
been dumped. When I saw the survey I
picked ‘Too many ads and pop-ups’ 3 ,
though to be fair this is just as big a
WHAT ARE THEY
TALKING ABOUT?
WHAT THEY SAY
Moohyung Lee, Samsung
www.snipca.com/48110
“The paradigm of home appliances has
changed completely. A refrigerator is no
longer merely a cold box with doors, and
a washer is far beyond a water-spewing,
tub-spinning machine. We have entered
an era where the focus is on evolving
lifestyles and tailored experiences.”
WHAT THEY MEAN
A home heater is no longer the only thing
that gives off hot air – we can, too.
4 for Chrome
1
2
3
problem in Chrome.
Microsoft’s other attempts to dissuade
you from abandoning Edge include a
snazzy banner claiming that the browser
“runs on the same technology as Chrome,
with the added trust of Microsoft” 4 .
It also shows this message as a pop-up
at the top of the page. Clicking ‘Browse
securely now’ (see screenshot right) sets
Edge as your default.
I suppose these tactics work with some
people, but I bet most are just baffled. It
KEUMARS’ VILLAIN OF THE FORTNIGHT
Ahmad Sarfraz
The BBC recently handed
Ahmad Sarfraz (pictured) his
15 minutes of fame. He made
a guest appearance on Scam
Interceptors as the alleged
mastermind behind a
Pakistan-based call centre
that tries to con Brits by
claiming to be from O2. His team
gains access to victims’ accounts so
they can order phones to sell on.
After secretly monitoring Ahmad’s
computers and calls for weeks, the
BBC phoned him to say he’d been
Microsoft’s
survey asks
why want you
to leave Edge
Click ‘Browse securely now’ and Microsoft
sets Edge as your default
also makes Microsoft look desperate and
petty. Sorry Edge, I’ve gone for good – and
I’m changing the locks too.
“rumbled”. He denied
all knowledge, though the
investigators could see his
team trying to cover their
tracks by changing their fake
O2 online profile.
As a result, Ahmad’s
lucrative life of crime has
come to a halt – hopefully
permanently, though he may pop up
again with a similar scam. To relish
his discomfort at being caught,
watch on the iPlayer at www.snipca.
com/48109.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 21
 Reviews
New products tested by our experts New products tested by our experts
MINI PC | £699 from Geekom www.snipca.com/48086
Geekom AS 6
Ports aplenty
In Issue 669, the Geekom Mini IT 13
became our new favourite mini PC (see
page 32) because it offered a brilliant
package of an Intel core i9-13900H
processor, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD
– all for £699 (www.snipca.com/47789).
Here, we have Geekom’s AS 6 mini PC
at the same price, but with a different
specification.
If you do a lot of
image editing and
gaming, this is probably
your best bet
The biggest difference is the AMD
Ryzen 9 6900HX processor. RAM is the
same at 32GB, but the storage has been
halved at only 1TB. Be aware that if you
click the URL above, you need to select
the ‘R9-6900HX’ option to see the model
we’re reviewing here.
While the Mini IT 13 has one of the
latest (13th) generation Intel Core i9
processors, Geekom has opted to put an
older Ryzen 9 into the AS 6. We can only
assume this is a cost-cutting measure –
the Ryzen 9 chip has only eight cores, six
fewer than Intel’s. It’s true that many of
Intel’s cores are efficiency cores (see Issue
670, page 25), which don’t work as hard
as standard (or performance) cores, but
they still take some of the strain when
your PC is working at its maximum.
We saw the difference this made in our
benchmark tests that push the processors
to their limits and measure how they
FRONT
22 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
perform. In single-core work, the
AS 6 ran at around 80 per cent of
the speed of the Mini IT 13, while it
managed a similar performance in
more demanding multi-core testing.
A discrepancy of 20 per cent is no
deal-breaker, but with both PCs priced
the same and with the AS 6 offering half
the storage space, it was beginning to
look like a less attractive proposition.
It fared better elsewhere, however.
Like most mini PCs, this model doesn’t
have a standalone graphics card, so uses
the graphics hardware built into the
processor to provide a boost when
gaming, image editing and video editing.
In these type of tasks, the tables were
turned, with the Mini IT 13 running 25
per cent slower than the AS 6.
The AS 6’s case is slightly taller than
most mini PCs, leaving plenty of room for
ports. The front has a USB-C port, two
USB 3.0 ports and a headphone jack
(pictured below left). On the back
(pictured below) you’ll find another
USB-C port, three more USB 3.0 ports, a
2.5GB Ethernet port and a generous
selection of monitor ports: two HDMI and
BACK
one DisplayPort. The case is easy to
access – simply take out four standard
screws. There are two memory slots with
a 16GB RAM module in each, and two
M.2 SSD slots, one of which is free for
future use.
Overall, we still prefer the Mini IT 13
to this, because it’s a faster PC for
everyday Windows work. However, if you
tend to do a lot of editing and gaming,
this AMD-powered alternative is probably
your best bet.
SPECIFICATIONS
Eight-core Ryzen 9 6900HX processor • 32GB RAM
• AMD Radeon 680M graphics • 1TB SSD • Wi-Fi
6E • Bluetooth 5.2 • 1x 2.5Gigabit Ethernet port • 1x
DisplayPort • 2x HDMI port • 2x USB-C ports • 5x
USB 3.0 ports • Windows 11 Pro • 58x130x120mm
(HxWxD) • 0.9kg • Three-year warranty www.snipca.
com/48086
VERDICT A fast mini PC, particularly
when doing graphics work, but it’s not
as nippy as our current favourite with
general Windows tasks
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Geekom Mini IT 13
£699 A more modern Intel i9
processor gives this
identically priced
mini PC the edge in
Windows

LAPTOP | £1,127 from Dell www.snipca.com/48106
Dell Latitude 7340
Means business
This business-like laptop
offers few frills and is designed
for people who just want to get
on with their Windows work.
For that reason, Dell opts for
an IPS screen instead of the kind
of OLED panel you’d find on a
laptop intended for gaming or
watching movies. Its resolution of
1920x1200 works out to 170 pixels per
inch across its 13.3in screen. It’s certainly
bright enough, with peak levels reaching
471cd/m2 in our colorimeter tests. Colour
accuracy is also impressive, measuring 97
per cent of the sRGB standard and 75 per
cent of DCI-P3.
This workhorse lacks
frills but offers great
battery life, keyboard
and connectivity
The benefit of IPS screens is that they
require less power. On a laptop, that
means the battery lasts longer – and the
battery life on the Latitude 7340 is up
there with the best. In our tests, it
performed general Windows work for
well over 13 hours on a single charge.
That’s not quite as impressive as the 14
hours that the Huawei MateBook 16s, our
current favourite laptop can manage (see
page 30), but it’s not far behind.
It has an Intel Core i5-1345U vPro
processor, alongside 16GB of RAM and a
less-than-generous 256GB SSD. That
can’t match the MateBook 16s, which is
slightly cheaper but manages to include
RIGHT EDGE
LEFT EDGE
an Intel i9 processor and a 1TB SSD.
In our benchmarking tests the Latitude
was also left behind. In processor tests it
runs 40 per cent slower, while in
Windows work it lags by around 18 per
cent. And while we wouldn’t choose to
play games on the MateBook, it still runs
them twice as fast as the Latitude.
Nor is the Latitude particularly slim at
17.6mm thick when closed up and ready
to carry. This does leave room for plenty
of ports, however. The right edge
accommodates a USB 3.0 port and a
3.5mm headphone jack. The left side
offers two USB-C ports (both supporting
Thunderbolt 4) and an HDMI port (all
pictured below). There’s no Ethernet port
but the laptop has Wi-Fi 6E built in. It
also has a good-quality webcam, capable
of recording in resolutions up to 1440p.
As you’d expect with a laptop designed
for work, the keyboard is a delight. The
keys are quiet and feel comfortable to
type on. There’s nothing fancy about the
trackpad, but it’s large and responsive,
while its glass coating ensures it’s
smooth to the touch.
SPECIFICATIONS
Ten-core Intel Core i5-1345U vPro processor • 16GB
RAM • Intel Iris Xe graphics • 13.3in 1920x1200-
pixel screen • 256GB SSD • 2x USB-C ports • 1x
USB 3.0 port • 1x HDMI port • Windows 11 Home
• 17.6x299x213mm (HxWxD) • 1.1kg • One-year
warranty www.snipca.com/48106
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 23
HOW WE TEST
Computeractive is owned by Future PLC,
which employs a team of specialist
technical reviewers. You’ll often read
references to our benchmark testing,
which is a method of assessing products
using the same criteria. For example, we
test the speed of every PC and the battery
life of every phone and tablet in exactly
the same way. This makes our reviews
authoritative, rigorous and accurate.
Future PLC also owns the magazines
Maximum PC, PC Pro and T3, and the
websites Laptop Mag (www.laptopmag.
com), TechRadar (www.techradar.com)
and Windows Central (www.windows
central.com). This means we can test
thousands of products before choosing
the most relevant for Computeractive.
FAIR AND IMPARTIAL
Our writers follow strict guidelines to
ensure the reviews are fair and impartial.
The manufacturer has no involvement in
our tests.
OUR AWARDS
We award every product
that gets five stars our
Buy It! stamp of approval.
It means we were
extremely impressed by the product, and
we think you will be too.
Every product that gets a
four-star review is given the
Recommended award. We
highly recommend these
products, although they just fail to meet the
high standard of our Buy It! winners.
PRICES
Our reviews contain a link to the best price
we found online at the time of press.
VERDICT A business laptop designed
for heavy workloads, but it can’t
match the performance of our current
favourite, the MateBook 16s
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Huawei MateBook
16s £1,100 A slightly
cheaper option
that offers a lot
more power
and a larger
screen
 Reviews
MINI PC | From £350 from Asus www.snipca.com/48119
Asus Chromebox 5
Can’t beat the system
We’re used to seeing Google’s ChromeOS
operating system on laptops (Chromebooks),
but it’s far less common on desktop or
mini PCs. Asus’s Chromebox 5 is set to
buck that trend, with Google’s browser-
based system now available in a small
case that you plug into a monitor,
keyboard and mouse (not supplied).
ChromeOS in a
smaller package with
all the usual limitations
on functionality
The components in the Chromebox 5
are hardly cutting edge, but you’d expect
that, given that ChromeOS uses much
fewer resources than a full Windows
installation. Asus has used 12th-generation
processors here when 13th-generation
units are common in Windows PCs and
14th-generation chips are emerging.
There are four models in the range,
run respectively with a Celeron 7305
(£350), a Core i3-1220P (£550), a Core
i5-1240P (£700) and an Intel Core
i7-1260P (£900). The Celeron model has
4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD; the i3 and
i5 boost the RAM to 8GB; and the i7 has
16GB of RAM and doubles the SSD
storage to 256GB. When you click the link
above, pick the edition you want under
the ‘Processor’ heading on the right.
Which model you should choose
depends on what you plan to use it for.
The Celeron model with its single-
performance core should easily handle
web browsing, though the Core i3 model
will provide faster performance.
For more heavy-duty tasks, and
particularly if you want to take advantage
24 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
of the device’s ability to run Linux
software, then the i5 or i7 models are a
better bet. Here we tested the i7 model,
which was incredibly slick and handled
everything we threw at it with ease.
However, in our benchmark tests, it
lagged behind what you might expect
from the best mini PCs we’re reviewing
at the moment. We can’t compare Windows
performance because these units don’t
run it, but we compared the raw
processing speed of the £900 i7 Chromebox
with our current favourite mini PC – the
£699 Core i9 Geekom Mini IT 13 (www.
snipca.com/47789 – see page 32).
The Chromebox ran on average around
35 per cent slower. You might not notice
this difference in ChromeOS, but you’re
generally going to get better performance
from a Windows device for less money.
All the Chromebox 5 models come in
the same case – a simple black box
measuring 46x167x166mm (HxWxD) and
weighing 800g. The various ports are
arranged across the front and back panels
– and there is a generous selection.
On the front (pictured above) you’ll
find two USB 3.0 ports, a microSD card
reader and a 3.5mm audio jack. At the
back (pictured below) is a USB-C port,
another two USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI,
a DisplayPort and a 2.5GB Ethernet
socket. Wireless connectivity is bang
up to date, with 6GHz Wi-Fi 6E and
Bluetooth 5.3 support.
Unusually, it also has a 15W Qi wireless
charger at the top, which we think is a
great idea. It means that if you have a
smartphone that charges wirelessly, you
can simply place it on the Chromebox to
top it up.
With even the more expensive
Chromebox 5 models failing to outclass
affordable Windows mini PCs, it makes
this ChromeOS alternative something of
a disappointment. We’d still recommend
it if you particularly want a virus-free,
internet-based device for everyday work
online, but Windows’ speed and more
comprehensive functionality on even the
smallest PCs puts these ChromeOS
devices in the shade.
SPECIFICATIONS
Twelve-core Intel Core i7-1260P processor • 16GB
RAM • 256GB SSD • Wi-Fi 6E • Bluetooth 5.3 • 1x
2.5GB Ethernet port • 1x USB-C port • 4x USB 3.0
ports • 2x HDMI ports • 1x DisplayPort • 1x 3.5mm
audio jack • ChromeOS • 46x167x166mm (HxWxD) •
800g • One-year warranty www.snipca.com/48119
VERDICT A mini PC with a simple,
web-based operating system that’s
simpler than Windows, but it’s limited
in what it can do and doesn’t represent
great value for money
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Geekom Mini IT 13
£699 A similar-sized device
that runs Windows instead of
ChromeOS and is cheaper and
faster than even the higher-
end Chromebox models
PHONE | £698 from Amazon www.snipca.com/48180
Google Pixel 8
Present perfect Tensor
In this issue we test two of the
biggest smartphone launches of
the year. If you’ve bought previous
iPhones, then you’ll probably want
to turn the page and read our review
of the iPhone 15. In the Android corner,
however, for £100 less, we have the latest
Google Pixel 8.
This model is the cheaper and smaller
of two Pixel 8 devices, though this and
the Pro version share some of the same
features. These include a 50-megapixel
camera (that’s two million more pixels
than the iPhone 15), Google’s new Tensor
G3 processor, and Android in its purest
form – exactly as Google intends it,
which is an absolute joy to use.
Powerful new
camera features and a
processor to match
Likewise, the screen is significantly
smaller than the Pro’s, though this
may appeal to those who like to keep
their phone in their pocket. The screen
is even smaller than the Pixel 7’s,
measuring just 6.2in across the diagonal.
That’s still a fraction (0.1in) larger than
the iPhone 15’s screen.
However, its resolution at 2400x1080
pixels can’t match the iPhone 15’s,
though it does equal its brightness levels
and doubles its refresh rate – managing
up to 120Hz for a visibly smoother
experience.
While Google’s original Tensor
processor was on a par with Apple’s chip
in terms of performance, this third-
generation version lags behind Apple’s
current range in terms of raw power.
SPECIFICATIONS
Nine-core Tensor G3 processor • 8GB RAM • 128
or 256GB storage • 6.2in 120Hz 2400x1080-
pixel OLED screen • 50-megapixel rear camera •
12-megapixel ultrawide camera • 10.5-megapixel
front-facing camera • Wi-Fi 7 • Bluetooth 5.3 • Android
14 • 151x71x8.9mm (HxWxD) • 187g • One-year
warranty www.snipca.com/48180
If you’re looking for a phone to play
the very latest games, you’ll almost
certainly be better off with an iPhone,
which runs around 40 per cent faster. In
fact, it’s worth noting that the Pixel 8 is
only about 22 per cent faster than our
current favourite Android phone, the
Google Pixel 7a (www.snipca.com/46332
– see page 30), which is around £200
cheaper and remains terrific value for
money.
Where the Tensor 3 chip excels,
however, is the way it handles the
phone’s powerful features. It’s always
been good at enhancing photos and
carrying out smart tasks such as offline
language translation, but this latest
model goes further.
The camera has new features such as
Best Take, which collates the best bits
from a burst of shots and merges them
to eliminate problems such as people
blinking in group photos. On the whole it
takes brilliant photos, easily matching the
quality of the more expensive phones.
VERDICT Not enough of a leap
forward to replace the better-value Pixel
7a as our favourite Android phone, but
packing more power and useful new
features if you can afford to spend more
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Google
Pixel 7a £449 This is
older than the Pixel 8,
but performance doesn’t
lag too far behind and it’s
significantly cheaper
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 25
CHOOSE THE RIGHT SPECS
6GHz Wi-Fi
What does it do?
You’re probably familiar with 2.4GHz
and 5GHz radio bands used by standard
Wi-Fi devices, but there’s a recent third
option – 6GHz. This provides a new
frequency, largely free of internet traffic,
which can provide compatible devices
with an extremely fast connection to
your router.
How does it work?
Data is sent between devices using
radio waves, so transmitting from one
Wi-Fi device to another is just like
sending and receiving audio through
a walkie-talkie. The 6GHz frequency
works in exactly the same way as
2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, except it has
more bandwidth to provide greater
speeds and can handle an increased
number of devices.
What are the specs?
At the moment you’ll only find the 6GHz
frequency on devices rated as Wi-Fi 6E,
though it is also used on some mesh
Wi-Fi devices to power the backhaul – a
hidden network that individual mesh
systems employ to communicate
with one another. With so much space
available and so few devices using it,
the 6GHz frequency provides very fast
transmission.
Can I change it later?
You would need to replace your existing
Wi-Fi-connected devices if you want
to use the 6GHz bandwidth. However,
you can do this gradually. If you have a
new Wi-Fi 6E or 7 device (such
as the Google Pixel 8,
reviewed left) you’ll
need a compatible
router to take advantage
of it. A good example
is our current favourite
router, the Asus RT-
AXE7800 (£250 from www.
snipca.com/47586, pictured – see
page 33). It’s backwards-compatible,
meaning it lets your older devices
connect to 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks,
so you don’t need to upgrade them until
you’re ready to do so.
 Reviews
PHONE | £799 from Apple www.snipca.com/48156
Apple iPhone 15
Bearing fruit
Apple’s ‘standard’ iPhone 15 doesn’t get
the same new features that the more
expensive iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
get. But it does catch up with the features
those phones introduced in their
previous generation, including the A16
Bionic processor, a 48-megapixel camera
sensor and the dynamic island that hides
the selfie camera.
However, in other areas, the iPhone 15
is holding its own next to those top-of-
the-range models. It has the same quality
OLED screen, which can now reach a
stunning brightness level of 2,000cd/m2.
It also finally ditches the Lightning port
in favour of the much more versatile
USB-C standard.
But it’s the screen that is this
phone’s major selling point. Its colour
reproduction is brilliant, while its
contrast measurement of 2,000,000:1 is
second to none. Its 2556x1179-pixel
resolution provides a pin-sharp pixel
density of 460ppi – all crammed into its
6.1in panel. That’s a sharper resolution
than the larger Pixel 8, reviewed
opposite, though it only has half the
refresh rate at 60Hz.
The iPhone 15 comes with the newly
released iOS 17 installed, which is a
minor upgrade on the previous operating
system. Nevertheless, it remains an
WHAT SHOULD I BUY? We solve your buying dilemmas
Can I control my Fire TV with a keyboard?
Can you recommend a
Q Bluetooth keyboard that I can
use occasionally with my
Amazon Fire TV Stick?
Rob Sedgwick
The good news is that a Fire TV
A Stick works with any Bluetooth
keyboard, so you can simply
buy any model you like. It makes things
like searching and entering passwords
and email addresses much simpler.
We like the look of the Pinkcat
26 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
exceptional,
easy-to-use
smartphone
system.
It runs smoothly on
its A16 processor, and
in our tests, proved
significantly faster than
the Pixel 8’s Tensor G3
processor. It even beats the Snapdragon 8
Gen 2 processor in the Samsung Galaxy
S23 (£849 from www.snipca.com/45374,
reviewed in Issue 654). Nor does it
have any problems running the most
demanding games you can get from the
App Store.
Because it’s the smallest of Apple’s
current models, the battery is fairly
compact. Apple says it should manage
around 20 hours of video playback. In
our general-usage tests it lasted around
15 hours, which should get you through a
day, but you’ll need to need to charge it
every night. That’s similar performance
to the Pixel 8.
The camera is another highlight, albeit
not quite as good as the Pixel 8’s. The
basic iPhone has the simplest camera
setup in Apple’s range, with a standard
lens and an ultrawide option, but the
pictures it takes are superb, even in
challenging conditions. The camera is
Bluetooth Keyboard (£14 from Amazon at
www.snipca.com/48162, pictured),
which garners some great reviews and
offers a decent typing experience.
If it’s a smaller device you want, we’d
opt for a Rii New Dual Mode Wireless
Multimedia Keyboard (£19 from Amazon
at www.snipca.com/48163). This has
much smaller buttons, so isn’t as good
for regular typing, but might be more
convenient for occasional use.
To connect a keyboard, switch it on and
make sure it’s in pairing mode. Open the
helped by nifty software, which can
perform clever tricks like features such as
blurring the background after the photo
has been taken.
SPECIFICATIONS
Six-core Apple A16 Bionic processor • 6GB RAM •
128, 256 or 512GB storage • 6.1in 60Hz 2556x1179-
pixel OLED screen • 48-megapixel rear camera
• 12-megapixel ultrawide camera • 12-megapixel
front-facing camera • Wi-Fi 6 • Bluetooth 5.3 • iOS 17 •
148x72x7.8mm (HxWxD) • 171g • One-year warranty
www.snipca.com/48156
VERDICT The best basic iPhone for a
few years, but we’d still opt for a decent
Android device for less money
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE Google
Pixel 8 £699 Less money
for an arguably better
specification
Fire Stick’s settings and choose
‘Remotes & Bluetooth Devices’, then
Other Bluetooth Devices. You can then
select your keyboard from there.
Another option is to use the keyboard
on your smartphone or tablet. To do so,
download the Amazon Fire TV app
from Google or Apple’s store and it’ll
provide an on-screen keyboard to
control your Fire TV Stick.
Do you need advice on what you should buy?
Email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk
 Reviews
GAMES CONSOLE | £50 from Argos www.snipca.com/48135
Hyper Mega Tech Super Pocket
Back in play
Everything was better in the olden days
– even the games. To prove it, UK
retro-gaming brand Hyper Mega Tech has
launched a console that looks a lot like
the original Nintendo Game Boy and has
configured it to play Evercade cartridges
(www.snipca.com/48142).
Evercade is a fully licensed system of
cartridges that lets you play hundreds of
classic arcade and home-computer games.
These are affordable and widely available
online and on the high street. From Space
Invaders to Street Fighter, the cartridges
are much easier to use than tricky
emulators and safer than downloading
from questionable sources. There are 45
SPECIFICATIONS
2.8in IPS screen • 320x240-pixel resolution •
USB-C charging • 78x25x12.5mm (HxWxD) • 200g
(including battery) • One-year warranty www.snipca.
com/48135
KEYBOARD | £70 from John Lewis www.snipca.com/48134
Logitech Wave Keys
Rest assured
The Logitech Wave Keys keyboard is
the company’s latest attempt at making a
decent keyboard that’s comfortable to
type on and easier on your wrists (thus
reducing the risk of repetitive strain
injury), while not breaking the bank.
And we think Logitech has succeeded.
While ergonomic split keyboards are
fine for touch typists, this undulating
design and more standard layout is also
aimed at those who tend to prod their
keyboards with two fingers. It’s a wireless
unit that can connect via Bluetooth or
USB dongle, so it’s a breeze to set up.
The curved design and built-in wrist
rests make it extremely pleasant to work
SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth 4.0 or wireless USB dongle connection
• 31x219x376mm (HxWxD) • 695g • Two-year
warranty www.snipca.com/48134
28 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
cartridges available, containing over
500 games.
The device itself, measuring
78x25x12.5mm (HxWxD), fits in your
pocket. It has smooth, rounded corners, a and Mega Man. However, both are a great
responsive D-Pad controller, and springy, way to enjoy hundreds of classic games.
tactile buttons on the front panel. It’s
rechargeable via its USB-C port, and has
shoulder buttons on the rear, to provide VERDICT Go back to the classics with
further control options when needed. It a retro handheld gaming device that’s
has a 2.8in IPS screen, with a resolution affordable and easy to use
of 320x240 pixels.
There are two versions of the console
★★★★★
– a green Taito Edition and a yellow ALTERNATIVE
Capcom Edition. Both come with a Evercade EXP £129 Need something
built-in library of games from their bigger? The Evercade EXP
respective Japanese gaming brands. has a larger screen
While the Taito Edition comes with 18 and looks more
titles (including Space Invaders and like the Nintendo
Bubble Bobble), we prefer the 12 Capcom Switch
offerings, which include Street Fighter 2
on. These ensure your wrists sit
at a perfectly natural angle, and the
memory foam offers a perfect balance
of give and firmness.
This isn’t a mechanical keyboard,
so the keys and switches below them
can’t be replaced. However, the VERDICT A well-designed keyboard
membrane system makes the keys nice that’s a pleasure to type on and is
and spongy, so there’s no strain on your cheaper than many rivals
fingers. They also produce a satisfying
click, and there’s plenty of feedback so
★★★★★
you know exactly when a key press has ALTERNATIVE
been registered. Logitech Ergo K860 £115 If you’re a
One small gripe is that the keyboard is touch typist, a split keyboard may be
powered by two standard AAA batteries even more convenient
instead of rechargeable ones. We would
have preferred the rechargeable option,
but with Logitech suggesting they will
last up to three years, this won’t be a
regular inconvenience.

