HI STILLDOING ‘Jole)\\wmkess3 WRONG IN WINDOWS 10 YOUR FILES Se oe Computer q elm k erm) 3 rey safety net 19. week Pea uo : aes aX * Pree s it prog ae es lea sure big changes ne & UNION ip? '771461!'621950" NAME & SHAME SPAMMERS DON’T 4 The smartest way to block them p35 Pets “UPDATE? psoo PCSPECIALIST CUSTOM GAMING DESKTOPS & LAPTOPS ORDER ONLINE NOW AT aes cee THISeXcLUSiveVoUcHER cove: CVE © 0333 O11 7000 Scare tse Windows 10 Upstate tou Windows Sor ert aces equ s m2 a remcnser @wcecrser °WELCOME | Sryerng ccnp ‘sey manens te Comet Seearsbw oma teariso sino ps mocmutra cer tes ebobetponeaty com Pee Nivosieesureumosntens Citra aa br ortond ‘eer Cnr aan a ‘Sarwan can n48003 803098 From the Editor ‘Whats your favourite thing about computing? For me, it’s the anticipation of downloading a new program and exploring its features. I'm never satisfied with the software | use because {can almost always think of ways it can be improved. Every time | install a new program | hhope it will prove these longed!-for options. ‘We applied this criteria when selecting the software for our Cover Feature. ach program ‘we recommend does something its rivals don't = or does the same thing but much bettet: They also serve a particular purpose for the year ahead, whether that's keeping your Wi Fi free O—r1szarae F of neighbours’ creeping interference or ‘your files safe from the growing threat of If we've overlooked your own favourite software, please let me know so we can include itin Readers Tips. Daniel Booth editor @computeractive.co.uk PS Our 2018 Back Issue CD has sold out on Amazon, though we should have a new batch available soon. Please keep checking at wawwsmipea.com/30307, Prag gtd jeimatoneeane re Eeccenesnscrareen gy Eee een eee ey Oo eemnean THIS ISSUEINNUMBERS HOW TOUSE Saget a 8 SNIPCA 200 URLs Numberofchanges | We use snipcas to turn long URLs that ee Ultimate Windows, are hard to type into ones that are. Tweaker makes to short and simple. They aren't websites. Sarre i Windows 10 - p74 themselves, which means they won't pacirecere etree recognised yeutype them ising a be recognised youtype ther rt Soe] «6685 Googie nsten. you need totype them Pree ofthe Canon puma 330ft into your rower adress ar then SY open 156250,ournew Buyit —Maximumrange of | press Enter Doing sw take you to Zab tne award printer = p25 Bluetooth - p65 the correct website. 4-MDecember2019 36 News ignore this Windows ‘update’ - its devious ransomware 10 Question of the Fortnight Why is the Windows 10 November Update so small? 11 Protect Your Tech Fake Action Fraud emails 12. Letters Mozilla is ‘arrogant’ to call fora ban on web election ads recovering data from faulty drive? 16 Grow Your Family Tree Create and customise your reports 18 Best FreeSoftware HandBrake 13 21 Named & Shamed Junk Offender: Obit Uninstaller Free 9.1 22 Chillblast Billet Core PC that takes things slowly but surely 23 HP Envy 13(2019) HP's laptop upsthe mid-range ante 24 Amazon Echo Dot with Clock ‘Smart speaker displays perfect timing 25 Canon Pixma TS6250 Canon's printer makes goodimpressions, 26 OppoReno2 Phone provides zoom with a view 28 Logitech MX Keys Keyboard may just be your type ZyxelMultyU Mesh Wi-Fi sends mixed signals 29 DJ1Osmo Action ‘Action camerafor those moving moments 30 Buy It/Competition Win a TP-Link KC120 Kasa Cam secuntty camera 4 4-17December2019 14 Consumeractive Can WO charge me for Contents 4-17 December 2019 + Issue 568 EC} OE Paes ees ar Amazon Echo Dot with ClockSubscribe now! See page 58 for our special subs offer Se ty ew By ne ae 35 Howto..Reportspammersto ea Tot their ISPs ae ome, 8b 40 AddHollywood-style green screen effects to your videos 42 Readers’ Tips Add mute volume shortcuts to your desktop laa _ rn ‘Make your wallpaper useful a 46 Make WindowsBetter View your printhistory 47 Make Office Better Delete empty rowsin Calc 48 IntheCiub Manage tickets fora club event 49 What's All the Fuss About? Project Silica 50 COVER FEATURE Best free software for 2020 Prepare your PC for the coming year with ‘our round-up of essential programs 60 15 things you're doing wrongin Windows Time toputan endto those bad PC habits and try these better alternatives 62 Amazing waystouse Amazing ways to use picture-in-picture Watch videosin mini windows that don't PICTURE hog your whole screen = in-PICTURE 64 ProblemsSolved Ismy system 32 or 64bit? 69 Reader Support ‘Should | uninstall HTA files? 73 Jargon Buster 74 Easy When You Know How ‘Tweak Windows 10 to make itbetter 4-MDecember2019 5Nevis The top stories in the world of technology Ignore this Windows ‘update’ — it’s devious ransomware ‘cammers are sending ‘emails that elaim to contain links toan essential Windows update, but actually install ransomware on ‘yout PC, The attack, which infects 's with the Cyborg malware, appears to have been timed to coincide with Microsoft releasing the genuine November 2019 Update for Windows 10. Like most seam email, it hhasa subject line designed to panie you into action: ‘Install Latest Microsoft Windows, Update now!” or ‘Critical Microsolt Windows Update!” (see sereensho) However, the emall contains Just one line of text: "Please NAGS Scammers‘ingenuity is matched onty by our determination to expase them. They know that many Windows users fear ‘missing out on updates, and 'o wil fl for this eynical con. Remember, then, that Microsoft will never emall you alink to download Updates - theylbe added to Yyour computer through the Windows Update process, Microsoft is now releasing the November Update to all computers. To gett or seta time for ittoinstall on your PC, follow Microsoft's Instructions at wwrwssnipea, com/33372, You'll like this. 6 4-17December 2019 install the latest critical update from Microsoft attached to this email’ This abrupt approach is unusual ‘Seamimers normally use intricately worded emails that buy to trick vietims with, persuasive phrases ‘Another unusual aspect of te attack is the attachment, ‘which claims to be a JPG file. However, it's not a photo but an executable fle, which is designed to perform tasks on ‘a computer. Clicking it ownloads the malware to your PC. It enerypts your files AUS study has tinked ransomware toa rise in fatal heart attacks because Indelays treatment for patients in hospitals that have been hacked. Researchers at Vandertit University's (Owen Graduate School of Management in Nastwile say doctors take an extra27 ‘minutes totreat patients with anelectrocardiogram. They claim that the delays ‘The BBC iPlayer app has now been added to RANSOMWARE LINK TO HEART DEATHS with its own extension (777) and shows a ransom note, ‘demanding $500 to be pai the eryptocurrency Bitcoin. Finally it leaves a copy of itself called ‘bot.exe’ hidden in the infected drive, meaning it ccan be teiguered again to lock. your files. US security frm Trustwave,, which found and wrote about the attack at wwwsnipea, ‘com/33870, suid instructions tobuild Cyborg are easily available online. There's even 1 YouTube video showing ‘hackers where te find them. ‘could cause 36 adkitional ‘deaths a year for every 10,000 heart attacks. The data was provided by the Department of Health ‘and Human Services, which runshealthcare in the US, Leo Scanlon, its former deputy ‘chiet information security officer, said a similar report should be done by the NHS to assess the damage caused by ransomware in the UK. butnot this Trustwave's Diana Lopera said that anyone who follows, the instructions can create and spread variants of the sormwate, She added that it can be attached in different forms to avoid spam filters. Security experts expect the threat of ransormware to rise in 2020 (see page 50), a8 hhackers develop new ways to Jock computers, In 2019 their ‘main target has been ‘companies and public institutions like councils, schools and hospitals ~ particularly in the US. Bur there's also a severe threat in the UK. In recent survey from British security firm Sophos, two-thirds of Ir ‘managers in the publie sector said their organisation had been attacked by ransonnvare in the past 12 months. Ordinary computer users can't be complacent though. Cyborg shows that hackers will continue to devise new ays to trick them. I's ikely they'll (ry a similar tactic when Microsoft launches