FITNESS WATCH | £140 from Fitbit www.snipca.com/48198
Fitbit Charge 6
On the right track
While there are plenty of impressive
smartwatches now flooding the market,
we have a soft spot for simpler, cheaper
fitness-tracker watches. This new
addition to Fitbit’s Charge range is a great
example. It won’t do everything an Apple
Watch can do, but it offers basic smart
functions, while also doing a good job of
monitoring your health and fitness
regime – from keeping track of your step
count to recording how well you sleep.
Offers a vibrant
screen, lightweight
design, long battery life
and easy-to-use apps
One huge advantage over the typical
smartwatch is the Charge 6’s durable
battery life. While testing, we kept it on
our wrist for six days (and six nights
for sleep tracking), before it needed
recharging. By comparison, most
standard smartwatches last a working
day, but need charging overnight.
The Charge 6 maintains all of the
best features of its predecessor, the
Charge 5 (reviewed in Issue 618), but adds
a few extras, with Fitbit owner Google
integrating more of its own services into
the device. Highlights include access to
Google Wallet, which lets you pay for
items with a twist of your wrist, and a
link to Google Maps so you can receive
navigation information for a route you’ve
set up on your smartphone.
The strap and face are fairly narrow, but
the AMOLED screen is bright and vibrant,
and we didn’t experience any problems
seeing details in bright sunlight. The
watch face without the strap measures
38.7x18.6x11.7mm and weighs just 15g,
SPECIFICATIONS
1.04in AMOLED touchscreen • 184x276-pixel
resolution • IP68 rating • NFC • Bluetooth 5.0 •
38.7x18.6x11.7mm (HxDxW, excluding strap) • 66g
(including strap) • One-year warranty
www.snipca.com/48198
Reviews
DO I REALLY NEED...
A smartphone/
bracelet?
What is it?
Motorola has
announced an
experimental
phone that can be
wrapped around
your wrist like a bracelet (pictured).
What does it do?
The device has a 6.9in screen and
is incredibly flexible, so you can use
it flat like a regular phone or bend
it around your wrist to wear like a
rising to 66g with the strap. Either way watch. You can also tuck in the bottom
you’ll hardly notice it’s there. section and stand the phone upright
Its IP68 rating means it can resist water without needing to lean it on anything.
ingress down to 50 metres, so you can Alternatively, you can bend it in half to
wear it while taking a swim or having a stand it up like a tent.
shower afterwards. The included thick
silicon wrist bands (one small and one What’s the catch?
large) are very sturdy. It’s only a prototype at present and
The Fitbit health apps are easy to use there’s still work to do on its sturdiness.
and work well. The Charge 6 offers a We think the design would need to be
broad selection of tools, from tracking very robust to be worn on the wrist,
your fitness across various types of where it’s more likely to get knocked
exercise (such as walking, running, around.
cycling and swimming) to simply
reminding you to get up and move if So can I do without it?
you’ve been sitting still for too long. Yes. We doubt that many people will
There’s something here for all ages and want to wear such hefty devices on
activity levels. their wrists.
The Fitbit Charge 6 is so sleek and light
it almost becomes part of you. When you
take into account all its fitness and NEXT ISSUE
health-tracking capabilities, long battery
life, the Google integration, and price tag, On Sale Weds 6 Dec
it amounts to an absolute steal.
GMKtec NucBox K2
VERDICT Sleek, stylish, lightweight A mini PC that offers
and durable, the Charge 6 is another strong performance
at an affordable price
leap forward in Fitbit’s excellent range
of fitness-tracking watches
★★★★★ Smart plug group test
We put the latest smart
ALTERNATIVE plugs to the test to
Fitbit Charge 5 £130 see which are the best
Look out for deals options for your home
on the predecessor,
though at the time These and much more...
of writing it was only Subscribe to Computeractive at
around £10 cheaper www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 29
 Buy It
Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award
LAPTOP
Huawei MateBook 16s 2023
£1,100 from www.snipca.com/47772
Tested Issue 669
In all our years of testing no laptop
has ever performed Windows tasks
as quickly as this. This breathtaking
speed is down to the powerful Intel
Core i9 processor. It also has a sharp
16in screen, 16GB RAM and long
battery life.
ALTERNATIVE Honor MagicBook X 16
2023 Also has a 16in screen and is great
value, though it’s not especially fast.
£450 from www.snipca.com/47868.
ANDROID TABLET
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
£768 from www.snipca.com/47493
Tested Issue 667
With a much brighter screen than our
previous favourite – the Galaxy Tab S8
– this is perfect for watching TV. It also
has a faster processor, so tasks feel
smoother, even with several windows
open. It’s a great buy at its full price of
£799, but look for discounts that make
it even better value
ALTERNATIVE Lenovo Tab P11 Pro It’s
slower than the Tab S9 and the screen is
duller, but has a detachable keyboard so
you can use it as a laptop. £380 from
www.snipca.com/45244
30 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
Find out which other products we liked.
Buy our 2022 Back Issue CD:
£17 from www.snipca.com/44660
DESKTOP PC
Palicomp
AMD Cobra
£400 from www.snipca.com/43515
Tested Issue 643
This fast PC is a mouth-watering
bargain, with 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD
and a six-core processor – though it
lacks USB-C ports and built-in Wi-Fi.
ALTERNATIVE Wired2Fire Ultima WS
Home Office Workstation Blisteringly
fast PC, powered by an overclocked
eight-core processor and 1TB SSD.
£644 from www.snipca.com/41500
APPLE iPHONE
Apple iPhone 13
£599 from www.snipca.com/43498
Tested Issue 627
Now £200 cheaper than its 2021 launch
price, the iPhone 13 has a superb screen,
long battery life and an excellent camera -
particularly for taking quick snaps without
blurring. You could pay £799 for the newer
iPhone 15, but we’re not convinced it’s
worth the extra money.
ALTERNATIVE iPhone SE With a single
camera and smaller screen but the
same powerful A15 processor and 64GB
storage as the iPhone 14, it’s great value.
£429 from www.snipca.com/34773
APPLE iPAD
Apple iPad 10.2in
£369 from www.snipca.com/36178
Tested Issue 623
The 9th-generation of the basic iPad,
released in 2021, is now the best-value
Apple tablet. The 2022 version looks
better and has a faster processor, but
it’s not worth paying £130 extra for.
ALTERNATIVE iPad Mini With an even
better, but smaller, screen than the
10.2in iPad, the Mini also supports
the Pencil and has 64GB of storage.
£569 from www.snipca.com/33050
ANDROID PHONE P
DRRIC
OP E
Google Pixel 7a
£449 from www.snipca.com/46332
Tested Issue 660
A cheaper version of Google’s flagship
phone, this uses AI to add clarity to
photos, and lasts an impressive 10
hours. Has a fast processor and 8GB
RAM to supercharge performance.
ALTERNATIVE Xiaomi Poco F3 This
remains an excellent phone, with 6GB
RAM and 128GB storage. The only phone
under £450 that’s faster is the iPhone
SE. £259 from www.snipca.com/44553
 Buy It
Our pick of products that have won the Buy It award
MINI PC
Geekom Mini IT13
£699 from www.snipca.com/47789
Tested Issue 669
Crams incredible specs into a small
box: 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, Wi-Fi 6E
and the same Intel Core i9 processor
as our favourite laptop – the MateBook
16 on page 30. Comes with Windows 11
Pro, and is 50-per-cent faster than our
previous favourite below.
ALTERNATIVE Beelink SER6 Pro
7753HS With 32GB RAM and a 500GB
SSD, this is a speedy device. Has plenty
of ports too. £609 from www.snipca.
com/46416
WEBCAM
Logitech C925e Business
Webcam
£68 from www.snipca.com/41104
Tested Issue 608
Despite the name, this webcam is also
great for home users. Its standout
feature is automatically adjusting itself
to keep your picture looking sharp. It
offers a 78-degree field of view, which
is fine for everyday video chats with one
person in front of the camera.
ALTERNATIVE Anker PowerConf C300
Good image quality, crisp audio and
lots of features. £90 from www.snipca.
com/41105
32 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
EBOOK READER
Kobo Libra 2
£170 from www.snipca.com/40645
Tested Issue 624
A fantastic 7in screen, 32GB of storage
and Bluetooth connectivity make this a
rival to Amazon’s Oasis ebook reader,
yet it’s much cheaper. Battery life is
superb – we managed 54 hours of use
per charge. It supports OverDrive, so
you can borrow ebooks from libraries.
ALTERNATIVE Amazon Kindle This low-
cost option is a good choice, especially
now it has 16GB of storage. £85 from
www.snipca.com/44221
PC MONITOR
Iiyama ProLite
XU2492HSU-B1
£109 from www.snipca.com/39701
Tested Issue 618
This 23.8in screen is superb value,
with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels.
Colour is good, covering 88 per cent of
the sRGB colour range. Connect your
computer via HDMI, DisplayPort or
VGA, and there’s a USB hub to connect
your mouse and keyboard.
ALTERNATIVE AOC 27P2C This also has
a 1920x1080 resolution but it’s 27 inches,
so pixel density is lower. But you’ll only
notice if you look really closely. £200
from www.snipca.com/41609
SECURITY SOFTWARE
Norton 360 Premium
£19.99 from www.snipca.com/33247
Tested Issue 629
Norton has always performed
strongly in our antivirus tests,
regularly making the top three.
Owned by US firm NortonLifeLock,
it’s available at a discount on our
Software Store. Use the link above
for a 10-device, two-year licence.
Other versions are available, including
Norton 360 for Gamers.
ALTERNATIVE Bitdefender Total
Security Another top performer that
we’re offering at a discount. £19.99
from www.snipca.com/41141
SOLID-STATE DRIVE
Corsair MP600 Pro LPX
500GB
£60 from www.snipca.com/41547
Tested Issue 630
In our tests, this M.2 SSD hit speeds of
7,364MB/s and 6,870MB/s when
reading and writing data – astonishingly
fast scores. It’s compatible with the
new PCIe 4.0 standard, which is twice
as fast as PCIe 3.0. The 1TB model
costs £64; 2TB costs £130.
ALTERNATIVE Crucial MX500 500GB
As fast as an SSD can get in the
traditional 2.5in SATA format, this
is a great-value upgrade. £36 from
www.snipca.com/37304

COMPETITION
Win 1 of 4
WiZ Indoor Cameras
Signify has launched its new WiZ
Indoor Camera, which has all the
features you need to secure your
home. It lets you see and control
what’s happening in your home at all
times, and can notify you of any
suspicious sounds and movements.
As soon as you receive a notification,
just open the app to see what’s going
on – live and in full HD.
A night-vision mode activates
automatically when the light level is
low, using infrared to illuminate the
space so you won’t miss any details.
The camera also picks up sudden loud
noises and sends notifications when it
hears breaking windows and smoke
PRINTER P SMART TV
DRRIC
OP E
Epson EcoTank ET-1810
£160 from www.snipca.com/41232
Tested Issue 628
An inkjet printer that comes with
enough ink to print 4,500 mono
and 7,500 colour pages, making it
exceptionally cheap to run. It’s not
the fastest printer, but quality is good,
especially on photo paper – we’ve
never seen better on an inkjet.
ALTERNATIVE Brother DCP-J1140DW
Compact multifunction model with rare
features at this price, including
double-sided printing. £140 from
www.snipca.com/43670
alarms. There’s an SD card slot for
storage, and a 120-degree viewing
angle to catch everything that happens.
If you subscribe, you can
unlock additional features
such as the ability to store
videos online for up to 30
days, define motion-activity
zones and privacy zones in
selected areas, and start
manual recordings while the
camera is streaming.
To enter this competition, answer
the question at www.snipca.
com/47973 and submit your details.
It ends at midnight on Tuesday 5
December. Good luck!
Samsung Q60B
£437 from www.snipca.com/45083
Tested Issue 652
With our former favourite – the TCL
55RP620K out of stock – Samsung’s
43in set is our new pick. It has excellent
colour reproduction in well-lit scenes,
and the picture is wonderfully sharp –
especially in 4K.
ALTERNATIVE LG OLED42C3
LG’s 42in TV is three times the price,
but unlike TCL’s model it has an
OLED screen, boosting picture quality
considerably. £950 from www.snipca.
com/47271
Buy It
The WiZ Indoor Camera is available
to buy for £79.99 at www.snipca.
com/46369. For more information
on WiZ products, including light bulbs
and strips, visit www.wizconnected.
com and its Facebook page: www.
facebook.com/WiZlighting.
ROUTER P
DRRIC
OP E
Asus RT-AXE7800
£238 from www.snipca.com/47586
Tested Issue 665
This router has Wi-Fi 6E, so will be
capable of the fastest possible speeds
on the 6GHz network over the next few
years. It has five Ethernet ports and also
a USB 3.0 port to connect a hard drive or
NAS drive.
ALTERNATIVE Synology WRX560
Our previous favourite remains an
excellent choice, delivering speeds of
up to 791.5Mbps. Add more units to set
up mesh Wi-Fi. £215 from www.snipca.
com/44696
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 33
Computeractive 2022
Back Issue CD & USB Stick
Both the CD and Stick contain all 26 issues from 2022

LE NOW!
ON SA
NEW!

Buy the CD from us at Buy the Stick from us at

www.snipca.com/44660 www.snipca.com/44976
 Pull Out
& Keep

Workshops & Tips Issue 671

14 pages of easy-to-follow workshops and expert tips

35 U
 se package managers 40 Readers’ Tips PLUS
to download software 44 Phone & Tablet Tips 47 M
 ake Office Better
42 Browser Tips:
38 U
 se the new Windows Improve your 46 M
 ake Windows 48 In the Club: Create a
Backup address-bar searches Better WhatsApp channel

HOW TO...
Use package managers to
download software safely
by Nik Rawlinson

What you need: Windows 10 or 11 Time required: 30 minutes

K
eeping your software updated is
important. If you let things slip
out of date, you risk becoming
vulnerable to hackers and malware. You
might also be missing out on useful new
features in your favourite programs.
Thankfully, keeping up is far easier
today than it was a few years ago, thanks
to automatic updates in Windows and
Office, and programs that check for new
releases every time they start. And, with
programs increasingly installed through
stores tied to the operating system, like
the Microsoft Store in Windows (pictured),
Apple App Store in iOS and iPadOS, and
Google Play Store in Android, the
number of places you need to check for
updates is getting fewer.
That said, anything that can simplify
the process further is a bonus – which
brings us to the concept of package
managers. These tools help handle the
job of installing and updating software,
and they’re available for a wide variety of
operating systems, including Windows.
Package managers download bundles Apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store
are automatically updated
of code and descriptive data (or archives)
from servers known as ‘package registries’. number that’s calculated by applying a
The archives are compiled by software mathematical equation to the code
developers, who can vouch for the integrity within the bundle. If anything within the
of their contents by attaching what’s bundle is changed, the equation will no
known as a checksum. This is a long longer spit out the correct answer.

Learn how
1 checksums work
To illustrate this, forget about
‘code’ for a moment, and instead think
about three simple letters: ABC. If we said
the letter A was worth one, B was worth
two, and C was worth three, we could
create a simple ‘checksum’ (effectively
the output of a ‘sum’ used to ‘check’ the
validity of the message) by adding those
values together. The result would be six.
We could then pass on the text (ABC)
to someone else, who could in turn hand
it to a third party. The third party could
check that the intermediary hadn’t
interfered with the code by applying the
same equation to the text and comparing
the answer they got to the published
checksum. If they got six, they’d know
that the text they received hadn’t been
altered since we wrote it, even though
they didn’t receive it from us directly.
If the intermediary – or anyone else –
swapped the C in our text for another A,
to give us ABA, the result of the equation
would be four (1+2+1). Because this
wouldn’t match our published checksum,
the recipient would know that something
had changed, and know not to trust the
message they received since its integrity
would be open to question.
You’ve probably spotted that this
particular implementation is simplistic
and easily foiled, since the messages
CBA, CAB, BCA, BAC and ACB would
also produce ‘6’ when run through the
equation. However, it serves as a handy
illustration for the way that checksums
work. Needless to say, the checksum
system used for verifying the code can
be combined with other checks that also
verify its ‘authenticity’.

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 35

 Whereas integrity checks confirm
that the item in question still delivers
the same result when subjected to the
equation, authenticity checks confirm
that it originates from who we expect,
even if it’s passed through a third party
on its journey.
This can be achieved using a pair of
‘keys’, which are effectively long and
complex numbers. One number (or key)
is made public, and the other – called the
private key – is known only to the person
creating the archive you’re going to
download (or, in our example on page 35,
the text being sent through a third-party).
The originator of the item in question
‘signs’ it using their private key, which can
be verified by the recipient through use of
the corresponding public key.
Let’s use another example to explain.
Imagine that our private key was made
up of the numbers 13, 1, 13, 13, and
that our public key (which anyone can
download) was 3, 0, 6, 6. When we compile
the message we want to send, we ‘sign’
it by attaching our private key. Whoever
receives the message can obtain our public
key from a public key server and run
another equation using the public and
private keys as the two parts of the sum.
The recipient already knows the answer
it should generate, so they will also know,
if it generates anything else, that it wasn’t
signed by who they expected, and should
therefore be considered suspect.
Let’s say the answer they’re looking for
is the word PASS, and that the sum they’ll
use to get there is simply the addition
of each individual digit in our public
key with the corresponding digit in our
private key, which was used to sign the
message. It would work like this: (see
Table 1 below).
This gives us PASS. Now imagine that
someone faked our message and applied
a different private key because they didn’t
have access to our private key and don’t
TABLE 1
Private Public key Output
key digit digit
13 + 3 = 16
1 + 0 = 1 (position A in
13 + 6 = 19
13 + 6 = 19
36 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
How I use package managers
I use package managers when downloading in Windows, but the
method is similar on my Linux machines. As my version of Linux
is based on an operating system called Debian, it uses the APT
(Advanced Package Tool), which responds to commands familiar
to anyone using WinGet. For example, apt install libreoffice installs
LibreOffice, while apt upgrade updates every program on my PC.
Nik Rawlinson
How do you download software safely?
Please let us know: letters@computeractive.co.uk
1
2
Type winget list into Command Prompt to see all the programs installed on your computer
know what the outcome of the sum Download WinGet
should be. Rather than 13, 1, 13, 13, they
used 3, 1, 3, 6. Combining this with our
2 and run it from
Command Prompt
public key would deliver the following: Microsoft’s package manager, WinGet, is
(see Table 2 below right). available for Windows 10 and 11. If you’re
This time, only one of the resulting running Windows 10 version 1709 or later
letters is correct – the A – and the output (released in October 2017), you probably
of the equation is FAIL, rather than PASS. have it already, but you can check by
The person performing this sum to check opening its Microsoft Store page at www.
the archive would immediately know that snipca.com/48071. If there’s no button
it didn’t originate from its official source. to get it, you should have everything you
Package managers can perform these need. If there’s an option to update or
checks on your behalf, so you can feel install it, then do so.
confident they haven’t been tampered WinGet runs via the Command Prompt
with since they were compiled by the – so search for and open it on your
developer. Or, to use more technical Windows machine. Now type winget list
language, you can be sure of both their ( 1 in our screenshot above) and press
authenticity and their integrity. Enter. After a few seconds, it will show all
TABLE 2
Private Public key Output
key digit digit
(position P in 3 + 3 = 6 (position F in
the alphabet) the alphabet)
1 + 0 = 1 (position A in
the alphabet) the alphabet)
(position S in 3 + 6 = 9 (position I in
the alphabet) the alphabet)
(position S in 6 + 6 = 12 (position L in
the alphabet) the alphabet)

1 the URL for
3
WinGet found two options when we asked it to install GIMP
the programs installed on your PC, some
of which – like Cortana or MSN Weather
2 – are built into the operating system.
Update software
3 with WinGet
Notice that two of the columns
in our screenshot left are for Version and
Available. Numbers in the Version column
show which edition of a particular
program is installed on your machine,
while Available lists the most recent build
that you could install if you chose.
Nothing appears in the Available
column in our screenshot because all the
packages are up to date. However, if we
scroll to the bottom, where LibreOffice
appears, you can see that while our PC is
running version 7.5.7.1, the most recent
release is 7.6.2.1 ( 1 in our screenshot
below). Time for an update.
We could go online and manually
download the update, which isn’t
difficult with LibreOffice because
it’s a safe, mainstream program at a
recognisable URL (www.libreoffice.org).
However, that might not be the case for
other programs. So, you can delegate
responsibility for updating the software
to WinGet itself. In this case, we’ll save
ourselves a trip to the browser by typing
winget upgrade --name libreoffice 2 and
pressing Enter.
WinGet
found a new 3 can also use it to uninstall programs. To
version of
LibreOffice,
so we typed a
command to
download it
5 this way as – unless they use an installer
Next issue: Write your own ebook and convert it for a Kindle
Use package managers to download software safely
2
WinGet will then look up the most
recent release 3 and check that you’re
licensed to use it. It then downloads
the installer from its official location,
which is shown in the deep blue text
4 . The blue bar below this tracks the
progress of the download.
The line below the bar confirms that
WinGet ‘Successfully verified installer
hash’ 5 . This was the point where it
checked that what it had downloaded
was an unchanged version of the file
originally uploaded by the developer. A
‘hash’ in this context is the outcome of
the equation that we discussed earlier,
being a long number that is generated by
running the contents of the download
through an equation.
Having verified the download, WinGet
launched the installer that you can see
running in the window below Command
Prompt 6 .
This removed the old version of
LibreOffice and installed its more recent
replacement, before returning us to
the Command Prompt, which reported
that the process had completed. At no
point did we manually download the
installer, and we didn’t need to work out
for ourselves whether the downloaded
file was genuine, which made the entire
process more secure overall.
2 updated software with WinGet, but you
1
4 on your PC.
6 deleted from your system without further
This code in
GIMP on the
Microsoft
Store matched
what WinGet
found, so we
knew it was
safe
Install new software
4 with WinGet
You can also use WinGet to
install programs from scratch, not just
update them. Let’s say you want to install
the free photo-editing software GIMP.
Logically, you’d type winget install gimp
( 1 in our screenshot top left). However,
this returns two results 2 , and WinGet
needs to know which one you’d like to
install.
The first of these is available from
the Microsoft Store, and we can verify
that it’s the program we want by typing
microsoft store gimp into a search engine.
The file name shown for the first option
(beginning with ‘XPD’) matches the code
at the end of the Store address in the
browser address bar (pictured above).
However, we’ll install the second
option, which the Source column tells us
is available from WinGet itself. To do this,
we’ll modify the typed command to read
winget install GIMP.GIMP 3 . Once again,
this starts the process of downloading the
installer (from www.gimp.org this time),
checking that it is licensed for use on our
machine and hasn’t been tampered with
– and finally running it.
Remove programs
5 using WinGet
So far, you’ve installed and
remove GIMP from your PC you’d use the
very logical winget uninstall GIMP and
press Enter. This time there’s no question
over what you want to do as there was
when installing GIMP, because there’s
only one version of the program installed
Be careful when removing programs
that you need to click through as part
of the removal process – they can be
confirmation.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 37
 Workshop
Use the new Windows Backup to
restore your operating system
What you need: Windows 10 or 11
Time required: 30 minutes

W indows 11’s Moment 4 update,

which arrived in late September,
introduced a backup tool called Windows
Backup, which was simultaneously
added to Windows 10. It copies your
data and settings to OneDrive, from
where you can recover them should
disaster strike or if you’re setting up a
new PC. This will ensure your settings
are reinstated, your folders restored, and
any apps you’ve pinned to your taskbar
are returned to their original positions.
You’ll need a Microsoft account. Here’s
what you need to do.

STEP Steps 1 and 2 are for both

1 Windows 10 and 11. Make sure

you’re signed into your
Microsoft account so that Windows
Backup knows where to save your data.
If you’re using a local account, open
Settings (by pressing Windows key+I),
then click Accounts 1 followed by ‘Your
info’. Click ‘Sign in with a Microsoft
account instead’, then enter your login
name and password. If you instead see 1
the option to ‘Sign in with a local
account instead’ 2 , don’t click it. It
means you’re already using a Microsoft
account, so you can skip to Step 2. 2

STEP Next, check that Windows Backup is set to copy your

2 files to OneDrive by opening the Start menu, typing

windows backup and clicking the top result. Click
through the four sections – Folders, Apps, Settings, and
Credentials 1 – and make sure that each of the categories you
want to back up to OneDrive is selected, with its slider to the 2
right 2 . Keep an eye on
2 the ‘Storage estimate’
3 to make sure your 3
selections will fit in 1
your available
4
OneDrive space.
STEP This step is just for Windows 11. If you don’t see the

3 options mentioned in Step 2, but instead see just a

green tick with ‘Backed up’ beside each category, that
means your settings have been carried over from a sync
1 operation you’ve previously set up. To make changes in Windows
11, go to Settings and click Accounts 1 , followed by ‘Windows
backup’. Turn off ‘Remember my apps’ 2 and ‘Remember my
3 preferences’ 3 to clear these options. For more precise control,
click the arrow beside the preferences option 4 to reveal
individual tick boxes. Now log into your Microsoft account at
www.snipca.com/48085, scroll down to ‘Cloud synced settings’
and click ‘Clear synced settings’, followed by Clear.

38 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

 3
2 4
STEP If you’re using Windows 10, the process is slightly
4 different. Open Settings and click Accounts, followed
by ‘Sync your settings’. Here, turn off the individual
sync options (for Personalisation, Wi-Fi networks and so on)
using the switches. To change which folders are backed up,
right-click the OneDrive icon on the taskbar (which may be in
the hidden icons section) 1 , then click Settings, followed by
‘Back up’ 2 . Click ‘Manage back up’ 3 and deactivate the
folders you no longer want to back up 4 .
STEP One benefit of syncing your
6 Documents, Pictures and Desktop
folders to OneDrive is the ability to log
into your OneDrive account from another
computer and access the same folders there. As
you can see from our screenshot, we’re browsing
our Documents folder from a OneDrive section
in the File Explorer sidebar 1 . This contains
documents and sub-folders created on several
computers, which are being synced between
each of our machines. They are also available
through the browser.
1 want to keep synced: follow Step 3
Next issue: Use Bitwarden to store your passkeys
1
STEP The following three steps apply to both Windows 10
5 and 11. You’ve now set up Windows to keep your
settings, programs and folders backed up. This happens
in the background, so if you do suffer a catastrophic hard-drive
failure you’ll hopefully lose no more than the last few minutes’
work. To check that your data is being backed up, return to
Settings and open the Windows Backup page in Windows 11,
where a status line at the top of the screen will report the
current situation 1 . In Windows 10, you’ll find a OneDrive
backup status box at the top of your Settings homepage.
1
STEP You can’t browse your settings
7 the way you browse the
contents of your Document,
Pictures and Desktop folders. Rather,
these are reinstated when you set up a
new copy of Windows, either on a new
computer or on a replacement drive in
your existing machine. If you want
your settings to follow you across to a
new machine or drive, make sure you
log in with your existing Microsoft
account. You can then selectively
disable any types of data you don’t
again to deactivate them on Windows
11, or use the ‘Sync your settings’
pane 1 in Windows 10 Settings’
Accounts section.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 39
 Readers’ Tips
TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT
Make FastStone remember your last viewed image
I’m looking forward to trying
all the new tools in FastStone
7.8 (www.snipca.com/47880),
as you outlined in Issue 669
(page 18). One tip that might
interest fellow FastStone fans
is the ‘Remember last viewed
file’ option, which shows you
the photo you last looked at
when you next run the
program.
This option isn’t activated
by default, so you need to
click the Settings icon at the
Peter wins a copy of our 2022 Back Issue CD
IMAGE EDITING
Change aspect ratio in
Google Photo Editor
I’ve found a quick way of changing
the aspect ratio of a photo without
using software. You can do this inside
Google Photo Editor (https://photos.
google.com). Just click to open a photo,
then click the Edit icon (looks like three
horizontal sliders). Next, click the Crop
3 org, pictured above). It’s been going since
2 Use FBReader to read
1 recommended AiReader (www.
Why I stopped using…
USB sticks
I was interested to read that
ValiDrive (www.grc.com/
validrive) found numerous examples
of USB sticks failing to offer as much
storage as claimed (Issue 669, page 19).
And what I use instead…
I stopped using USB sticks long ago
and now only use SD cards. They are
just as versatile as memory sticks and
are also less bulky to carry. Prices are
very reasonable even for those with
high capacity. So far, no card has
ripped me off with inflated claims
40 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
1 top ( 1 in our screenshot), then
4 tick the ‘Remember last viewed
file’ box 2 . I also find it helps
to add a border to the photo,
making it easier to spot it at a
glance. Do this in Settings by
clicking the Filename Text
3 Color box and picking your
colour 3 .
I’ve chosen red because it
stands out against the grey
2
theme I use in
FastStone 4 .
Peter Maddison
Buy it from us at www.snipca.com/44660
icon ( 1 in our screenshot below left) and
you’ll see several aspect ratios below.
The default setting is ‘Free’, which lets
you move the sliders to change the ratio.
For landscape choose 16:9; for portrait
choose 9:16. For anything in between,
choose one of the other options. I’ve
always liked 5:4, as shown in the photo 2 .
Click ‘Save’ 3 to save the photo in the
aspect ratio you’ve chosen. Android devices. I’d like to also suggest
Kath Myers the excellent FBReader (https://fbreader.
APPS 2005, and supports many formats, with
or without images, including EPUB –
ebooks on Android which is often one of the options at
In Issue 669 (page 20) you Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org).
It’s completely free without strings or
snipca.com/47681), an ebook reader for adverts. It doesn’t mess around with the
about storage capacity.
I use SD cards for all my backups, and
keep them in various burglar-proof
places both in the house and outside.
I’ve never had problems with the kind of
error messages USB sticks can produce.
These usually require you to reformat the
sticks and transfer all the backups to
them again.
If you’re looking for fast, reliable cards
I’ve found that SanDisk (www.snipca.
com/48020, pictured) are second to none.
They have given me years of trouble-free
service and peace of mind. Tell us why you stopped using a website, app
Carl Hughes or program: letters@computeractive.co.uk