the next Feature Update in the spring. Victims of bank fraud may be unprotectedDane Hambury/ertetopieets Diamond-edged cutters help villages get broadband penreach has started to ‘make 1Gbps full-fbre broadband available to some of the UK's remotest villages and small towns, using new methods to lay cables in difficult terrain, For the first time it's using, diamond cutter todig trenches (pictured). This isa giant rotating circular blade embeclded with diamonds at the edge, making it sharp enough to slice through carriageways and foouways, IJeaves a neat channel into ‘whieh fibre-optic cables ean be lai The specialist equipment can install 700 metres of cables ina day, which is 20 ‘mes faster than traditional excavation methods, Is also using a GeoRipper, a powerful digging tool Uhat cuts narrow enches across soft ground such as fields Im addition, Openreach has installed remote fibre nodes {nto existing roadside cabinets to piggyback’ on the existing network, greatly extending the number of premises that can be connected via Full fibre cables. The work Is part ofa plan to bring full-ibre to 50,000 premises in 13 villages. Research from Thinkbroadband (www: thinkbroadband com) shows that the project, which began in October, has already provided full-fibre residents in Kentford in west Suffolk and West Calder in Lothian, Work appears to have started in Cranfield, Flockion, Lundin Links, Mickle Trafford, ‘Okehampton, Sea Tarporley. The remaining four areas due to get full-fibre are Hesketh Bank, Lingfield, Ottery St Mary and Parbold. Openreach sald the locations were chosen t0 represent a broad number of areas in the UK. Ithopes to connect more than half of customers by the end of March 2020. The company added that the trials will help it work out the “technical challenges’ it faces In delivering broadband to rural areas throughout the ccomntry, Is target isto reach {our milion premises by ‘March 2021, and then 15 million by around 2025. Police dogs sniff out criminals’ USB sticks and SIM cards ondon's Metropolitan Police have trained dogs to snlifout phones, laptops, USB. sticks and SIM cards in the battle against cyber-crime. Two springer spaniels, named Bolly and Murphy, can locate devices that police officers miss during searches. They've been trained to detect the chemical triphenytphosphine oxide ‘whiet is used! to coat memory stonage devices. During trials, Bolly used her sense ofsmell(o find a laptop that a paedophile hhad hidden down the side of his bed. In other cases, the dog found a SIM card concealed under laminate flooring, anda camera's SD card Police in Devon, Cornwall and Dorset previously tested the technique in 2017. Bolly’s instructor PC Craig, Calthorpe said: “Often suspects will give officers a laptop they claim to use to search the internet, but there's a second ‘dirty’ one they don't ‘want us to see" PC Brett France, Murphy's handler, said the dogs are “absolutely amazing and superb in what they do". He added that training the dogs ‘was driven by a change in policing that focuses on recovering evidence, whether that’s DNA or data. “We're moving forward fast and anticipate we'll be training at least four dogs within the next year due to the demand,” he sald. Bolly and Murphy are two of ‘more than 100 sniffer dogs ‘working for the Met, detecting explosives, firearms, drugs, and cash. >> AMAZON MUSIC NOW FREE (WITH ADVERTS) ‘Amazonas made'its music- streaming service free, letting youisten to plavsts ‘and'"thousands’ of radio stations - though you'l have toputup with adverts uniess you upgrade toa paid-for version. As the company ‘explains online (wwwsnipca. ‘com/33360), the service 's avalable through the ‘Amazon Music app on iOS, Android and Fire TV, as wellas on the internet at btos.//musicamazon.com, REVISIT OLD TECHIN ‘ARGOS CATALOGUES ‘Argos has published ‘an aniine archive ofits ‘alalogues, featuring asic technology from years gone by. Called "The Book of Dreams’ (htp:// argosbookofdeams ) W p Sera ee En progress" bar indicating that oN Oy websites that typically the site loads slowly. It showed Toad slowiy in its Chrome an example in a blog post These aubergine browser as part of is furwwsninea.com/i3297 and peach emojs campaign to move towards next toa site loading quickly, ‘may look innocent a faster web” which is Mustrated by a green enough, but Itsaid there would bea progress bar (see right of Facebook wilt system of “clear badging” to screenshot) Indicate how quickly sites Google may also tell you load, punishing those options, (o determine which how quickly a sive loads when, “suggestively’ Apparently, | that take a long time, ancl provites the most value to our you right-click a Kink that members seeking and rewarding those that are users” ‘opens the site, and whether a offering sex were postng quick ‘One option it's considering sites likely to be slow on the them to get round the site's Google didn't say how ‘sshowing the message ‘Usually device you're using. existingban onexplcitnudty | the labels would work, but loads slow’ (sec left of In future, Chrome will (well leave the details to said they could take “a screenshot) on asite’s loading label websites that provide a your imagination), How fruty! | number of forms”. Itplans to page (also known asa‘splash “high-quality experience” in “experiment with different screen), below a blue several areas, not just speed. 8 4-17December201941 Upgrade your old PC to Wi-Fi 6 cco using Asus card ZEN GUARANTEES'WEFL 4 CFDS | incvervnoom AX: has unveiled one of devices - typically just one or CERTIFIED Zen Internet a aelarwnnccns trecompie feel forcesop Cs lengyen Dusted that by ea cae tiene eke Roach wife SO = semies ecinalge perenne ied aa card that can hit speeds of speakers, thermostats and EveryRoom package gives: uChpswhenusewttha certs yous teeter S000 ‘compatible router. It also ‘WL-FiG has been designed W.-Fiextender (pictured) Simmethamiicc” — wenewithenccad pecereeeer ns letting PCs connect to demand, spreading the signal (£649 from wwwsnipca. (you'll pay £9.99 postage perphealdevssikc me tormnaanspeedtanomes con) if SE Spalsceliomascrto smahidiertyigein tnitmineeccs |e Sechee nghomlncer puma tetworkwttece ate ‘Sauopecctisthatyour sieadnalabemdtasthe lpitekcieten rr signal can be split up across ‘Netgear Nighthawk AXS- The PCE-AX3000 is on sale Moredavees PevousWiA RANG0 Go tom Amacon inthe US picelses99 (239, | @OOGLETO CLOSE Sanirisverdesgned saunpe,caniaita and andssexpetde be ala | €LOUD PRINT SERVICE : . see . seixeats era Addiction to online shopping is 22s: 2n0to= ‘medical condition’ eenanney ae Saran cee Proves have called for example to get pleasure tablet. Google urged people shopping te eogased asa elgs eee seeneote peo inrcot eae jouralGovprekensve "tate te problem see cnAiL messAces Psychiatry, researchers from —_ worse because the WITHIN OUTLOOK.COM FairmetaitalScwooter Iwecmecpvter ered behavouraeaddcions ee emotes oe ans “Semoftangasited The Wd Hea aaa ere oa millerSiowaiitrion kekietdigacht hdne, = Opniatndaiicone (aa Rnd thin ofputensInrlsnsips videognesdacien ot: | eariceia whotdsnghttcimen”—“gracesneapers onincttoppng inner, EFS nea siudwcoppneie — fnihg: DrRcuianes 2 Loncoeteeeeerspene | myinerer te — patagoenrate, sdccnonsaten: | |e severity” of anxiety and University of Nottingham, for this message telling you depression, saying compulsive purchasing is “primarily used {o regulate emotions, for said there isa danger of, researchers being “over-zealous” in classifying Do youthink aeection to ontine shopping fs2 medical conten? Lotus nove leterscompiteactie ou its ready totry: wnwsnipca. ‘com/33383. 4-17December2019 9Question of the Fortnight Why is the Windows 10 November Update so small? It installs in a flash, but may be just a one-off sauropods munching through Zevaerer = system. It's just IS0KB, Yes, that’s kilobytes, Contrast that with fs predecessors, ‘weighing in at 3-4 gigabytes about 20,000 times bigger. Foran update, 180KB really is mleroscople. I's only about 10 times the size of a two-page Word document. Even ona THE FACTS +The November 2019 Update {for Windows 10 isjust ‘180KB, thousands ‘of times smaller than previous updates “fs oniy this smalLf you already have the May Update installed + Microsoft