files you put on your Android device. It
lets you read them from where you want
to, including a removable SD card, if you
have one in your device. As well as Android,
it works on iOS, Windows and Linux.
By the way, the FB in the name stands
for ‘Favourite Book’, and has nothing to
do with Facebook.
Tom Boyd
PHONE
Add ‘ICE’ to emergency contacts
In Issue 668 (page page 71), Tim
Hudson asked how he can add
emergency contacts to his Samsung
Galaxy phone. If he continues to have
problems, perhaps he could simply add
the initials ‘ICE’ after the names of people
in his normal contacts list. These three
letters – standing for ‘In Case of
Emergency’ – are well known to
emergency crew and many members of
the public. I do this, as do many elderly
friends and family members.
Sarah Palmer
BROWSERS
Watch Brave in private mode to
avoid YouTube ads
When I read about YouTube giving
you three chances to allow adverts
before blocking videos (Issue 662, page 8,
pictured below), I assumed Brave’s
browser wouldn’t be affected because it
manages to stop ads being shown. So I
was surprised when this warning did
actually pop up, and did indeed block
videos after three ‘strikes’.
I wondered whether watching YouTube
in Brave’s private mode would solve the
problem. I pressed Ctrl+Shift+N to open
this mode, opened YouTube, and waited
for the message to appear. And waited.
And waited. I’ve now been using Brave’s
private mode for five days and not once
have I seen YouTube threatening to block
videos. I wonder how long this will last.
Gordon Johnston
Handy hints and tips from your fellow readers
Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk
Reader recommends…
Lenovo L32p-30 monitor
£339 from www.snipca.com/46430
As an outnumbered male in the
house, I usually end up watching
TV on my computer by myself. It’s
either that or watch the rubbish on
Netflix that my wife and daughters
claim to like. But my computer’s puny
15in monitor hardly served as a TV
substitute.
I decided to double it by buying
Lenovo’s L32p-30 monitor. It’s a 31.5in
beauty, with a 4K screen that’s
wonderfully sharp. I placed it side by
side with my old 2K monitor (that was
attached to another PC) and the
difference was noticeable. It’s only
KEYBOARDS
Change function keys on
Dell computers
As a follow up to your tip on
changing what function keys do
(Issue 669, page 46), I can do this on a
Dell laptop using the Windows Mobility
Center built in.
I just need to right-click the Start
button, then select Mobility Center,
though you can also select this option
by launching the Control Panel and
opening the ‘Hardware and Sound’
section.
Once you’re in the Mobility Center
look for the ‘Fn key row’ section, then
click the dropdown menu under it.
Select ‘Function key’ if you want
the F keys to perform their default
functions. Select ‘Multimedia key’
(see screenshot above right) if you want
to use the F keys to perform tasks that
require you pressing the Fn key at the
same time.
Dennis McStay
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 41
when you upgrade to something better
that you question why you put up with
something so inadequate for so long.
Your review of the monitor (Issue
661, page 24) mentioned controlling it
with Lenovo’s apps on your phone, and
this works a treat. In effect, I now have
a TV-sized monitor with a remote
control. And I can watch whatever I
want on it!
Tony Camberley
Want to recommend hardware or software
to fellow readers?
Email letters@computeractive.co.uk
SOFTWARE
Queue up video-editing tasks
I hadn’t heard of MKVToolNix
(https://mkvtoolnix.download), so
as something of a self-taught video-editing
expert, I followed your guide (Issue 670,
page 35). It’s as powerful as you say, and
will help organise my video collection.
One trick I’ve discovered is placing
editing jobs in a queue. This is handy if
you have multiple edits to make. Click
the Multiplexer tool on the left ( 1 in our
screenshot below), then select a task and
click ‘Add to job queue’ at the bottom 2 .
If you want to make changes to a file
before it’s processed, right-click it and
select ‘Edit in corresponding tool…’.
Mick Nelson
 Browser Tips
CHROME
Improve your
address-bar searches
In our Protect Your Tech section in
Issue 670 (page 11), we explained
how Chrome can now protect you from
‘typosquatting’ attacks by suggesting
legitimate URLs when you mistype a
web address. However, that isn’t the
only improvement to the browser’s
address bar.
You can now search your Bookmarks
folders directly from the address bar.
This saves you having to open a folder
manually to access a bookmarked web
page you want to revisit. Simply type the
name of the folder in the address bar,
then start typing the title of the page and
Chrome will find matching entries in that
folder. Select one to open the relevant page.
In another change, Chrome will now autocomplete URLs in the address bar if annotations. The feature has now been
suggest popular sites when you start you typed the beginning of one correctly. updated with an ‘alt text’ (alternative
typing their names, even if you’ve never So if you wanted to access, for example, text) option, which lets you include
visited them or have mistyped their BBC iPlayer, you had to type bbc first. It descriptions of the pictures you insert.
URLs. The most likely result will appear will now suggest matches from anywhere This lets you describe the subject
at the bottom of the suggestions list with in the URL, which means you can type of the image to people who use screen-
a globe icon next to its name and web iplayer ( 1 in our screenshot below left) to reading tools, and also indicate the
address. auto-complete ‘bbc.co.uk/iplayer’ 2 . content of the picture when it fails to
Previously, Chrome would only However, this only works if you’ve used load in the PDF.
that search term before. To use the new alt-text option, open a
1 PDF file in Firefox by dragging it into the
FIREFOX main window. Click the picture icon on
Add descriptions the toolbar in the top-right corner, choose
2 to images in PDFs ‘Add image’ and select the image you want
Firefox 119, which was released in to insert. Click ‘Open’ to add it to the PDF,
October, makes a small but then move and resize it as required.
welcome improvement to the browser’s Next, click ‘Alt text’ in the bottom-left
PDF viewer. In Issue 668 (page 43), we corner of the image and choose ‘Add a
explained how to insert images in your description’ in the box that opens (see
PDFs, as well as add text boxes and screenshot above). Type a sentence or

WORKSHOP Disable Brave’s VPN on your PC

2 1 1

2
1 2

1 Press the Windows key+R to open the

Run box in Windows 10 or 11 and type
services.msc 1 . Press Enter or click OK 2
to open the Services window, which lists
all the services installed on your PC.
2 Scroll through the list and look for two
entries called ‘Brave Vpn Service’ 1 and
‘Brave Vpn Wireguard Service’. If you don’t
see them, the VPN isn’t installed on your
PC. Right-click either entry and select
Properties 2 .
3 When the Properties box opens, click
the dropdown menu next to ‘Startup
type’ 1 and change the setting from
Manual to Disabled 2 . Click ‘OK’ or Apply
to confirm, then repeat for the other Brave
VPN entry.

42 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671


BEST EXTENSION FOR… Searching across your tabs
Ctrl-F Plus
Chromium
www.snipca.com/48083
The tab-search tool in Chrome, which you
access by clicking the arrow button in the
top-left corner of the browser, only searches
the titles of tabs, not their content. Ctrl-F
Plus remedies this limitation by extending
the browser’s ‘Find in page’ (Ctrl+F) tool to
let you search across all open tabs.
To use the extension, simply pin it to
your toolbar and click its icon, which looks
like a magnifying glass in a green box. Type
your search query into the black search
box that opens and press Enter. Click the
two to describe the subject of the picture
and click Save, then click the Save button
on the toolbar. Your description will be
read aloud to anyone using a screen
reader, and appear as a place marker
when the image doesn’t load.
BRAVE
Check if Brave has
installed its VPN
Brave is our favourite private browser,
winning the Gold Award in our ‘Stop
using browsers that track you’ Cover Feature
in Issue 668 (get it from www.snipca.
com/48082). So we were disappointed to
learn that Brave has been installing its
VPN on some PCs, even if you don’t sign
up to use the paid-for service.
Brave says the VPN won’t start operating
unless activated manually, and has
promised to address the issue in a future
update, but in the meantime you can
disable the feature altogether if it bothers
you. See our Workshop left to find out
how.
VIVALDI
Control the volume
of pop-out videos
Like most browsers, Vivaldi has a
picture-in-picture (PiP) mode that
lets you ‘pop out’ videos into a floating
player window, so you can keep watching
when you switch to other tabs and
programs. Vivaldi 6.4, released in
October, enhances its Pop Out Video
player by adding volume controls, so you
can adjust the sound in videos on the fly.
To use PiP mode in Vivaldi, hover your
cursor over a video on a site such as
Secret settings and the best extensions
down arrow (see screenshot) to browse the
highlighted matches on the current page,
1 from www.snipca.com/48081),
2 expansion of the Discover/Bing
YouTube and click the icon that appears
in the top-centre of the player ( 1 in our
screenshot above). This will open the
video in a floating window, which you
can move around and resize as required.
To adjust the volume, hover your cursor
over the Pop Out Video Player, and drag
the slider to make the sound quieter or
louder 2 . You can also click the speaker
icon to mute and unmute the audio. Click
‘Back to tab’ to pop the video back in.
EDGE
Disable the new
Copilot AI assistant
As we explained in our ‘Windows
Copilot’ feature in Issue 669 (get it
then keep clicking to move on to the next
tab. You can also use a keyboard shortcut
to open the search box. By default this is
Ctrl+Shift+F, but if you’d prefer a different
one, right-click the add-on’s toolbar
button, choose Set Keyboard Shortcut and
click ‘Edit’ next to Ctrl-F Plus.
If you don’t like that, try…
Search all Tabs
Chromium
www.snipca.com/48084
This extension searches the titles and
content of your open tabs, but it’s not as
easy to use as Ctrl-F Plus.
the latest update to Windows 11
(Moment 4 update) integrates
the new AI-powered Copilot
assistant. Microsoft has also
now added Copilot to Edge, in
both Windows 10 and 11, as an
Chat function it introduced earlier
this year.
The browser’s Bing button has
been replaced with the Copilot icon
( 1 in our screenshot below), which opens
the chatbot in a side panel when you
click or hover your cursor over it.
Although some Edge users like
interacting with Copilot, you may find
the AI assistant more annoying than
useful. Thankfully it’s easy to disable,
though you can’t remove it altogether
because it’s now built into the browser.
To disable it, click the three-dot menu
button and choose Settings then Sidebar.
Select ‘Copilot’ under ‘App and
notification settings’ and switch off the
‘Show Copilot’ option 2 . This will hide
the AI tool and restore the three-dot
menu button to its former position in the
top-right corner of the browser.
1
2
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 43
 Phone and Tablet Tips
ANDROID
Delete 2FA verification codes
automatically
One of the main downsides to
using two-factor authentication
(2FA) for your online accounts is that
your text-messaging app becomes
cluttered with verification codes. Also
called one-time passwords or passcodes
(OTPs), these are sent to your phone by
the website or app you’re trying to sign
into, and expire once you enter them or
after a set time (usually 15 minutes).
Google’s Messages app for Android
(www.snipca.com/48170) lets you
prevent your SMS inbox from getting
clogged up with expired OTPs by deleting
these messages automatically after 24
hours. Tap your profile picture in the
top-right corner of the Messages app and
choose ‘Messages settings’. Select
‘Message organisation’ and switch on
‘Auto-delete OTPs
after 24 hrs’.
If you don’t see
those options, the
auto-delete feature
may not be available
yet for your version
of Android. Until it
arrives, you can
get a similar option
by installing the
Microsoft app SMS
1 the product.
Organizer (www.snipca.com/48171). Set
this as your default SMS app when
prompted, let it import your text
messages, then press Get Started.
When SMS Organizer opens, tap the
three-dot menu in top right and choose
‘Message rules’. Select ‘Delete older OTP
messages’ ( 1 in our screenshot below
left) and choose ‘3 Days’ 2 or ‘1 Week’.
ANDROID & iOS
Consult friends and family
about Amazon purchases
As we enter the busiest shopping
period of the year, Amazon has
introduced a new feature that lets you ask
your friends and family for advice about
your purchases. It’s called Consult-a-Friend
and lessens the risk of buying someone
an unwanted or unsuitable present.
To use Consult-a-Friend in the Amazon
Shopping app for Android (www.snipca.
com/48178) and iOS (www.
snipca.com/48179), tap the Share
button on a product page and
2 tick the box ‘Ask for your friends’
votes’ (see screenshot above
right). Choose your preferred
messaging or email app, and or sad face, and tell you their thoughts on
(optionally) turn on notifications the item. You can then view their
for when friends vote on items. collective sentiment in the Amazon
Select the people whose feedback Shopping app, to help you decide
you want, then send them a whether to proceed with the purchase.
message containing a link to Consult-a-Friend is being rolled out
gradually, but everyone should have it
They can react with an emoji, before Christmas. See our feature on page
such as heart eyes, thinking face 62 for more Amazon shopping advice.

BEST NEW APPS What you should install this fortnight

Soothing Sounds Vivaldi for iOS JustFix

Free* Free Free
Android www.snipca.com/48168 iOS www.snipca.com/48160 Android www.snipca.com/48164
This updated app helps you drift off to Vivaldi has updated its new iOS app with the iOS www.snipca.com/48165
sleep or relax after a hard day by playing ability to pin important tabs (see screenshot) Promising to let you book a home repair
calming sounds. Its expanded selection so they aren’t faster than a cab, JustFix connects you
includes rain, closed when you with ‘verified and
windchimes, exit the browser. accredited’ local
lapping waves, You can also now tradespeople across
white noise and – assign nicknames England. Choose
somewhat bizarrely to search engines from services
– hair salon. You to make them including electrical,
can create mixes easier to switch plumbing, locksmith,
of sounds, set a between – just roofing and drains;
switch-off timer type the nickname provide details of the
and pay 99p into the address job; then book a ‘fixer’
to remove the bar then your directly through the
annoying ads. search query. app.

*Contains in-app purchases

44 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671


iOS
Let people know
when you’ve arrived
Of all the features introduced in iOS
17, arguably the most useful is the
new Check In option in the Messages app.
This allows you to quickly inform your
friends and family when you arrive safely
at a destination, to give them peace of
mind.
Check In lets you share important
information while travelling, such as
your current location, network-signal
strength and iPhone battery level, and
your means of transport. It also monitors
your journey and notifies your loved ones
if you haven’t reached your destination
when expected.
To use Check In,
launch the
Messages app and
open a chat with
the person you
want to share your
location with (you
both need to have
Location Services
enabled). Tap the
plus icon next to
the message box
and select Check
In. The first time
you use the feature, iOS 17 will ask you
to decide whether to give Limited or Full
data-sharing access.
Tap ‘Edit’ to specify your Check In
details. On the ‘When I arrive’ tab (see
screenshot above), select your destination
and estimated travel time, based on your
mode of transport. Tap the ‘After a timer’
tab to set up an alert to confirm you’ve
arrived. If you don’t respond to the
confirmation prompt within 15 minutes,
the other person will be notified.
Press ‘Done’ then Send to confirm and
share your Check In. You can cancel it
and add extra time if you’re running late.
iOS
Move Chrome’s address bar
to the bottom
Google has updated its Chrome app
for iOS (www.snipca.com/47433)
with the option to relocate the address
bar from the top of the browser to the
bottom. Many consider this more
convenient for one-handed use,
especially on ‘tall’ phones where it’s
trickier to reach the top of the screen.
Safari already gives you this option, so
it’s possible Google is using it to lure
Brilliant things to do on your device
users away from Apple’s browser, on
iPhones at least – it’s not available in
the Chrome app for iPad.
To move Chrome’s address bar to the
bottom of the browser, simply long-press
it and choose ‘Move Address Bar to
Bottom’. If you can’t see the option,
open the Settings menu in Chrome, tap
‘Address bar’ and select Bottom as your
preferred position (see screenshot right).
You can move it back to the top if you
change your mind.
Curiously, Google hasn’t added the
option to Chrome for Android, though
other browsers – including Firefox – have
their address bars at the bottom.
BEST APPS FOR... Making text easier to read
Reading mode
Free
Android www.snipca.com/48175
Google’s ‘Reading mode’ app helps
people with poor vision and dyslexia
read online content more easily. Tap its
floating shortcut when viewing an article
in your mobile browser or another app
to remove everything but the text and
enlarge the words. Adjust the size and
font as required.
Best For Making web content easier to read
Magnifying Glass + Flashlight
Free*
Android www.snipca.com/48173
iOS www.snipca.com/48174
This app uses the camera on your phone
or tablet to magnify small text on objects
in front of you, such as books, restaurant
menus and medication instructions.
You can easily adjust its zoom level and
brightness, take photos of what you’re
reading and activate your device’s torch
when using the app in the dark.
Best For Magnifying text on objects
Speechify
Free*
Android www.snipca.com/48176
iOS www.snipca.com/48177
Speechify saves you having to focus on
text, by reading aloud the content of PDFs,
web pages, ebooks and more. Choose
from dozens of AI voices, select your
listening speed, then add a file. Press
‘play’ to hear the content, with the text
highlighted as it’s read. Upgrade to the
Premium version for unlimited use.
Best For Listening to text read aloud
*Contains in-app purchases
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 45
 Make Windows Better
WINDOWS 10 & 11
Use Lively Weather to replace
Windows Weather app
Microsoft redesigned its
Weather app earlier this
year, but many people
now think it’s too cluttered ( 1 in our
screenshot below). If you agree, try the
new, unofficial app Lively Weather
instead 2 , which has received praise for
having a cleaner design (read the
comments at www.snipca.com/48125).
1 2
Download the app from the Microsoft
Store (www.snipca.com/48124), then add
your location when prompted. You can
add more locations by typing them into
the address bar and selecting them. Click
the top-left menu (three horizontal lines)
to switch between your saved locations,
or remove them from your list.
Note that the app is still in beta, so it
may not work perfectly. But it comes
from respected developer Dani John,
whose previous apps include Lively
Wallpaper (www.rocksdanister.com/
lively) – which Microsoft named as a
runner-up in its 2022 Microsoft Store App
Awards (see www.snipca.com/48126).
WINDOWS 10 & 11
Fix bug that stops you
signing into OneDrive
Over the years many
Windows users have
seen the error code
0x8004def7 when opening OneDrive,
preventing them from logging in. It has
three common causes: you’ve exceeded
your OneDrive capacity; your account
1 We typed ‘a bird flying through a
46 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
Expert tips for every version
WINDOWS 11
Change settings more quickly
The Moment 4 update for
Windows 11 has changed the
Settings Home page so it shows
important options in boxes – or ‘cards’
as Microsoft calls them. This makes it
2 Windows. In our screenshot
1 often 1 ; how much OneDrive
3 your wallpaper or theme,
has been suspended; or the
OneDrive desktop app has
had problems syncing with
your account.
One way you can fix the
latter problem is by reinstalling
OneDrive on your PC. Search
for OneDrive then click
Uninstall. Now look for and
right-click ‘Microsoft OneDrive’
in the list of programs ( 1 in
our screenshot below), then
click Uninstall 2 .
Another method is to open
Settings, click Apps, then ‘Apps &
features’. Scroll down and click ‘Microsoft
OneDrive’ then click Uninstall twice.
To reinstall it, visit Microsoft’s site
(www.snipca.com/48122) or its store
(www.snipca.com/48123).
2 Windows Insider.
quicker to access certain settings.
Press Windows key+I to open the
Settings Home page, or if you’re already
in Settings click the Home icon at the
top left. The cards you see will change
based on how you use
you can see ‘Recommended’
settings for options you use
storage you’ve used 2 ; the
option to add a recovery
email 3 ; and Bluetooth
settings such as turning it
on/off and adding a device 4 .
Other potential cards
4 include settings to change
and to sign into your Office
tools. Microsoft says it will
add more soon.
4
1
2
3
WINDOWS 11 INSIDER
Create AI images in Paint
Creator, one of the most
interesting tools added to Paint in
years, uses AI to generate images
from instructions you type. It’s available
to Windows Insiders on the Beta channel
(build 11.2309.20.0 or higher).
Open Paint, then click ‘Cocreator’
at the top ( 1 in our screenshot above),
followed by ‘Join the waitlist’. You’ll be
granted immediate access if you’re a
storm’, chose Digital Art from the style
menu 2 (there are seven other options,
including Charcoal and Oil Painting),
then clicked Create 3 . Paint generated
three different images. We clicked the
third option to add it to our canvas 4 .
Make Office Better Top tips for the best office programs

LIBREOFFICE CALC & MICROSOFT EXCEL

Use keyboard shortcut to show all formulas

In Calc
1
and Excel
you can
click a cell to see its
formula in the bar at the
top ( 1 in our screenshot),
but you can also see every
formula in your spreadsheet
by pressing the Ctrl+` keyboard shortcut. Note, this
is the back quote character (pictured above) normally
found at the top left of your keyboard, below Esc. 2
The formulas will appear in the cells they’re
3
assigned to. In our example, pressing the shortcut
shows a =SUM formula in C9 2 and =AVERAGE in Tap the shortcut again to restore Excel to your default view,
C10 3 . Your cells will also resize to show the formula in full. including normal cell sizes.

selection. To change the colour

2 1
3 Rainbow 3 . The elements we
LIBREOFFICE WRITER
Switch between colour
themes in documents
The latest version of LibreOffice
(7.6) makes it easier to switch
between several document themes,
which are sets of colours assigned to
elements within your document, such as
the title, subtitles, headings and text. If
you’ve already assigned colours to these,
you can switch them to fit a new theme.
In our example, we’ve changed the
colour of our title, subtitle, text and
heading. We did this by clicking the
Font Colour icon ( 1 in our screenshot
above), changing the dropdown menu to
‘Theme colours’, then choosing from the
of all these elements to match
a different theme, we clicked
Format 2 in the toolbar then
‘Theme…’. When the Theme
window opened, we chose
listed then changed colour to
match that theme.
ONLYOFFICE
Automatically hyphenate
words at the end of lines
Version 7.5 of OnlyOffice,
released in October, has added
automatic hyphenation to the
end of lines. This splits words over two
lines, which you might prefer.
To turn it on, click Layout in the toolbar,
then Hyphenation and tick Automatic. It’s
switched off in our screenshot below left,
so there’s a large gap after ‘air of’, forcing
‘incomprehensibility’ on to the following
line. It’s switched on in our screenshot
below right, so ‘incomprehensibility’ is
hyphenated across two lines.
2
1
MICROSOFT OUTLOOK
Pin important emails
to read later
With the new Outlook for
Windows (www.snipca.
com/48079), Microsoft has added
a number of features previously available
only in the online app. One of the best
options is being able to pin important
emails to the top of your inbox so you
can refer to them later.
To do this, simply right-click an email
and choose Pin ( 1 in our screenshot
above). Any pinned messages will now
appear at the top of your inbox with a pin
icon at the top right 2 .