says this may be aone-off and future updates will return to ‘around 3-4GBs sleepy [Mbps connection, it Update renovated your house, —_ will depend on your view: will ever see. would take just one second to laying electrical wiring of updates. You'll be ‘This begs another question. download, Sowhy thesudden throughout and installinga disappointed ifyou treat them If shrinking the November decrease in update sie? master switch. Along comes as an exclting opportunity to Update wasn'ta sign of ‘What's Microsoft up to? the November Update to flick master new tools and discover updates to come, what was new settings ut yorlle the point? Look no further i relieved if you fear the than Windows 10%, GG Foranupdate,1BOKBreally is ee, Yidoea tie microscopic - it's only about and jst want to continue system for foldable laptops ; ; using Windows without Gee ‘Question ofthe 10 times the size of atwo-page constant changes. Fortnight, Issue 565), with Those in the later camp —__fouchsereens above and Worddocument 99 would've been pleased when below the hinge. Microsoft suggested earlier Some Microsoft sources suy Before weanswer this, we the sitch and rn the ights this year that forthcoming __the smaller Novemlser Update should point outthatthe on, updates would follow the 2019 was needed to reorder next update is 180KB only on ‘This quick flick means the pattern: a major Feature year's updates so they: ‘computers thar have aleady updates much faserthan Update inthe Spring, followed coincide with the release of installed the May 2019 Update normal,andis less likely bya minor updatein the these devices, Industry {ifnot tell be the ustal 31GB cause problems. Italo means autumn (known as the analysts expect ‘oldubles to brontosauras). Indeed, this is itdocsn’tcontain many new major minor schedule) be the next big breakthrough ‘crucial part of Microsoft's features. Microsoft announced But the company recently device and Microsoft can't plan. When you installed the thisin fuly (wweishipea, ined that the November miss out on tis lacaive May Update (version 1909), com/28402), saying the Update would be wone-off, market as it did with phones yot aso installed all he ies update would prioritise describing the enablement and tablets. that the November Update performance over features package - and therefore the ‘These are advanced, (1909) needed to be activated. —_~ making it similar to its major-minor method - as a powerful, multitasking This allowed Microsoft to monthly security releases trial. "There fsn'taformal plan machines, requiring updates release the latter 2s part ofan (avallable on the second Inplace todelverfurure that are less insect, more ‘enablement package. es the Tuesday of every month), or releases the same way” ft dinosaur, ItTooks like tiny kind of method that's crying _the old service packs for said, The November Update updates will be rendered out fora dubious analogy, s0 previous eitions of Windows. cou end up being the eatinct before we even got how about tis: the May Whether you approveof this smallest update Windows 10 used to them. 10 4-17December 2019Protect your tech _1 Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools De Reuse 3 Fake Action Fraud emails What's the threat? Action Fraud - the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and eyber crime ~ has become the subject ofa seam itself, Criminals claiming to be from the ‘organisation are emailing people in an attempt to get them to hand over personal and financial information. I's a new and ironic twist on a familiar rruse, where victims are sent ernals or letters informing them that they have Deen conned out of money, spinning some vaguely plausible yarn about how their recent claim for a PPL rebate ‘yas, in fact, a cyber scam originating {in Thalland. The email claims that you can recover a lange amount of lost money by contacting the sender, at which point you're persuaded (o hand your financial details ‘over by the scammers. How can you stay safe? At first glance the eter looks oficial New tools We're not big fans of the ‘private’ or ‘incognito’ mode offered by most web browsers. They don't hide ‘your activity from your internet provider, nor the sites you vist. Bur there's new browser called Brave (now out of beta) that offers a ‘genuinely anonymous browsing mode, among other privaey-focussed features, Brave is based on the Chromium browser engine, so it looks and works like Google Chrome - most Chrome extensions work, too, But it also has an ad-blocker that’s turned on by default, so you won't be pestered by ads that grab your data and track what ‘you do online. It's faster, too, because it oesnt have to waste time loading ads. its header (Gee sereenshot) shows the logos for both Action Fraud and City of London Police, as well as a link to ww actionfiaud.police.uk, Action Frauds ‘genuine website address, ‘Bur there are plenty of clues thar give it away. Jast ook at the number of ‘grammar gaffes in the opening sentence alone: “we, the Action Fraud confirms to ‘you after all the investigation was ‘successfully done that you have been unfortunately conned / scammed / cyber afacked by Cyber Criminals” The key thing fo remember is that ~ as ‘we've said before ~ nobody would ever ask you fo make a payment in order t0 recover money that you may have lost. Action Fraud is already working to close this scam down. In the meantime, if you receive any such communication, you can report it to Action Fraud by calling is (gemuine) number an 0300 123 2040, or by filling ‘out the online form at www:snipea. Nace www.brave.com For even more privacy, clic the top-right menu (three lines) and select “New private window with Tor (See screenshot). This uses Tors network, ‘which conceals your location and activity from prying eyes by outing ‘your browsing through multiple servers, ‘com/s3842. You can read the email on Action Fraud's site: wwwisnipca, com pf T Mion) Peat £50 Tesco offer isn’t real deal Look out fora seam on Facebook that tries to trick you nto sharing a post to get £50 to spend at Tesco. It tells ‘you thatthe offers available "today ‘only’, and that the money willbe sentto celebrate the supermarkets 100th anniversary (this bitis actualy ‘accurate - the company was formed {in 1919, more than 80 years before Faceboo\d). My local paper, the Easter Daily Press, reported the ‘scam and published a picture of it (see wu snipcacam/33323).1t ‘also warned about similar scams ‘promising money to spend at Mornsons and Argos. Gordon McCann ion your fellow racers about scams ateters@ecomputeracve cout 4-MDecember2019 1=, Letters Tell us what's on your mind How can I keep running Windows 7 safely? Your response in Issue 567 to lack sles eter caught my eye, when you say youl be publishing features tan how to keep Windows running safely Lassure many of your readers would welcome this Information and guidance as soon as possible so that we can be fully set up by 14 January. While I could update to Windows 811 fat to say that ‘operating system was/is universally dsiked Updating o Windows 10 would invohe considerable work and expense: anew computer plus, quite Hkely, scanner, printer and so on. My present computer (a Dell Dimension 9150) was bought in February 2006 and has been completely without fault. However, | {doubt it would be capable of running ‘Windows 0. Asa reader of Computeractive from the frst issue, 1 would lke your advice on hhow to continue using Windows 7. Bl smith EEN it's probably right that his 2006 PC won't be able to ran Windows 10, anid there are bound to be many other readers in a similar dilemma, It will be possible to run Windows 7 safely after Microsoft ends support, but you have to be extremely careful We're currently preparing a feature ‘explaining what you need to do, and ‘will publish it in Issue $70 (out Friday 3 January ~ two days later than normal because of print deadlines over Christmas). Upgrading to Windows 10 is too much hassle Tam one ofthe estimated 30 per cent of computer users worldwide who ae sll using Windows 7. Why? Because | am au fait with i iv gives me no hassle, and all my peripherals, some of which area ite ‘ld, work well with t If upgrade to Windows 10 I will have to cope witha step nev learning curve, and Il probably