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 47

 In The Club
Run a club or society? Here's how your tech can make it easier

Create a WhatsApp channel

Y ou’ve been able to set up groups in
WhatsApp for many years, letting
club members chat with each other.
But there’s a new way to communicate
with club members through the app –
called Channels. This is a ‘one to many’
tool, which means it can be operated by
one person and can reach as many people
as you like – though your members can’t
respond to anything sent.
Many major organisations have already
set up channels, but there’s nothing to
stop small clubs from also using them.
It’s free, easy to use and there are no
restrictions to how many people can join.
You can use it to send text, photos, videos,
stickers and polls. It’s totally private too:
your phone number and profile photo
won’t be shown to members following
your channel (for more info see WhatsApp’s
blog at www.snipca.com/48130).
It’s a big launch from WhatsApp, and a
further sign that it’s evolving from a
messaging service into something more
like a social network. This isn’t surprising
given that it’s owned by Meta, which also
runs Facebook and Instagram.
Give your channel a name,
a description of what it
contains and a logo
2
Sign up for channels
First, it’s important to know that
WhatsApp is rolling out the release of
Channels gradually, so you may not have
it yet. To check, look at the bottom menu
bar of your WhatsApp app on your phone
and see if Updates appears there ( 1 in
our screenshot below left). If it does, you
have access to Channels.
Tap ‘Updates’ and you’ll see all the
Channels you can access. Some popular 1
channels will be suggested for you to
follow – you might see the BBC’s channel
recommended, for example, or WhatsApp
itself 2 . Newspapers have been quick to
launch channels, as have sports teams.
One of the most popular channels is
from our sister site TechRadar.
If you don’t like any of the Recommended
channels, tap the plus sign instead to
search for specific ones. When you’ve
found one you’re interested in, add it by
tapping Follow then tap it to see what it
contains.

Add a name, description and image

2 plus icon ( 1 in our screenshot left) to add
1 your status, and copy the link to your
Tap ‘Updates’ if you have it, then follow a
recommended channel or search for one
4 To create your first Channel, tap the plus
1 2 3
Send text, photos, GIFs and stickers to your
channel, and invite people by sharing a link
icon then ‘Create channel’ and give it a
name. Next, add a description ( 1 in our
screenshot above) to explain what the
channel will contain, and an image –
such as your club’s logo 2 .
To send something on your channel,
start typing in the bottom bar. Tap the
photos, and the Stickers icon to add stickers
and GIFs 2 . If you want to take a photo to
share, then tap the camera icon 3 .
Of course, there’s no point having a
WhatsApp channel if you don’t let people
know about it – so tap the link icon 4
at the top. This lets you send a link to
your channel via WhatsApp, share it to
phone’s clipboard or the usual sharing
options: email, messages, Mail, Facebook
and so on.

48 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671 Next issue: Create a club infographic using free software
What’s All the
Fuss About...
Old iPhone batteries
Apple might have to pay £853m compensation in group lawsuit

What are they?

Defective. That’s according to consumer
campaigner Justin Gutmann, who has
just been granted permission by the
Competition Appeal Tribunal to sue
Apple in a group lawsuit. He claims the
company deceived iPhone users by
“throttling” their devices (see box below
right) without them knowing in order to
stop their batteries failing.

What does throttling mean?

In Gutmann’s terms, it means Apple
releasing software updates to iPhones
that reduced their performance level.

Why would it do that?

Because, Gutmann says, Apple realised
that some iPhone batteries weren’t
powerful enough to cope with the iOS
operating system or the phones’
processors. Without this throttling, the
iPhones would have shut down without
warning, causing users to think their
devices were broken.
Gutmann says Apple released the
updates to avoid angry customers asking
for recalls or repairs, and that it was all
an attempt to “disguise the fact that the
affected iPhone couldn’t cope with new
iOS processing demands”.
What does Apple say?
Well, it has already admitted that in
January 2017 it added a power-
management tool in updates to slow
down iPhones with low-capacity
batteries, confirming what many users
had suspected. It said this was necessary
because as phone batteries age they
become less able to provide the top
levels of electrical current needed. At that
point the slowdowns had affected only
iPhones 6, 6S and SE, though Apple said
it planned to do the same on the iPhone 7
and other devices in future.
After a backlash, Apple agreed to
replace some batteries at a reduced cost.
CEO Tim Cook apologised, saying the
company hadn’t intended to mislead
anyone, but that didn’t dampen the
controversy over ‘batterygate’.
So if Apple admits that,
why is there a lawsuit?
Because Gutmann doesn’t accept Cook’s
apology. He claims Apple customers
“were not told about the reasons for the
unexpected shutdowns or that their phones
were being ‘throttled’ deliberately”. He
also says Apple “misled users” by stating
the updates “would improve the
performance of some devices”.
His case is being represented by
Dorothea Antzoulatos from legal firm
Charles Lyndon. She says: “By slowing
down the iPhones of millions of people,
Apple failed to be transparent with their
customers and abused their market
position and customers’ loyalty.”
Apple dismisses the claim as “baseless”
and says it has never done anything “to
intentionally shorten the life of any Apple
product, or degrade the user experience
to drive customer upgrades”.
What happens now?
Gutmann needs to ensure that his legal
funding meets new regulations, though
he’s “confident” it does (sign up for
updates at www.snipca.com/48169).
He estimates nearly 24 million people
in the UK owned an affected iPhone,
and is seeking £853m in damages on
their behalf.
Phones affected
and release dates
• iPhone 6 (Sept 14)
• iPhone 6 Plus (Sept 14, pictured
above)
• iPhone 6S (Sept 15)
• iPhone 6S Plus (Sept 15)
• iPhone SE (March 16)
• iPhone 7 (Sept 16)
• iPhone 7 Plus (Sept 16)
Will I get any of that money?
Probably - if he wins, and if you owned
one of those iPhones after 12 December
2016. In a similar case in the US a court
has ruled Apple must pay compensation
between $310m and $500m, with iPhone
owners expected to get $65 (around £53).
Do I have to do anything?
No – the case is ‘opt out’, which means
you’re automatically included. Don’t
expect to receive a life-changing amount
though. If it’s decided simply by dividing
the amount (£853m) by the number
of users (24m), then you might get
around £35. Tim Cook has probably
earned that in the time it takes you to
read this sentence.

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 49

 PDF ZIP
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WAV HTML
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DOC AVI HTML
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WAA
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DELETING
DO
MO
V AVI
WAV
JPG

YOUR FILES
MO

Time is running out to rescue important photos,

documents, music and emails from your online
accounts. Robert Irvine explains what you
must do now to protect your precious data

WHAT YOU CAN DO
• Set up reminders to keep your
account active
• Create a backup of all your Google
data
• Rescue photos and videos from
Google Photos
• Save your files and folders from
Google Drive
• Download all your messages from
Gmail
• Check which services use your account
• Regain access to a locked Google
account
• Reclaim your data from Apple,
Microsoft, Facebook and more
T
here are lots of advantages to
storing your files online. It
means you can access them
from anywhere, sync their
content across devices and protect
your data against theft, malware and
hard-drive corruption. But it’s easy to
forget that when you upload or create
something in the ‘cloud’, it doesn’t solely
belong to you, but also to the company
that provides the storage space.
Most services have strict privacy
policies that promise to respect your data,
but what if they start deleting your files
without your permission? That’s exactly
what Google is doing from 1 December,
when it begins its purge of inactive
accounts.
Google announced its plan back in May
– it was our lead news story in Issue
659 (page 6) – to give users time to
reactivate their idle accounts. But with
the deadline almost upon us, there’s
still a lot of confusion about what’s
happening – which is why it’s essential to
take action now.
Even if you use your main Google account
every day, you probably have at least one
other account you haven’t accessed for a
while, which contains important photos,
documents, music and emails.
In this feature, we explain how to
protect your precious data, by keeping
your accounts active and rescuing your
files before it’s too late. We also reveal
why Google is deleting accounts, and
look at other companies with similar
policies about inactive accounts.

50 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671


YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What’s happening to
your Google account?
From 1 December, Google will start deleting
inactive user accounts and all the files
and other data stored in them. The policy
only applies to free, personal Google
accounts, not those used by businesses
and schools, but will affect your content
in many Google tools including Drive,
Docs, Gmail, Photos and Sheets.
How does Google define an
inactive account?
Google’s updated Inactive Google
Account Policy (www.snipca.com/48100)
defines ‘inactive’ as an account that has
not been used or signed into in the last
two years (see screenshot right).
Evidence of activity includes actions
such as opening or sending an email in
Gmail, uploading or sharing files in
Google Drive, watching videos on YouTube,
installing Android apps from the Google
Play Store, searching the web with
Google, and using ‘Sign in with Google’
(see page 55) to access third-party apps
and services.
Activity is judged by account and not
by device. This means that if you perform
an action through your Google account
on your phone, it will be registered as
active on all your devices. If you have
more than one Google account set up on
your device, you’ll need to sign into each
one within a two-year period, to keep
them all active.
Why is Google deleting
inactive accounts?
Google says it’s deleting accounts as a
security measure, because “forgotten or
unattended accounts often rely on old or
re-used passwords that may have been
compromised”. It claims that inactive
accounts are 10 times less likely than active
ones to have two-factor authentication
(2FA) set up, which makes them
vulnerable to exploitation by scammers
and spammers.
Setting a two-year deadline also “limits
the amount of time Google retains your
unused personal information”, the
company says (www.snipca.com/48103).
It is planning to take a ‘phased approach’
to account deletion, starting with those
that were created and never used again.
Are there any exceptions
to this mass deletion?
Yes. Your Google account won’t be
STOP
DELETING
YOUR FILES
Google’s updated policy states that inactive accounts will be deleted after two years
deemed inactive if:
1) It was used to purchase a Google
product, app, service or subscription that
is current or ongoing.
2) It contains a Google Play gift card that
still has money on it (pictured right).
3) It’s linked to a YouTube channel –
even if no videos have been uploaded
for two years. This is presumably to
prevent millions of publicly shared clips
disappearing from YouTube when
inactive accounts are deleted.
Will Google warn you before
deleting your account?
In July, Google sent an email to all users
about the update to its inactivity policy.
This stated that, while the change took
immediate effect, it would not start
deleting accounts until December.
Now that month is almost upon us, if
Accounts containing Google Play gift card
your account is considered inactive, credit won’t be deleted
Google will send “several reminder
emails” to both your Gmail address and in it, you won’t be able to use it to sign
any recovery addresses you’ve provided into Google tools such as Maps, Search
before it deletes any content. It also says and Chrome. Nor can you reclaim your
you’ll be given at least eight months’ deleted Gmail address when you create
notice before your account is deleted. a new Google account.
However, there’s no guarantee this will Additionally, when you delete a
happen so it’s also worth using Google’s Google account yourself, you have a
Inactive Account Manager (see our 30-day window to change your mind and
Workshop on page 52) to set up your restore it (see www.snipca.com/48166),
own reminders. but inactive accounts deleted by Google
can’t be recovered.
What happens once This is why it’s essential to rescue the
your account is deleted? data stored in your account before it’s
As well as losing access to your account, too late, using the advice we’ll provide in
and all the content and preferences stored this feature.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 51
 WORKSHOP: Stop Google suddenly deleting your account

You can prevent Google from suddenly deleting your account account inactive. You can also set up reminders to keep it active
and everything stored in it using the company’s Inactive Account and notify other people when your account hasn’t been used for a
Manager. This lets you decide when Google should consider your specific period of time.

1 Visit the Inactive Account Manager at www.snipca.com/48114

and click the Start button. Click the pencil icon next to ‘After 3
months of inactivity’ 1 ,
2 Google will contact you by text message and/or email a
month before your chosen deadline to remind you that you
haven’t used your account
1 specify how long Google for that period of time.
1
should wait before Confirm your phone
considering your account number and email
inactive – from three address 1 , as well as a
months to 18 months 2 recovery (non-Google)
2 – and click Save. email address 2 ).
2

3 Click ‘Next’ to add details of people to contact if your Google

account becomes inactive 1 . This option is really for sharing
your data after you die or
4 On the final page, decide whether Google should delete your
account after it’s been inactive for the time you specified in
Step 1. Click ‘Review Plan’
become incapacitated, to check the details,
but it also provides an ensure email reminders
alternative reminder are turned on for Inactive
method if you can’t be 2 Account Manager 1 and
contacted yourself. click Confirm Plan 2 .
1 1

RESCUE FILES FROM YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Back up your account data contacts and other items, but it also
using Google Takeout means you can import the data into other
The simplest way to safeguard the accounts (Google or otherwise). Takeout
contents of your Google account against lets you choose which Google tools to
irreversible deletion is to download your save content from and it’s free to use.
data through Google Takeout. Not only Go to the Google Takeout page (www.
does this give you an offline backup copy snipca.com/48167) and click ‘Deselect
of all your important files, messages, all’. That may sound counterintuitive, but
it avoids creating an unnecessarily large
backup file containing data from obscure
Google tools such as Assignments, Crisis
1 User Reports and Pinpoints.
Tick the boxes next to all the services
you want to save content from – options
include Chrome, Contacts, Drive, Mail,
2 Photos and Maps. Some entries let you
specify which data to include to keep the
file size down – for example, only
bookmarks and extensions from Chrome,
3 specific albums from Photos, or just your
Inbox and Sent folders from Gmail.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and
click the ‘Next step’ button. In the ‘Transfer
to:’ section ( 1 in our screenshot left)
choose whether to receive your data via a
Google Takeout lets you download all the download link sent to you by email or
important data from your Google account have it added to an online-storage service
such as Dropbox, OneDrive or Box (Drive
is also an option, but a bit pointless if your
Google account is deleted).
Select a frequency 2 at which to export
your Google data – either all at once now
or every two months for a year – and
ensure ‘.zip’ is set as the file format. You
can also specify the maximum file size 3 ,
from 1GB to 50GB, depending on the
speed and reliability of your internet
connection. If the backup file is larger
than the specified size, it will be split into
multiple downloads.
Finally, click ‘Create export’ and Google
will compile your backup from the tools
you’ve selected. This can take hours or
even days, if you’re downloading a lot of
data – click ‘Cancel export’ if you change
your mind. You may receive a security-
authorisation email from Google, asking
you to confirm it’s you requesting to
export your data and not someone else.
Once you have your backup file, extract
the contents to save and use wherever you
want. Google provides the data in multiple
formats to make it easy to import into
different software and services.

52 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671


You can download the contents of your
Google Photos albums as ZIP files
Rescue your photos and videos
from Google Photos
Rather than go through Google Takeout,
you can download photos directly from
Google Photos. This has the advantage of
letting you see the content you’re saving,
rather than only the album names.
On the Google Photos website, select
Albums under Library in the left-hand
menu and choose an album you want
to download. Click the three-dot button
in the top-right corner and choose
‘Download all’ (see screenshot above) to
save the contents of the album as a ZIP
file. The downside is that you can’t
download multiple albums at once, so
you’ll need to open and save each one
individually, which may prove laborious
if you have lots of albums.
An alternative method is to move all
your photos and videos to a more
frequently used Google account, in case
the ‘inactive’ one is deleted. Click the
Settings cog in the top-right corner of the
Google Photos homepage and choose
Partner Sharing. Ensure that ‘All photos’
is selected, click Next and choose your
other Google account. Click ‘Next’ then
‘Send invitation’, accept the invitation
through the partnered Google account,
and all your photos and videos will now
be accessible in the Shared library.
Download files and folders
from Google Drive
If you’re worried about important files
and folders being ruthlessly deleted by
Google, you should download them to
your PC for safekeeping. This is actually
very straightforward – as well as right-
clicking a file or folder and choosing
Download, you can save multiple items
(or even everything you have stored in
Drive) in one go.
Simply hold down the Ctrl key, click all
the files and folders you want to download,
then right-click and select Download.
This will create a ZIP file of the selected
items and save it to your PC.
1 download
To download everything, scroll to the
bottom of the My Drive page and press
Ctrl+A to ‘Select all’. Google Drive will
tell you the number of items selected
( 1 in our screenshot above), and again
you can right-click and choose Download
2 (or click the Download button on the
toolbar) to save them all as a ZIP file.
As with Google Photos, you can also
transfer Drive files and folders to another
Google account by sharing them. Select
the items you want to move then either
right-click them, choose Share and add
your other account, or click the Share
button on the toolbar.
Save all your Gmail messages
to your PC
One of the biggest concerns about
Google deleting inactive accounts is
that you’ll lose access to all your old
emails, which may contain important
and invaluable information. Although
it’s possible to download messages
individually – right-click the three-dot
button in their top-right corner and
choose ‘Download message’ – this
obviously isn’t practical with a
crowded Inbox.
Back up all your
Gmail messages
to your computer
using MailStore
Home
1
STOP
DELETING
YOUR FILES
It’s easy to
everything
stored in your
Google Drive in
one go
Other than using Google Takeout, your
best option is to install MailStore Home
(www.snipca.com/48129). This free
email-archiving program makes it easy to
back up your messages from all the main
webmail providers to your PC.
Click ‘Archive E-mail’ in MailStore’s
left-hand menu ( 1 in our screenshot
below), enter your Gmail address in the
E-mail Account box 2 and click Start.
Grant permission for MailStore Home to
access your Google account then double-
click the profile it creates to download
your Gmail folders and all the emails in
them 3 . You’ll now be able to browse
your messages in the program’s My
Archive section.
Alternatively, you can import all
your Gmail messages into the excellent
free email client Mozilla Thunderbird
(www.thunderbird.net).
Once you’ve downloaded and opened
it, click the ‘Set Up Your Existing Email
Address’ tab, enter your name, Gmail
address and password, and Thunderbird
will sync your Gmail account. Choose
‘POP3’ to download your emails to your
computer, so you’ll have backup copies if
Google deletes them from its server.
2
3
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 53
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 STOP