find that old software and peripherals won't work, foreing me tobuy new ones. The 80 per cent of Windows 7 users BR 4-7December2019 should all email Mierosoft ~ preferably on the same day ~to protest against their ending support for Windows 7, and demand that they at east continue to patch any major security flaws. Have already dabbled with Linux Mint and have been very impressed! ~ it works out of the box, and comes with a free office suite plus all the drivers and codecs you need. Its free of al that Licensing nonsense which stops you swapping hard drives between computers. Keth Temple Windows update ruined my talk DpoZ] On 18 November is about 24) sive a presentation ta lage group tsing my laptop and projector. [was not connected 19 Wi. Tobe sero uranted programs were running, {rebooted after fdaing some extra sis from an IPhone Sualdeniy, without requesting permission Windows began to update. It was aclsaster. | hd to abandon everything as I dared not sh ic down, che blue-sereen instruction insisted not to. Tmsure] had not been warned about this, What a kickin the teeth | realise that one can disable updates. and in fature wl, but | thought others in these circumstances should be warned that updates can scupper plans without warming Andrew Stainer-Smith No Media Centre means Il stick with 8.1 Tusea Windows 8.1 PC running Windows Media Centre as my ‘main TV access. The flexibility of this ‘means [ rarely use my flaky Sony Android ‘Smart’ TV asa TV set, choosing instead to use itas a monitor. I's very good at this because the pieture quality Is excellent ‘Windaws 10 does not run Windows, ‘Media Centre so I will lose all the benefits such as playing DVDs if am forced to rigrate from Windows 81. I can't find anything as easy to set up, nor with the ‘same slick user interface - especially for live TV and browsing, I don’t know ‘whether I can make a scheduled recording in Windows 10, or ifany software can wake the PC to record a programme. V've looked at Media Portal (www: team-mediaporial.com), but life's 100 short to spend It getting all that working. 1 takes just five minutes to set up Media Contre, Lean't see how moving from Windows 8.1 o 10 will ever be an option for this particular PC. Roy Houghton l activated Windows 10 using old product key Shaun Glynn's letter (Issue 566) where he asks about the success of using a Windows 7 product key when butlding a new PC was certainly a great Internet at care home makes my mother feel young again 1 completely agree with Rod Turner (Letters, Issue 567) that internet access in care homes is crucial. My fiercely independent mother recently entered a home, and was upset about it. However, the nurses taught her how tostay in touch with her family using the internet ~askil she hadn't learnt before. In short, she has earnt more about computing in the six months she’s been in a home than the past 30 years living by herself, She swaps tips with fellow resents, and loves sending me Interesting websites she's found. Putting my mother into home was Doeartbreaking, but the internet has made it more tolerable. She is ike 2 young child again, eager o learn about this ‘magical suff (her words) that previously she had no interes in. Carl Mounthelp for me, Having recently upgraded from an Intel-based PC toa newly self-bullt AMD yzen $ 3600 machine, | had some difficulty activating Windows 10 Home ‘due to major hardware changes. Talready ad a valid licence for Windows 19 Home, having taken advantage of Microsofts offer ofa free upgrade from Windows 7 in 2016. However, using the Windows 10 key associated with the old machine fled to activate i I then read Shaun's letter and used the key from the box of my Windows 7 retail copy. Microsoft then allowed activation. Ihave since written this number down somewhere safe. 1am so glad I kept the original Windows 7 box. Note: this method is unlikely to work with OEM versions of Windows according to Microsot’s licensing terms. Jan MacLachlan Computing analogies are in fashion Tony Hares’ hard-drive analogy in sue 567 reminded me that when someone tells me they find compater erminology