DELETING
YOUR FILES

WHAT YOU MUST CHECK IN YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT

Check which sites and apps
use your Google account
If you don’t have important files stored in
an old Google account, you may not be
bothered about it being deleted, but there
is another consequence you may have
overlooked. This relates to the ‘Sign in
with Google’ option you can use to
quickly sign up with and into websites
and apps – such as Spotify, Plex and
Zoom – instead of entering an email
address and password.
Once your inactive Google account is
deleted, you won’t be able to access the
third-party site or app if you’re signed out
or want to sign in on a different device.
This means you’ll lose all the data and
preferences you’ve saved in that service.
To check which sites and apps are linked
to your Google account, go to https://
myaccount.google.com, select Security in
the left-hand sidebar and scroll down to
‘Your connections to third-party apps and
services’. Click ‘See all connections’ then
the ‘Sign in with Google’ tab (see screenshot
above right) to see a list of tools you’re
signed into using your Google account.
Also check the ‘Linked account’ and
‘Access to’ tabs.
You probably no longer use many of
these tools or tried them once then forgot
about them. To disconnect them from
your Google account, select their names,
choose ‘Delete all connections that you
have with…’ and click Confirm. You can
also click ‘See details’ and choose ‘Stop
using Sign in with Google’.
With third-party tools that you want to
keep using, sign out of them and then back
in using your Google account, to confirm
your account is still active. Alternatively,
go into your account settings with the
app or website, find the ‘Login methods’
section or similar, and switch to signing
in with an email address and password.
don’t panic. Go to the ‘Account recovery’
page at www.snipca.com/48133, enter
your Gmail address and click Next.
Depending on how your account is
set up, you may be asked to enter a
verification code that’s sent to your
phone, recovery email address or
authenticator app, or to answer some
security questions about your account.
Once you’ve regained access, you’ll need
to reset your password.
If you don’t have a recovery email
address linked to your Google account,
set one up now in case you get locked
out again. Go to https://myaccount.
google.com, click ‘Personal info’ in
the left-hand sidebar and select Email
under ‘Contact info’. Choose ‘Recovery
email’, sign into your Google account
and enter the email address you want
to use (see screenshot below). Click
‘Next’, enter the verification code
Google sends to this address, then
click Verify.
Discover which
third-party sites
and apps are
linked to your
Google account
As we explained on page 52, you can
get Inactive Account Manager to send
reminders about keeping your Google
account active to your recovery email
address – as well as your Gmail one.
Check the storage usage
of your Google account
To allay concerns about Google deleting
content from your account without
warning, it’s worth keeping an eye on
your storage usage. If the amount has
mysteriously decreased the next time you
check, Google may have started wiping
your photos, emails and other files.
Go to your ‘Drive storage’ page at www.
snipca.com/48136 to see how much space
your data is consuming across Google
Drive, Gmail and Google Photos - and the
total percentage used (see screenshot
below). Bookmark the page in your
browser, so you can easily revisit it to
ensure files haven’t disappeared from
your account without your knowledge.

Ensure you can still access

your Google accounts
Google automatically signs you out of
accounts you haven’t used for a while, so
it’s essential to ensure you can sign back
in, in order to make the account look
active. You can view all your Google
accounts by clicking your profile picture
or initial letter in the top-right corner of
a Google page, then select one to launch
the sign-in prompt.
Ideally, your password will be stored in
your browser or password manager, or Set up a recovery email in case you get locked Monitor your Google account’s storage usage
you’ll be able to remember it – but if not, out of your Google account to spot if files are being deleted

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 55

 STOP OTHER TECH COMPANIES DELETING YOUR DATA
Microsoft
Just like Google, Microsoft will
deem your account ‘inactive’ and
close it if you haven’t signed in
for two years. Exceptions that will extend
its active status include purchasing
Microsoft products and services, paying
for an ongoing subscription and having
unspent gift credit in your account
(www.snipca.com/48139).
You can check the activity status of
your Microsoft account by signing into
your account-management page at
www.snipca.com/48140. This will show
recent activity in your account, such as
when and where you last signed in, and
the device you used.
Unlike Google, Microsoft doesn’t
have a Takeout-style tool for creating a
backup of all your files in case they’re
deleted. However, it does let you
download your activity data – such as
your search and browsing history, and
details of your app and service usage –
Download files from OneDrive in case
Microsoft closes your account
Delete unwanted inactive accounts
There are some online accounts you
might prefer were deleted, because
you’ve long stopped using them
and they contain personal data that
could compromise your privacy.
The best way to extricate
yourself from unwanted services
is to visit Just Delete Me (www.
snipca.com/48152). This provides
instructions and direct links (where
available) for closing inactive accounts
with more than 1,500 websites and
apps. You can either browse the
alphabetical list or search for a service you
want to leave.
The entries are helpfully colour-coded
to show you how simple it is to delete
your account: green for easy; yellow for
medium (some extra steps involved); red
56 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
1 a download from
from www.snipca.com/48141.
You can also download files and folders
from OneDrive by selecting them in your
‘My files’ list or Photos library and clicking
the Download button on the toolbar (see
screenshot below left). You don’t need to
worry about saving items if you sync
OneDrive between your PC and the ‘cloud’.
As with Gmail, Microsoft doesn’t allow
you to download emails from your
Outlook webmail, but you can do so
using MailStore Home (see page 53).
Amazon
Although Amazon won’t close
your customer account after a
period of inactivity, it does place a
time limit on its Amazon Photos and
Drive services. Its File Retention Policy
(www.snipca.com/48143) states that
for hard (requires contacting customer
services); and black for impossible.
Members of the latter category include
Skype, Now TV and National Express.
Just Delete Me’s sister site, Just Get My
Data (www.snipca.com/48153, pictured),
provides links for requesting copies of
your data from online services.
You can request
Facebook of all
your photos and
other data
3
2
you’ll be notified by email if you haven’t
used these services for 18 months.
After two years of inactivity, any files you
have stored in them will be permanently
deleted, unless you’re a paying subscriber.
Amazon Drive lets you download your
files and folders as a ZIP archive, but
annoyingly you can’t save entire albums
from Photos – you need to select pictures
individually then click Download.
Facebook
Facebook is rather vague about
its policy toward inactive
accounts, stating only that it will
“disable and delete accounts that are
unused and remain inactive for a long
period of time”. It bases its decision on
when you last signed into your account,
and whether you’ve added any photos or
friends, or followed any pages.
Facebook seems more concerned about
fake profiles that are created but never
confirmed – these are deleted after one
year of inactivity.
If you no longer use Facebook, but
don’t want to lose your photos, videos,
posts, messages and other data, you can
download them from its website in case
your account is deleted.
Go to your account settings page at
www.snipca.com/48144 and click
‘Download your information’ in the
sidebar on the left ( 1 in our screenshot
above). Select ‘Request a download’ 2
and choose whether to save a complete
copy of your Facebook information or
only specific content, as well as the date
range to cover. Click ‘Submit request’ and
Facebook will notify you when your file
is ready – you then have four days to
download it.
Facebook also lets you transfer your
photos, videos and posts to Google

Photos, Google Docs and Dropbox. Click
‘Transfer a copy of your information’ on
the account settings page 3 and choose
your preferred service.
X (formerly Twitter)
Back in May, Elon Musk, the
controversial CEO of what was
then Twitter and is now called
X, announced plans to ‘purge’ accounts
that had been inactive for several years
(www.snipca.com/48145).
This prompted a backlash from
users, who feared losing access to
the accounts of deceased friends and
relatives – to which Musk responded that
inactive accounts would be archived
rather than deleted, freeing up their
‘handles’ (profile names) to be used by
other people.
The announcement was actually in
keeping with Twitter/X’s existing
‘Inactive account policy’, which
encourages users to log in at least every
30 days, and warns that “accounts may be
permanently removed due to prolonged
inactivity” (www.snipca.com/48146).
Nonetheless, now that Musk seems
determined to annoy X users, you may be
tempted – like many others – to quit the
social network altogether. To download
your Twitter/X tweets/posts before your
account is deleted (or archived), go to
www.snipca.com/48148 and click
‘Download an archive of your data’
(see screenshot above right). Enter your
password, choose Confirm and complete
the verification process, then select
‘Request data’. X will notify you when
your archive is available to download.
Apple
Apple is even stricter than Google
about inactive accounts. The terms
and conditions for its iCloud
service state that Apple may terminate
your account if it’s been inactive for one
year. You’ll be sent an email giving you
30 days’ notice. If you don’t sign into
iCloud before the deadline, you’ll lose
access to your account and Apple will –
“after a period of time” – delete all the data
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Rescue your old tweets from X by downloading an archive of your data
stored in it (see www.snipca.com/48150).
That may not worry loyal iPhone and
Mac users who are always signed in, but if
– for example – you haven’t used iCloud
on your old iPad for a while, all your files
are at risk of being wiped.
To protect your data against deletion,
visit Apple’s ‘Data & privacy’ page
(https://privacy.apple.com), sign in with
your Apple ID and enter the verification
code that’s sent to your device. Click
‘Request a copy of your data’ under
‘Obtain a copy of your data’ (see
screenshot below) and select the content
you want to download. Options include
iCloud bookmarks, calendars and
Download your files from iCloud before Apple
deletes your inactive account
STOP
DELETING
YOUR FILES
contacts; and your documents, photos
and emails. Click ‘Continue’, choose a
maximum file size and select ‘Complete
request’. Apple will email you when your
file is ready to download.
Alternatively, if you only want to save
photos and videos from iCloud, click
‘Request to transfer a copy of your data’.
This lets you copy content from iCloud
Photos to a participating service, such as
Google Photos.
eBay
There is some uncertainty
about how long eBay waits
before declaring your account inactive.
Its User Agreement (www.snipca.
com/48151) says only that it may cancel
accounts that have been inactive for a
“substantial period of time”, but some
lapsed users have received emails about
imminent account deletion after a year.
Although you don’t generally store files
on eBay, other than photos for your
listings, losing your account means
having to start from scratch with your
feedback rating.
The main reason eBay deletes
inactive accounts is to stop them
being hijacked by scammers, so it’s
worth signing in every few months
to keep yours safe.
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Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 57
 G
oogle gave YouTube a major
redesign in late 2022, adding
‘ambient mode’ for more
natural colours and changing
links to buttons to minimise distractions
when you’re watching videos (see www.
snipca.com/48210). One year on and it’s
revamped YouTube again, introducing
several clever options for controlling

MASTER
playback and organising what you’ve
watched.
Before we explain how to use them,

YOUTUBE’S
watch this short video from Canadian
tech blogger Rene Ritchie, who was asked
by YouTube to talk about what’s new:
www.snipca.com/48147. He says the new

SUPERB
tools make YouTube “easier to use, more
fun and more engaging”, which we’d
agree with.
We’re less sure about his claim that the

NEW TOOLS
design tweaks “visually glow up the
whole entire experience”. One change in
particular might prove more irritating
than entertaining, as we’ll explain.

(and skip ads!)

Note that when we mention ‘online’
YouTube in our tips, we mean watching
videos in your browser whether on a
computer or mobile device (phone or
tablet). You don’t need to update YouTube
or your browser to get the new tools. A major update to the world’s most popular
At the moment, some of the new
features for phone and tablet are available video site gives you greater control over your
only for Android. This is unsurprising,
given that Google owns both YouTube
playback, volume, history and more.
and Android. However, Google is likely to Daniel Booth reveals what you need to know
add them to iPhones and iPads soon –
perhaps by the time you read this.
If you don’t see the features on your Account and Library sections of top-left menu icon (three horizontal
Android device, follow Google’s YouTube’s menu. These have been lines), followed by the ‘You ›’ heading
instructions for updating the YouTube combined into a new section (or ‘tab’) ( 1 in our screenshot below). Scroll down
app (www.snipca.com/48149) – but also called You, which also shows videos on the right and you’ll see your watched,
see box below. you’ve ‘liked’ and those you’ve saved to saved and liked videos 2 . You can also
watch later. click the options on the left to go to each
See everything you’ve To open this tab online, sign into of these sections 3 . Any videos you
watched in a new tab YouTube and click the ‘You’ icon in the download, buy or add to a playlist will
We’ll start with a big change to how you left-hand menu. Alternatively, click the also be shown here.
manage your favourite videos.
Previously, to see every video you’ve
1
watched you had to look in both the

Bring back your

YouTube history 2
3
Some YouTube users on phones and
tablets have said that after updating the
app they’ve been unable to see their
watch history. Solutions they’ve offered
include uninstalling and reinstalling the
app, signing out and back into the app,
or logging out of the Google account
within the app.
See your watched, saved and ‘liked’ videos in YouTube’s new You tab