confusing, | used to say that it is really just like dressmaking, The person at the machine i the processor. The machine isthe program, andthe workbench is the memory Ifyou ae making a pir of trousers fora ‘wo-year-ofd, you can manage with a smal one, bu if then you start to make a pal for a six-foot hunk, the whole thing just crashes on to the floor in this case ‘When you lave finished your garment, you then store it away in your hard drive aka your wardrobe. Vanessa Cheek Asan analogy, Tconsider my ‘computer to be my household pet. It does nothing without my prompting. keep it warm, well fed, and train it to follow my commands ~ and it obeys. Further, ona lateral note, I rained as ‘an analy tical chemist long before the invention of the computer, and at that ime, in order to prove or disprove a hypothesis, one investigated by means of experiments in the real world. While I recognise what a powerful tool the computer is, Lam often somewhat amused by the way in which the results produced by the computer in the virtual ‘world are interpreted as ‘proof’, when in Facebook: wun, (acebook.com/computetactive Se i emait tettorsercomputeractive.co uk °F twitter tcomputsractve wnurtwitter com /computeractive Mozilla is ‘arrogant to call fora ban on web election ads ‘Who does Mozilla think itis, telling Facebook and Google to ban political adverts during the election campaign (News, Issue 567, ‘page 9)? Talk about getting ideas above their station, This isa company that ‘makes browser (FIrefox) for surfing, the internet, That's all itis. I's not a charity, nor fs ia faith or humanitarian ‘group. Its arrogance in attempting to play a role in public life is staggering. If wanted to really stick the boot in, Td add that Firefox isn'ta very good. browser anyway. ‘More importantly, it's just plain ‘wrong to sy the British electorate are 100 feeble to cope with the rough and ‘tumble of online political adverts. 'm ‘ld enough to remember the frst party polltical broadcasts on TV, and there ‘was a similar debate then about the public being ‘ied’ to. OF course, the people worried about us poor, stupid peasants wouldn't themselves fall for these lies. They're far too intelligent and well educated (joke) People like Mozilla display a haughty, patronising attitude that assumes you hhave to be a tech whiz to distinguish real from fake. They should spend moze time in the real world, where people share, mock and laugh at political ads, all the time, People always treat them. with a huge dollop of scepticism, whether ita billboard poster, a TV ad ora Facebook message. The British public are veterans of democracy. ‘They'rea robust and cynical bunch. They don't need to bbe mollycoddled. Jane Sexton The Star Letter writer wins a Computeractive mug fact all it has done is what it was told to do! Ron Lobeck ou Dll guy” solves TalkTalk Jonathan Parkyn's ‘Villain of the Fortnight’ in Issue 566 (TalkTalk) about a customer having to climb the telephone pole near his home brought back memories ofa similar episode berween BT Openteach and my son. His landline and broadband service hhad become flaky. listened to the symptoms he described and, having, been a BT engineer many years ago, | suggested it was probably a poor Connection at the top of the pole outside his house because it was worse in wet weather. He was sceptical, $0 [told him to contact Openreach about it, and he was. little concerned when they said “it will east you if i's your wiring that’s at fault” So over the next few weeks months {they sent a procession of (mostly young) ‘engineers who pooh: poohed my suggestion, and tested everything they could think of, but could find nothing and would clear off aiming it was “alright now" ‘My exasperated son reported the problem yet again, and this time an older engineer turned up. He checked everything in the house just to be sure, and then looked up at the pole and asked if any of the previous engineers had ‘climbed it (they hada'v. He got his ladder and 10 rinutes later had fixed wat ‘turned out to be a corroded connection. "Old guys rule!", T told my son somewhat smualy Bob Farish 4-17December2019 13