60 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671


Long-click or long-press the video and it’ll
play at twice the speed
To open the ‘You’ tab on an Android or
Apple device, tap the profile picture at
the bottom-right of the YouTube app.
Play videos at twice the speed
If you want to fast-forward through a
video when watching online, click it and
keep your mouse button pressed. This
will play it at two times the speed, as
indicated by a small box at the top (see
screenshot above). Releasing your mouse
button returns the video to normal speed.
When watching on your phone or tablet,
long-press the video for the same effect.
Make volume more stable
The jump from quiet dialogue to loud
music can be startling on YouTube,
particularly if you’re listening on
headphones. YouTube now lets you
prevent any “jarring” audio shocks by
normalising the sound in videos. You’ll
find the setting, called Stable Volume, by
tapping the settings cog in the YouTube
app (see screenshot above right).
Lock your screen to prevent
interruptions
It’s easy to accidentally tap and swipe
your phone or tablet’s screen when
you’re watching a video, causing it to
pause or move forwards/backwards. To
avoid these clumsy-fingered
interruptions, tap the Settings cog,
followed by the ‘Lock screen’ padlock
icon. Once activated, your video won’t
respond to any of your taps or swipes.
To turn it off, tap anywhere on the
OLD
YouTube on smart TVs has a new vertical menu on the right
Turn on ‘Stable Volume’ to prevent audio
jumping from quiet to loud in YouTube
screen then tap the ‘Tap to unlock’ box
that appears at the bottom. Note that
Google says some app notifications or
adverts might temporarily stop ‘Lock
screen’ working, but that closing the
notification or advert will make it
function again and re-lock your screen.
Identify songs by humming
Since 2020, you’ve been able to hum or
sing a tune into your phone’s Google app
and ask it to identify the song – just tap
the microphone icon and click ‘Search a
song’. You can now do this on YouTube
by opening the app, tapping the Search
magnifying glass top right, followed by
the microphone icon (also top right).
Give YouTube permission to use your
mic, then hum, whistle or sing. It will
then show you a list of songs it believes
match your tune. The accuracy of its
results vary, but it did a pretty good job
recognising our tuneless squawking.
Like ‘Stable Volume’ and the lock-
screen option above, it seems to be
available only on Android for now.
Prepare for ‘playful sparkles’
As mentioned earlier, there’s one design
change we think will annoy some. YouTube
calls them “animations that celebrate
meaningful moments”, but that sounds
more interesting than they really are.
These “meaningful moments” are when
creators of YouTube videos ask you to ‘like’
a video or subscribe to their channel.
These requests will now appear as
animated buttons, and you’ll see a “subtle
NEW
‘Skip’ adverts instead
of blocking them
YouTube has spent 2023 cracking
down on ad blockers, finding ever
more ingenious (and irritating) ways
to make you watch adverts (see page
7). Developers have responded with
workarounds that beat YouTube’s
restrictions – see Issue 667 (page 42)
for an example using uBlock Origin.
Another option is not to block adverts,
but to ‘skip’ them – which is the aim of
the intriguing new browser extension
Friendly Adblock (or FadBlock for short,
pictured below), available for Chromium
browsers (www.snipca.com/48137)
and Firefox (www.snipca.com/48138).
It fast-forwards adverts so quickly –
often under 50 milliseconds – that you
barely notice them.
FadBlock claims to skip every type
of YouTube ad, including 10-second
ads that play without any ‘skip’
button, and even multiple ads shown
before a video starts to play. It works
automatically, so you don’t need to
do anything once it’s installed.
It worked fantastically well for us.
Most of the time we didn’t notice the
ads. Only very occasionally did we see
a glimpse of one.
explosion of playful sparkles” if you click
them. You can see this in action at www.
snipca.com/48216 – those “playful
sparkles” appear bottom right.
When these animations roll out fully,
we predict many people demanding that
YouTube turn them off. We’ll let you
know whether it adds a setting to do so.
See TV info in new side menu
There are fewer changes to the YouTube
app for smart TVs, but one welcome
addition is a vertical menu on the right of
your screen that shows the video
description, comments, the subscribe
button and video chapters. This replaces
the horizontal menu which took up too
much of the screen – see them compared
left. This improvement is also coming
soon to YouTube online as well as to the
app on phones and tablets.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 61
 FI N D
Amazon’s secret
Christmas
bargains
Save money on Amazon gifts this
Christmas by unlocking its hidden
discounts. Robert Irvine reveals where to
find them and how to stop the company
tracking you as you shop
Check your personalised
promotions page
Before you start – or continue – your
Christmas shopping, check if Amazon
has any special offers for you. The
website has a secret ‘personalised
promotions’ page (www.snipca.
com/48182) that lists “all promo codes
and benefits that you are eligible for”,
though these promotions are usually
available to all Amazon customers.
The discounts are time-limited and
sometimes restricted to a certain number
of customers, so check the page regularly
in the run-up to Christmas.
They currently include £4 off when
you spend £12 and use Amazon’s
click-and-collect ‘pickup’ service (www.
snipca.com/48183, see screenshot below)
before 31 December.
You can also get £5 of promotional
credit when you buy £60 worth of
Amazon gift cards by 31 January 2024,
which saves you having to come up with
present ideas (www.snipca.com/48184).
Check Amazon’s latest personalised promotions
in the run-up to Christmas
62 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
Apply Amazon vouchers to
Christmas purchases
When you’re buying something from
Amazon, it’s worth checking if there’s a
voucher available that could save you
money on the purchase. This detail will
be listed under the price in your search
results and on the product page – for
example, ‘Apply 15% voucher’ or ‘Save
£5 with voucher’ – but the deal can be
easy to miss. Tick the voucher box before
adding the item to your basket to claim
your discount.
To ensure you don’t miss any
pre-Christmas savings, add Amazon’s
Vouchers page (www.snipca.com/48208)
to your browser’s bookmarks. You can
either browse all the vouchers on offer,
or use the Display dropdown menu to
select a specific department, such as
Electronics, Computer or ‘Home &
Kitchen’. The ‘Sort by’ menu lets you
filter the vouchers by Newest, Most
Popular, Discount Percentage (see
screenshot below) and Expiring Soon.
Save money on your Christmas shopping by
applying Amazon vouchers
Save time and money on Christmas shopping
with a free Amazon Prime trial
Sign up for a free
Amazon Prime trial
In September 2022, Amazon increased
the price of its Prime membership to
£8.99 a month or £95 a year, which may
have convinced you not to bother
renewing your subscription. But during
the Christmas-shopping period, when it’s
useful to get your orders as quickly as
possible and not pay extra for delivery, it’s
worth signing up for a free Prime trial,
then cancelling before you get charged.
If you’ve never been a Prime member,
ended your subscription over a year ago
or are prepared to create a new Amazon
account, you can get a 30-day free trial by
signing up at www.snipca.com/48188
(see screenshot above). If you left Prime
within the past 12 months, you may be
able to get a discounted trial for a limited
period. We recently paid 99p to re-subscribe
for one week, which is plenty of time to
stock up on presents.
Check the Prime section of your
 New devices that will be on Christmas wishlists everywhere
Fire TV Stick 4K Max
£69.99
www.snipca.com/48200
Amazon’s most powerful streaming
stick yet includes AI-powered
search, support for Wi-Fi 6E,
16GB of storage and a new
Ambient Experience option,
which lets you create a custom
home screen containing
artwork, photos and widgets.
Motorola Moto G73 5G
£269.99
www.snipca.com/48201
Discounted to £199 at the
time of writing, Motorola’s
latest 5G smartphone has
a 6.5in screen, 256GB of
storage and 8GB of RAM, but
is most notable for its superb
Amazon account to see if you can get a
free or cheap Prime trial. You may also be
offered one when you buy an item, as an
alternative to paying for delivery.
Find stocking fillers to qualify
for free delivery
Earlier this year, Amazon increased its
free delivery threshold for non-Prime
members from £20 to £25. This means
you may have to buy at least one other
item to make up the difference, or else
pay up to £5.99 for delivery – an expense
you don’t need at this time of year.
You can avoid overspending by using
the Super Saver Delivery tool (www.
supersaverdeliverytool.com) to find cheap
items to add to your Christmas basket.
Not only will this tool help you reach
the £25 threshold, but it’s also a handy
source of stocking fillers.
Type the amount you want to make up
in the search box and click Search. Our
search for £1.50 products found us a gift
box of Maltesers, a pack of Crayola Jumbo
Crayons and a roll of Sellotape – perfect
for Christmas wrapping!
Note that the £25 threshold applies
only to items dispatched by Amazon (not
third-party sellers), and drops to £10 if
your order includes books. See www.
snipca.com/48194 for eligibility details.
Create price-drop alerts for
must-have gifts
Amazon’s prices fluctuate wildly between
the start of its Black Friday sales and
battery life. See our four-star review in
Issue 666 (page 29) for more information.
Fire Max 11
£249.99
www.snipca.com/48204
Tablets have made a resurgence in 2023
and Amazon’s new,
top-of-the-range
device is cheaper
than the latest
models from Google
and Samsung. It has
an 11in screen, 64GB
of storage, 4GB of
RAM and a speedy, octa-core processor.
Echo Pop
£44.99
www.snipca.com/48206
The new Echo Pop is now Amazon’s most
Christmas, with discounts and Lightning
Deals on a seemingly random selection of
stock. The best way to bag a bargain is to
track prices using CamelCamelCamel
(www.snipca.com/48196).
Search for a gift you want to buy, or paste
its Amazon URL, and CamelCamelCamel
will show you a price-history chart of the
item’s cost over the past month, three
months, six months or year. Click ‘Create
Price Watch’, specify how much you’re
prepared to pay (see screenshot below),
and CamelCamelCamel will alert you
via email as soon as the price drops to
or below your desired amount. You can
import your Amazon wishlist to create
automatic price watches for presents you
intend to buy.
CamelCamelCamel also offers an
extension called The Camelizer (www.
snipca.com/48197) for Chromium
browsers, Safari and Firefox. Just click its
toolbar button when viewing an Amazon
product page to see a price-history graph
and create a Price Watch alert.
Bag yourself a Christmas bargain using
CamelCamelCamel’s Price Watch feature
affordable smart speaker,
and makes a perfect gift
for anyone who wants
to get information, play
music and perform
useful tricks using Alexa
voice commands. We expect
it to be even cheaper by Christmas.
Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 3
£269.17
www.snipca.com/48207
If you can’t decide whether to buy
someone a laptop or a tablet for Christmas,
this Lenovo Chromebook offers the best of
both worlds. It features
an 11in touchscreen
with a detachable
keyboard, 64GB of
storage and a 12-hour
battery life.
2
1
You can stop Amazon recommending
products based on your browsing history
Stop Amazon tracking
you when you shop
Amazon’s ‘recommendations’ are
particularly annoying when Christmas
shopping because anyone who uses your
computer can see the type of items you’ve
been viewing – potentially spoiling the
surprises on Christmas morning.
To stop Amazon using your browsing
history to make recommendations, visit
the Your Browsing History page (www.
snipca.com/48209), click ‘Manage history’
in the top-right corner and select ‘Remove
all items from view’ ( 1 in our screenshot
above). Select the option to ‘Turn off
browsing history’ 2 to stop Amazon storing
details of your future browsing activity.
Next, click Improve Your
Recommendations at the top of the
page. Switch off the ‘Use this item for
recommendations’ option for all your
past purchases, to prevent Amazon from
displaying Buy Again prompts and
suggesting related products.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 63
 Problems Solved
Our experts solve all your tech problems
PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT
What next for our rural broadband?
If BT axes its copper phone
Q network, where will people
like me finish up? I have an
exchange-only line, to my very rural
location – a distance of about 3km. My
ADSL gets around 6.5Mbps when the
wind is in the east, with upload at
about 0.45Mbps! This is suitable for
most of my requirements, which is
fortunate as Openreach refuses to
connect me to anything better. It tells
me it is “not prepared to modify the
network for any reason”. There is fibre-
to-the-cabinet (FTTC) a kilometre from
us and fibre from my exchange passes
my front gate in an underground duct
that goes to this cabinet. So, if the
copper goes, what do we do? Apart
from the bottom falling out of the
market for scrap copper, is Starlink
(www.starlink.com) satellite
broadband going to be our only option?
Andrew Walker
This is one of those questions
A where we begin our answer
with a deep breath followed
by… it’s complicated. But, as ever, we’ll
try to simplify as much as possible.
First, we must be clear in stating that
it’s not BT that’s ditching its copper
network, but Openreach. Admittedly,
It is Openreach, rather than its owner BT that's responsible for
closing the traditional copper network
64 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
TalkTalk's blog
has pointed
out that its
customers
will not be
immediately
impacted by
the copper
switch-off
in December
2025
that’s largely a technicality, because confirmed in the Ofcom consultation
Openreach is owned by BT. However, document, at www.snipca.com/47934
as a provider of phone and broadband (see point 2.9).
services – and specifically in regard to Even so, for many customers of these
the supply of voice services over the companies and more, the timeline is
traditional copper network – BT is in the likely to be the same or similar as that
same boat as many other providers that of BT and Openreach.
rely wholly on Openreach. Moreover, within that subset of
And that boat is headed towards a complications will be all sorts of
December 2025 landing, after which time
voice services from Openreach-reliant
exceptional cases – and, as a residence
with an exchange-only line, your
providers, including BT, will be available home is likely to be one. In fact, while
only digitally – via a fibre broadband ‘copper switch-off’ is a convenient
connection, for example. umbrella term, it isn’t all that accurate.
In fact, in September 2023, these same The copper wires to your particular
providers stopped selling traditional dwelling are unlikely to be removed,
analogue phone replaced or ‘switched off’ anytime
services. soon, and almost certainly not before
However, it’s December 2025.
important to understand Instead, as an exchange-only line –
that some big-name and short of Openreach installing a
providers – such as cabinet between your home and the
TalkTalk and Sky – exchange, which you’ve been told is
offer ‘fully unbundled’ unlikely – what’s likely to happen in
packages. As such, your case is BT will probably switch
they’re not tied to the your voice services to digital.
Openreach schedule If you choose to take a voice landline
and can do their own – which as we repeat often, is not
thing, in their own compulsory – then it’ll be delivered as
time. TalkTalk recently part of your broadband package. But,
emphasised this fact in a for the foreseeable future, that
blog post, pictured broadband package will continue to be
above, at www.snipca. supplied over your existing direct
com/47933. This is also copper connection to the exchange.

Is Java safe now?
I have been using LibreOffice
Q for about six months as a word
processor – it's a great office
program for my needs. I recently decided
to start using Base, the database
component of LibreOffice. However,
when trying to set one up, it said it
needed to have Java installed, but my
computer doesn’t have this. I recall
reading in the past that Java has a
dubious security reputation. Am I right
to assume that those days are over and it
is safe to download?
Paul Jessney
Java is merely a programming
A language – and in that regard,
at least, it is fundamentally no
more or less safe than any other
programming language. Put another way,
Java is a vast bunch of commands that
provide developers with a framework for
making programs.
However, Java’s reputation has taken a
knock from JavaScript, which is a related
Can I unlock a school Chromebook?
My grandson has just found
Q an Acer Chromebook C730
that he last used in primary
school, five years ago. It was purchased
from the school through a scheme and,
at the end of the year, pupils were
meant to hand in their Chromebooks
for a factory reset. The teacher left,
so this never happened.
I’ve tried numerous factory-reset
methods, but everything I try demands
the administrator password. The
school says it cannot help, as it doesn’t
have the password. Is it possible to
get into the system to override the
administrator locks? My grandson can
use it as a guest but cannot go on to
major websites as the school placed
various restrictions.
Alan Merser
This is your grandson’s
A problem, but the school’s to
solve. For enterprise-managed
and ‘enrolled’ Chromebooks, there is
Email us your problem and we’ll try to help:
noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
but different programming framework
that’s used primarily to run fancier
elements of many websites. With so many
of us spending so much time online, the
ability to run JavaScript code in a web
browser is attractive to hackers and
scammers. It has indeed resulted in
numerous security scares over the years.
These days, most of the time – on
websites you trust – there’s little need to
install JavaScript. In fact, for many
websites, it’s vital: that’s why it’s enabled
by default in popular browsers.
You don’t need to update JavaScript, as
such, because it’s built into the browser
you use – and it’ll be updated whenever
the browser is updated. If you’re so Ensure that Java's ‘Check for Updates
Automatically’ box is ticked
inclined, you can manually control which
websites use it. In Chrome or Edge, for consider it as safe as any other tool or
example, first open the menu (three dots,
top right) and then click Settings. Next,
service you have. However, it won’t
update with your browser – so you
click ‘Privacy and security’ (Chrome) or should stay on top of the latest versions.
‘Cookies and site permissions’ (Edge) It’s a free download from www.java.com.
followed by, in Chrome only, ‘Site settings’ Once installed, from your Start menu
and then JavaScript (both). open the Configure Java panel, and then
All this brings us back to Java, on select the Update tab before checking that
which aspects of Base rely. It’s fine to the ‘Check for Updates Automatically’ box
install this on your PC and you can is ticked (see screenshot).
The SH1MMER
flaw can
allow ‘root’
access some
Chromebooks,
but it is
complicated
to use
simply no way to override the restrictions discovered earlier this year, lets you
without the admin password – that’s the root access on a few Chromebooks.
whole point of the system. However, it’s very complex and we
The school should have had in place a don’t think it’ll work your grandson’s
system that ensured the relevant particular model but if you want to try,
password remained in its possession. As follow the guide at https://sh1mmer.me
it failed to do that, it should make efforts (see screenshot).
to contact the departed teacher to recover
the admin password.
Google has also recently issued an
update to stop it working on newer
A security flaw known as SH1MMER, Chromebooks.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 65
 Problems Solved
How do I access my old Zip disks?
What’s causing
these unwanted
I have an Iomega
Q Zip drive with a

accents?
Recently, I’ve noticed that at
Q the end of a word, when I
press the space bar, my
Windows 10 PC is adding accents I
don’t want. I tried all the letters
followed by the space bar and got an
accent on pretty much every one,
and a weird-shaped Q. Have I
accidentally switched something on?
Is there any way to stop this
happening?
Vickie Woodruff
We scratched our heads on
A this one for a while, but
then we recalled a feature
in PowerToys that (intentionally)
causes exactly this behaviour. We’re
pretty confident that you have this
Microsoft tool installed and have
inadvertently enabled it.
To switch it off, first right-click the
PowerToys icon in the notification
area, at the far right of the taskbar,
and choose Settings. Next, in the
left-hand pane, click the Quick
Accent tab and then, in the right-
hand pane, either flip the Enable
Quick Accent switch to its Off
position (see screenshot 1 ) or use the
multitude of options below to modify
the way it works (perhaps choosing
something other than Space as the
activation key, say 2 ).
parallel-port
connection. My new
computer does not have a
parallel port, but I have many Zip disks
that have information which I need. I
have tried a parallel-to-serial lead, but
this does not work. Could you suggest a
means of allowing the Zip drives to be
used with USB?
Keith Jones
There are two ways to achieve this
A – hard or easy. The adapter you
bought is designed for printers,
and even then works only in specific
circumstances. That aside, to add a full-
function parallel port to a modern
desktop PC you’d need to buy a PCI
Express expansion card (PCIe), like the
model pictured above right from Donkey
(around £18, www.snipca.com/47935).
For a laptop, forget it: it’s not
technically possible to get all parallel
functionality through USB. Then, as
parallel Zip drives are not readily
compatible with modern versions of
PCI Express
expansion card
from Donkey
Windows, you’d need to find and install a
version of XP – typically into a virtual PC
tool like VirtualBox (www.virtualbox.
org). You’d then need to enable various
parameters to allow the virtual XP
machine to make use of the parallel
expansion card. This is complicated, with
aspects depending on your setup but, if
you’re determined, see the guide at www.
snipca.com/47936.
Alternatively, you can go to eBay and
pick up a working USB Zip drive second-
hand, for around £20 (see screenshot
below). Connect it to a spare USB port on
any modern PC – desktop or laptop – and
away you go.

Either flip the Enable Quick Accent switch

to its Off position… You can buy a second-hand Iomega Zip drive on eBay for around £20

2
Q: How can I block adverts in
Outlook?
A: Issue 636, page 69 – find it on
our 2022 Back Issue CD
…or adjust the options below to choose an Buy it from
activation key such as ‘Left/Right Arrow’ www.snipca.com/44660

66 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

 How did I
receive a Giffgaff
Wi-Fi call? Giffgaff explains on its
Our holiday cottage had website that it is planning to
Q good Wi-Fi but zero mobile
signal. Wi-Fi calling was the
introduce Wi-Fi Calling

obvious solution, but the feature isn’t

supported by Giffgaff. Fortunately, I
have a two-SIM smartphone, with a
Smarty SIM that I use for data, so I set
this up for Wi-Fi calling – giving the
number to the people who might need
to contact me urgently.
However, I received a call from
someone who dialled my Giffgaff
number. The call had been logged by
my phone as coming in via the Smarty
SIM! I couldn't believe it, so I asked the
caller to dial again, and the same thing
happened. How could a call to my
Giffgaff number be delivered via the
Smarty SIM? It was as if I’d set up call
forwarding, though I hadn’t. It’s nice
when something works when it
shouldn’t have done, but I’d really like
to know how. The only thing that tied
the two numbers together was the
IMEI, as the SIMs were in the same
phone.
Peter Calver
This is a mystery, and we simply
A do not know how this happened.
You’re probably aware that
Giffgaff is a mobile virtual network Wi-Fi Calling is already available on O2's
operator, or MVNO, providing services network (which carries Giffgaff services)
that ride on the back of O2’s real physical
network. The O2 network does support feature in a few places – and you
Wi-Fi calling, and Giffgaff is on record as happened to be holidaying in one of
saying it is working to bring the feature to those areas. This doesn’t explain why
its own roster (www.snipca.com/47937, the called appeared to come via the
see screenshot above). Smarty SIM, but that’s likely be down
So, at a guess, we’d say that Giffgaff’s to some technical quirk caused by
engineers have been quietly trialling the the engineering test.

Why is DuckDuckGo compromising my privacy?

I have installed DuckDuckGo as 1
Q my Windows 10 browser
following privacy suggestions in
your excellent magazine. I believe that
the browser is still in the beta stage,
which probably answers the question I
am about to ask. On launching the
browser, it opens the last website visited
rather than a Home page.
It is only a minor irritant but probably
goes against the privacy-led nature of the
app. I have tried to alter this through the
settings but have been unsuccessful. Is
there a way to achieve this?
Tom Jones Remove the tick from the box labelled ‘Restore windows and tabs from previous session’

It’s certainly not unusual for beta
A software to have bugs and this
could very well be one.
DuckDuckGo does have an option that
might be the cause – though, it’s not clear
to us if you’ve already tried this. If not,
first click to open the menu (three dots,
top right), and then choose Settings.
Next, on the left, click to select the
General tab and then, on the right, click
to clear the tick from the box labelled 2
‘Restore windows and tabs from previous
session’ (see screenshot 1 ).
If that doesn’t work, then make sure
you’re using the browser’s latest
version. To check, open the menu
again, but this time choose About. If a
newer version is available, you’ll see a
‘Download and Install’ button 2 – click If a newer version of DuckDuckGo is available,
this to do the job. you’ll see a ‘Download and Install’ button

Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 67

 Problems Solved
Why can’t I launch 1 In the Run
window, type

Windows Linux? optionalfeatures

and press Enter

For some unknown reason,

Q I’m unable to install Linux
software from the Microsoft
Store on either my Windows 10 or 11
desktop PCs, although I do get the
Linux penguin icon and the Windows
Terminal Icon. I’ve also tried to install
via PowerShell, but no luck. I just get a
message that WSL hasn’t installed
correctly. Any ideas?
Charles Waring
We think you’re trying to access
A the Windows Subsystem for
Linux (WSL). You didn’t go into
detail about how you got to this point, or
what you’ve tried to resolve it. However, if
a PowerShell command like wsl --install
is failing, we imagine you’ve not enabled
the Virtual Machine Platform feature of
Windows, which is required to allow
WSL to run.
To do this, first press Windows key+R
to open a Run menu, then type
optionalfeatures (see screenshot 1 ) and 2
press Enter. Then, in the Windows
Features box that appears, scroll down
to find and then tick Virtual Machine
Platform 2 . Click OK, then restart
your PC.
You’ll also need to ensure that
virtualisation is enabled in your PC’s
BIOS. How to access this depends on
the computer, but typically you’ll need
to press a key, like F2 or Delete (Del),
shortly after switching. Then look
through the BIOS pages to find and
enable a feature called Virtualisation In the Windows Features box, find and then
(or similar). tick Virtual Machine Platform

How do I stop these annoying typing noises?

Following a recent Windows 1 2
Q 10 update, my PC’s keyboard
starting clicking whenever I
type. I don’t mean the keyboard itself,
but the speakers on the laptop –
emitting a little electronic peck with
each tap. It’s really annoying! I can stop
it by turning down the volume, but
then obviously I can’t hear anything
else. I’ve had a look through the Typing
section in Settings but can’t find
anything that might cause this. Any
ideas?
Marianne Cook

Inexplicable little glitches

A sometimes occur during
Windows 10 updates, and this
sounds like one – with a particular
accessibility feature having been
enabled.
First, click Start followed by the Either remove the tick from the box marked …or , if you don’t want to use Filter Keys at
‘Beep when keys are pressed or accepted’… all, flip its switch to the Off position
Settings cog, and then ‘Ease of Access’.
Next, in the left-hand pane, click be your preferred option. However, we electronic clicks. So, either click to
Keyboard. Now, turn your attention to reckon you’ll find that the ‘Beep when clear this tick (see screenshot 1 ), or, if
the right-hand pane. The Filter Keys keys are pressed or accepted’ box is also you don’t want to use Filter Keys at all,
switch is likely to be On, which might ticked – and this might be causing the flip its switch to the Off position 2 .

68 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671

 ?? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN...
A firewall and virus protection?
I bought a new PC recently
Q and decided to start afresh
with my Windows setup, just
for a clean break. That all went okay,
but during this process I’ve had
Windows Defender Firewall pop up
numerous times to ask if I want to let
various programs access the internet.
That, too, is fair enough – but it got me
wondering how Windows Defender
Firewall differs from the virus-
protection aspect? Why do I need to
give permission for some stuff to come
through while the virus protection
presumably keeps stuff out without
ever asking me?
Clarence Williams
The two technologies work
A hand in hand doing different
jobs to achieve the same goal –
and that’s to keep your PC and the data
it contains safe from harm.
That protection begins with the
firewall. Fundamentally, anything on
Why can’t I play my DVDs in the UK?
Years ago, I purchased boxed
Q sets of DVDs at the full price in
the UK. I've owned them and
occasionally played them over the
past years with no problem. Recently,
though, I was told that these legitimately
purchased copies are not playable in my
region (the UK). How do I get around this
problem of being unable to play my
DVDs?
Colin Boast
The so-called ‘region locking’ of
A
DVDs is nothing new, but with
fewer people buying new
equipment with DVD drives – not to
mention the discs themselves – it’s
encountered less frequently.
It’s an ignominious product of the
movie industry’s desire for control,
whereby for a variety of commercial and
marketing reasons, the world was divided
up into six major regions. This system
means that discs purchased in one region
can be played only on hardware
purchased in the same region. The UK is
your computer – from Windows
itself to its software – that wants
access to the internet has to be
given permission through the
firewall. Those permissions are
defined as ‘inbound’ and
‘outbound’ rules, for data
flowing into or out of your
computer.
Many of these rules are Open Windows Firewall’s settings to see inbound and
predefined by Windows, so you outbound rules
probably don’t even realise they
exist – but others need to be agreed by
you, as the user, the first time the need
arises. To review the full list, first click
Start followed by the Settings cog, and
then ‘Update & Security’. Next, click
Windows Security, followed by ‘Firewall
& network protection’ and then
‘Advanced settings’. Finally, click Inbound Windows Defender, conducts ongoing
Rules or Outbound Rules at the top left
(see screenshot).
However, once something has been
given an ‘open door’ to communicate
with the wider world, unwanted stuff
in Region 2, and we’d imagine your
boxsets are also Region 2, like the one
pictured on the DVD below. Compatible
regions are typically listed on the back of
the packaging.
It’s not clear to us what might have
changed to make these discs unplayable,
nor how you are trying to play them. If
you’ve bought a new DVD player or PC
with a DVD drive, it’s possible this has
been locked to a different region. There
Region 2 DVDs, like this one, can be played in
the UK
could make its way onto your PC – and
that’s where virus protection comes in.
A web browser needs largely
unrestricted internet access, obviously,
but that means it could be used to
inadvertently download something
malicious. Antivirus software, like
checks for any bad actors that might
attempt to sneak in undetected.
Want to know the difference between
technical terms? Email noproblem@
computeractive.co.uk
are sometimes hacks that can be applied
to remove or change the region lock, but
these depend heavily on the equipment.
Alternatively, you can use a PC to ‘rip’
a DVD to a MP4 digital video file that’s
unrestrained by regional locks – it’s a free
download from www.winxdvd.com/
dvd-ripper. It has plenty of options to
explore, but essentially you need to click
the Disc button, choose the relevant drive
and then click the Run button.
ON SALE
Next Issue Weds
6 Dec
• Can I access my old floppy
disks?
• Will my PC run Windows 11?
•W hy won’t my display cable
work?
...And many more
Subscribe to Computeractive at
www.getcomputeractive.co.uk
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 69
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Problems Solved
Reader Support
Having a problem with our recommended software or expert tips?
Email editor@computeractive.co.uk and we’ll do our best to help
Where can I buy Digitnow’s
cassette converter?
In your answer to Stephen
Q Paynter’s question about how to
digitise old cassettes (Issue 668,
page 65), you recommend Digitnow’s
Cassette-to-MP3 converter (pictured
below 1 ), priced £25 on Amazon. However,
the URL you gave (www.snipca.com/47467)
doesn’t seem to work. Clicking it just
brings up the message ‘Sorry we couldn’t
find this page’ and a picture of a dog! Is
there another way I can buy the device?
JD Vinter
We’re not sure why that link
A doesn’t work anymore, but the
converter is still available from
Amazon, just on a different page: www.
snipca.com/48155. Note though that it
now costs £27.99.
If that puts you off, consider Digitnow’s
£17.99 converter instead (www.snipca.
com/48158, pictured 2 ). The company,
based in California, sells several other
types of device on Amazon, including
film and slide scanners, Bluetooth vinyl
record players and VHS-to-digital
converters. See the full range at
www.snipca.com/48159.
As for the dog you saw, it’s Amazon’s
way of soothing the annoyance of not
finding the page you’re after (called a 404
error). Many websites use similarly amusing
or cute images – see www.snipca.
com/48157 for some of the most creative.
1 2
Amazon is still selling the Digitnow cassette
converter, but it now costs £27.99…
To install FixWin,
scroll down its page
and click the blue
‘Download File’
button
What’s the correct
download link for FixWin?
I was keen to try FixWin after
Q you recommended it so
persuasively in Issue 669’s
‘Never pay for PC repairs’ Cover Feature.
However, I struggled to find the
download link for it on the URL you
gave: www.snipca.com/47803.
Am I missing anything obvious?
Max Cohen
No, you’re not missing
A anything obvious – nor are
you the only person to
have had problems. FixWin is an
exceptionally useful program, but we
wish it would make the download link
more prominent. You need to scroll
down the page to the ‘Is the FixWin
Windows Repair tool free?’ heading
and click the blue ‘Download File’ button
(see screenshot above).
FixWin should place this button at the
top of its page to save you having to scroll
down. Instead it has a link to ‘Download
Windows Speedup Tool to fix errors and
…If that’s too expensive, consider Digitnow’s
£17.99 converter instead
make PC run faster’. This is a cunningly
placed advert for the paid-for software
Automated PC Repair Service, made by
Israeli firm Fortect. You should definitely
ignore this.
If broadband is slow,
what’s the point of fast VPN?
Issue 669’s review of VPNs
Q (pages 24-25) quoted speeds in
excess of 90Mbps. Presumably, if
your existing broadband speed is below
that, then any VPN won’t be able to go
faster than it. There are still plenty of
people stuck on fibre-to-the-cabinet
(FTTC) speeds, so am I right in thinking
they should stick to the free and slightly
slower VPNs, because the faster and
paid-for ones are of no added benefit?
Barry Blackshaw
Yes, it’s true that a VPN will
A never beat the speed of your
internet connection. It’s also
true that even the fastest VPN might be
slower than your internet. For example,
ProtonVPN (https://protonvpn.com) was
the quickest free service in our tests, but
at 220Mbps (UK) and 180Mbps (US) it
doesn’t come close to Gigabit speeds
offered by fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP)
broadband. But then it doesn’t need to –
220Mbps is fast enough for a VPN to
stream videos. Pay for Surfshark’s VPN
(www.snipca.com/47836) and you can
hit speeds of over 500Mbps.
Bear in mind, however, that we run
VPN speed tests over several months and
give an average, so there will be times
when the speed will be faster or slower
than what we quoted in our review.
Issue 671 • 22 November – 5 December 2023 71
 Jargon Buster
1440p High-definition video of
2560x1440 pixels.
4K Video with a resolution of at
least 3840x2160 pixels.
5G The latest generation of mobile
networks.
Administrator Someone who can
make changes to a computer that
will affect others who also use it.
ADSL Asymmetric Digital
Subscriber Line. A technology that
converts a standard phone line into
a broadband internet connection.
AI Artificial intelligence.
Intelligence demonstrated by a
machine rather than a human
being. Often used to describe
technology that can perform
human-like tasks.
AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic
Light-Emitting Diode. An
alternative technology to LCD for
creating flat-panel displays.
Aspect ratio A measurement of
the shape of a screen. Traditional
PC screens are 4:3. Widescreen
displays are 16:9 or 16:10.
Bandwidth A measure of how
much data can be transferred
through a connection at one time.
Benchmarking Comparing
software and products with an
accepted standard.
Beta A version of software that’s
being tested.
BIOS Basic Input-Output System.
Software built into every PC that
connects the vital components. It’s
visible for a few seconds when the
PC starts.
Cache A temporary space for
storing information.
CBR Comic book files that
compress files using RAR.
cd/m2 Candela per square metre.
Standard unit of brightness.
Chatbot A computer program
designed to recreate conversation
with human users, especially over
the internet. Typically used to offer
automated customer support.
72 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
Clean install An operating system
installation that overwrites all
other content on the hard drive.
Client A program that acts as an
interface between PC and server.
Code Programming languages
used to create software.
Colorimeter A tool for measuring
the colour accuracy of a monitor
by calibrating its brightness,
contrast and colour.
Core Units on a processor that
carry out program instructions.
Dark mode Showing white text
on a black background.
Dark web Websites that can
only be accessed using special
software such as the Tor Browser.
DCI-P3 A colour space that has a
wider spectrum than sRGB.
Domain These are used to
identify one or more IP addresses.
Emoji A small graphic that can be
inserted into a text or email.
Emulator A program that makes
one PC act like another, allowing it
to run that computer’s software.
End-to-end encryption
A way of encrypting messages
so that the only people who can
read them are the sender and
recipient.
EPUB A file format used by many
popular ebook readers.
EXE A program file designed to
run in Windows.
Factory reset Restoring a device
to the manufacturer’s default
settings.
Freemium A business model,
especially on the internet, where
basic services are provided
for free, while more advanced
features must be paid for.
FTTC Fibre-to-the-cabinet.
A broadband technology that
uses fibre-optic cable between
a telephone exchange and a
street cabinet before transferring
to the normal telephone wires.
FTTH/FTTP Fibre to the home/
premises. Fibre broadband that
goes straight to the doorstep.
Faster than FTTC (fibre to the
cabinet).
Function key The F1 to F12 keys on a
keyboard. They can be programmed
to perform specific tasks.
GHz Gigahertz. A measure of
how many instructions a chip can
process per second. 1GHz is equal
to 1,000MHz.
GIF Graphics Interchange Format.
A type of image file often used
on the web, but now largely
superseded by PNG.
Gigabit Internet connection
offering speeds of at least 1Gbps
(1,000Mbps).
Graphics card A component in a
computer that produces the image
shown on the monitor.
HDMI High-definition media
interface. A type of connection that
transmits high-definition video and
audio signals.
Hotspot A public area covered by
a Wi-Fi network that allows you to
access the internet.
Hz Hertz. Measures the frequency
something happens: 1Hz equals
once a second.
IMEI Integrated Mobile Equipment
Identity. A unique number used to
identify each mobile phone.
IP68 International Protection
marking. The ‘6’ denotes that a
device is resistant to dust, general
dirt and sand. The ‘8’ indicates that
it can be placed underwater for 30
minutes at depths of up to 1.5m
without damage.
IPS A screen technology. Monitors
that use it have wider viewing
angles and better, more accurate
colours than monitors that do not
use this technology.
Lightning connector Apple’s
own connector that connects
iPhones and iPads to computers,
monitors, chargers and more.
M.2 A standard specification for
internal PC cards and connectors.
Mesh Wi-Fi Wireless network
system that uses multiple,
connected routers to stretch Wi-Fi
further than a traditional router.
MicroSD card A small type of
memory card.
MOBI Short for Mobipocket. Ebook
format that lets readers add their
own content, such as drawings,
annotations and bookmarks.
MP4 A type of digital movie file
often used for portable players.
MS-DOS Microsoft Disk Operating
System. The standard PC
operating system before the dawn
of Windows.
MVNO Mobile virtual network
operator. A mobile provider that
piggybacks on another network
rather than its own. Lebara
for example uses Vodafone’s
network.
OLED Organic light-emitting
diode. A thin-film organic light-
emitting diode used in computer
displays and television screens.
Open source Software that can
be modified by anyone, rather
than just by the employees of the
company that created it.
Parallel port A single socket
on the back of a PC used for
connecting a printer or a low-cost
scanner.
Passkey A method for signing into
accounts by typing a one-off code,
fingerprint or facial recognition
rather than a password.
PCIe Peripheral Component
Interconnect Express. A faster
version of PCI – a slot on the
motherboard for expansion cards,
such as for sound and memory.
Picture-in-picture Shows video
in a small moveable screen while
you browse the web or watch TV.
Plug-in A small program that
adds extra features to software.
ppi Pixels per inch. Measure of
screen resolution.
Qi Pronounced ‘chee’, it’s the main
standard for wireless charging.
RAM Random-access memory.
The computer’s working area,
used for data storage while the PC
is switched on.
Refresh rate Measured in Hertz
(Hz), the number of times per
second that the image on your
monitor is redrawn.
Refurbished A second-hand
device that has been repaired by
its manufacturer so that it can be
resold and reused.
Roaming charge Fee incurred for
using your phone to receive data
via overseas mobile networks.
Root To perform tasks on Android
devices that aren’t permitted by
the manufacturer.
SATA Serial ATA. An interface for
connecting hard drives and optical
discs to a computer.
SD card Secure Digital card. A
popular type of memory card.
SIM Subscriber Identity Module.
The smart card used by all
digital mobile phones. It carries
the user’s identity and phone
number for accessing the network.
SMS Short Message Service.
More commonly called text
messaging.
sRGB A standard RGB colour
space for use on monitors,
printers and the internet.
SSD Solid-state drive. Storage
that, unlike a hard drive, uses no
moving parts. Faster but more
expensive than conventional hard
drives.
Switch Mechanism under a
keyboard that determines whether
a key has been pressed.
System image A backup of
your ‘system image’, which
includes your operating system
drivers, PC’s settings, programs
and files.
Thunderbolt A very fast port for
connecting external storage to a PC.
Two-factor authentication
A system that uses two different
means to identify the user. For
example, a code sent to your
phone in addition to a password.
TXT A basic file format that
contains nothing but text.
Ultrawide Offering a field of view
that’s wider than traditional digital
cameras.
USB 2.0/3.0/3.1 Faster successors
to USB.
USB-C A new connector that’s
reversible, letting you plug it in
upside down.
Virtual PC A Windows tool that
enables you to run a second ‘virtual’
operating system on a PC, such as
running a version of Windows 7
in a Windows 10 computer to use
older programs.
Virtualisation Running a second
‘virtual’ operating system on a
PC, leaving the main system
unaffected.
VPN Virtual private network.
Keeps all internet communication
safe and private.
Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi 6 extended to
include the 6GHz band.
Wi-Fi Calling Lets you make
and receive voice and video calls
over a Wi-Fi connection instead
of using your cellular (mobile)
connection.
Widget A small program such
as a calendar that runs on the
Windows desktop.
ZIP file A file that contains
compressed documents or files.
Zip drive A high-capacity drive
capable of storing 100MB or
250MB of data on sturdy pocket-
sized disks.
 Easy when you
Know How
When he needs to provide physical copies of his bank
statements, Robert Irvine tries to…
Print unprintable documents
P
eople aren’t joking when they say
moving house is the most stressful
life event (see www.snipca.
com/48072). It’s not just the physical
process of shifting all your stuff, but
all the little things you need sort out at
both ends, from inventories and utilities
to figuring out how to use the new
thermostat.
All that stress plus £30
wasted, and all it took
was ticking a box
One factor that’s eased my recent
relocation (which I promise I won’t
mention again after this column) is
that I’m effectively living a paperless
existence. This means I don’t have stacks
of shoeboxes stuffed with receipts and
invoices, don’t need to worry about bills
being delivered to my old address and
don’t suffer nightmares about being
attacked by vengeful trees.
However, my paperless smugness came
under threat when I was asked to provide
proof of income and expenditure in
relation to a financial matter. The
company wanted to see my last three
months of bank statements – in physical,
photocopiable form, rather than as
new-fangled email attachments.
Sighing at the inconvenience, I dusted
off my old HP printer, downloaded my
recent Barclays bank statements and
opened the PDFs in my browser. But
when I sent one to print, I was puzzled to
notice that – aside from the bank’s logo at
the top of the page and its address at the
bottom – the document emerged blank,
74 22 November – 5 December 2023 • Issue 671
Robert found a simple
solution to his printing
problem in Adobe
Acrobat Reader
with no transactions
to be seen.
All the content
displayed properly in the
Print Preview window,
and the print settings
were correct, but my
second attempt at printing produced the
same result, and my other statements
came out similarly vacant. Switching
from colour to black and white didn’t
help, and neither did printing pages
individually.
Suspecting that my browser’s basic
PDF viewer was to blame, I tried the
versatile PDF software PDFgear (www.
pdfgear.com), but again it printed only
the top and bottom of the statement,
with nothing in-between. With my
appointment just a week away, and my
local bank branch closed, I started to
panic and bought replacement ink
cartridges from Amazon for £30 – a
card transaction I would happily not
have seen.
When the cartridges arrived, I hurriedly
installed them, sent a statement to print
and was horrified to see that it still came
out blank. Other documents printed fine
– which I probably should have checked
before splashing out on new ink – but I
was left without physical proof of my
incomings and outgoings.
It eventually occurred to me that
perhaps the problem wasn’t the printer,
but the PDFs. In the same way that
banking apps protect your financial data
by blocking screenshots of your account,
downloadable statements may prevent
you from printing their contents, for
privacy and security reasons. A quick
Next issue: Robert tries to plan his Christmas using AI
1
2
Google search confirmed this to be the
case (with my bank at least), so I set out
to find a workaround.
The solution came from that trusty old
PDF steed Adobe Acrobat Reader (www.
snipca.com/48076), a program I’d long
since abandoned for being too bloated.
This includes the option to print PDFs as
images, which flattens their different
elements and ignores their special
formatting – including any security
restrictions.
I downloaded and installed Acrobat
Reader, batted away its attempts to install
its browser extension and set itself as my
default PDF viewer, clicked Open File
and selected one of my bank statements.
I then clicked Print followed by the
Advanced button ( 1 in our screenshot)
and ticked the Print As Image box 2 . I
sent the document to my printer and was
elated when every page was rendered
correctly, with details of every transaction
intact. All that stress plus £30 wasted,
and all it took was ticking a box.
As a footnote, while testing the
lightweight PDF viewer Sumatra PDF
(www.snipca.com/48052), for our Best
Free Software section in Issue 670 (page
18), I discovered that it prints PDFs as
images by default, which is even easier.
Though I’ll now be retreating to the calm
and comfort of my paperless life.
Need help overcoming printing restrictions?
Let us know: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk
9000