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The home of technology techradar.com
Welcome We all have the occasional question about Windows that needs answering. They’re usually little annoyances we live with on a daily basis, like how to find a file you just downloaded, better ways to share a photo your friend sent you, or how to stop Windows Update running amok. This issue we’ve collected together the most common questions we get asked about Windows and have presented you with the answers. We hope you find it helpful and get even more out of your PC
– don’t forget to keep a copy handy next to your computer! Also in this issue we have a great feature on beating malware and viruses and we shed light on that mysterious phenomenon called the Internet of Things. Over in the Upgrade section we get our hands on the new Dell XPS 13. If you’re looking for a new laptop then it’s one to check out. Enjoy the issue and I’ll see you again on 6th April for more from the magical world of Windows!
Graham Barlow Editor-in-Chief www.facebook.com/windowsmag SUBSCRIBE TO THE MAG TODAY AND SAVE – JUST TURN TO PAGE 24! We pride ourselves in being the only magazine on the shelves to show you exactly how to get the very best from the Windows operating system, whether you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 8.1. Also, don’t forget to take a look at how you can read the magazine on your laptop, phone or tablet.
Don’t miss our Next issue, when we share…
Next issue On sale 6 April 2016
How to clean up your PC for smoother running Top tips for protecting your laptop from being stolen Advice on avoiding PC telephone scams
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Features
14 Windows 10 Q&A
Answers to the most commonly asked questions about Windows 10
63 The Internet of Things
We explore a world where everything is connected and at your fingertips
69 Rid your PC of bugs
Discover how to ward off malware and viruses and keep your PC safe
Regulars
8 Discover Make a media centre, set up family safety, and all about esports 24 Subscriptions Save up to 44% on print and digital issues
35 Back issues Don’t miss out! Order past issues while stocks last
51 Digital issues Get your favourite Windows mag on your digital device
98 Next month Discover what’s coming up in the next issue
Explore The best PC tutorials Your guide Graham Barlow says…
“If you’re looking for better ways to use your home computer, then this is the place to start. We’ll show you all the tips and tricks the experts use and more!”
Support
74 Four pages of essential expert help for all your tricky technical queries 6
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28 Get gaming with Xbox on your Windows 10 PC
46 Secure your wireless network and keep your data protected
32 Do more with the files on your PC using File Explorer
48 Create Playlists for your favourite music using Groove
36 Save time getting stuff done in Windows 10
52 Manage your desktop more efficiently with RocketDock
38 Use the free Study Planner app to organise your education
54 Customise Windows 8.1 and get the old Start menu back, too
42 Recover your lost files or deleted files with Recuva
58 Make presentations on your PC with LibreOffice Impress
Subscription bundle offer Print and digital bundle – only £65 for a year Find out more on page 24
YOUR WINDOWS 10 QUESTIONS On the cover
ANSWERED 14 The solutions to your PC predicaments
Upgrade
85 Our expert reviews On the cover
Windows Everywhere 63 Behind the Internet of Things
86 Dell XPS 13 88 Origin EVO15-S 90 HP Envy 13 92 SJCAM SJ5000X 94 UE Megaboom 96 Amazon Fire
On the cover
Rid you r PC of…
VIRUSES AND MALWARE
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69 Banish the nasties for a safer PC
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NEW things to do
amazing websites
Let us entertain you Once you’ve set up media streaming on your TV you’ll never go back
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fascinating facts
Discover Get media savvy
Cross the streams
Making a media centre
The Knowledge…
How to bridge the digital canyon between your PC and TV, and find home-entertainment zen
T
he way we consume media has changed dramatically in the last few years. As well as watching television the traditional way, we use a host of apps and sites to catch up on favourite programs, rather than heading to a video rental shop, we take out subscriptions to streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. Almost all streaming and catch-up services are available on Windows PC, and most will work via a browser so you don’t even need to install any extra software. The biggest problem in most homes, though, is breaching the chasm between your computer and your TV. The simplest and cheapest way to link the two is an HDMI cable. You’ll find these ports on all modern PCs and laptops, as well as most new digital TVs. HDMI cables come with most games consoles and Blu-ray players, but if you don’t have one, you can pick one up online for a few pounds. Avoid expensive cables, though – HDMI is
a digital signal, so these won’t improve picture quality. While HDMI works well, it can be an inelegant solution, especially if you have to fiddle with cables each time you want to connect your computer to your TV. Fortunately, Windows includes DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), which means it’s compatible with a wide variety of home entertainment gadgets. Some TVs include ‘Smart’ functionality, which means you can stream to them without any extra hardware. However, if your TV is free of such tech, you can add a streaming device. These connect to your TV’s HDMI port, and act as an intermediary between internet content and your TV. Google’s Chromecast, Amazon’s Fire TV Stick and Now TV’s Box are all available for under £35, and often come with offers so you can enjoy free premium content for a limited period. They’re worth the investment if you want to broaden your viewing experience.
Windows is compatible with plenty of home entertainment gadgets
Network no-nos Tips for streaming media While streaming offers more flexibility and personalisation than traditional media, there’s more to go wrong. When you’re watching TV the biggest issue is accidentally catching a bit of Jeremy Kyle, but because streaming media involves lots of devices, and it can be dependent on how many people are connected to your network, and how fast your broadband is. But there are a few things you can do to improve stability and reliability.
Move closer If you use Wi-Fi, make sure your equipment is as close to the router as possible
Wired for sight Wired network connections are always faster than Wi-Fi, so invest in some Ethernet cables and connect directly
View-Master Viewer DLX I had one of those when I was a kid! You probably did. The original View-Master launched almost 80 years ago, was a precursor to the virtual reality systems of today. It used two images to present the viewer with a stereoscopic 3D scene. This one looks a bit different though… The View-Master Viewer DLX updates the idea. Rather than using static images, it works like a virtual-reality headset, so the viewer can look around a threedimensional space. How does it work? The View-Master VR is based on Google’s Cardboard, which turns smartphones into a virtual reality devices. The View-Master is made of plastic though, rather than cardboard, and it works with augmented reality ‘reels’, which display pop-up virtual 3D objects when you look at them. Is it any good? The first version was released late last year, and it won acclaim for its sturdy build, and innovative apps. It was also the first virtual reality viewer to be stocked in Apple stores. But there was room for improvement… Such as? The original View-Master VR didn’t have adjustable lenses. It also didn’t have a headphone connector, so you had to make do with your phone’s tinny speaker. The new version fixes both of these problems, and it’s due out this autumn.
buffer woes Buffering? Pause the video for a few minutes and it should load for normal playback
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R INCHESTE HENRY W ERT TECH EXP
Chrome Data Saver Unlimited internet has become the norm for home broadband connections, but if you’re using a mobile network or are staying at a hotel and relying on their Wi-Fi you can quickly eat up your allocated data. The internet can play a big part in your data usage, but Chrome’s data saver can help reduce this. It cleverly reduces image and website sizes on Google’s servers before downloading them, and, in doing so, it chops the data sizes in half. To get going, simply open up Chrome, then browse to bit.ly/1VrEY8I and click ‘Add to Chrome’. Once installed you’ll see an icon to turn it on and off to the right of your address bar. Clicking ‘Details’ will reveal how much data it’s saved.
Search the internet from the Start menu
Action Center
The one feature in Windows 8 and 10 that we love is the ability to tap the Windows key and search the internet instantly. It’s missed in Windows 7, but there is a way to add an internet search to its Start menu. Hit the Windows key, then type GPEDIT.MSC to run the Group Policy Editor. Now click ‘Administrative Templates’ under ‘User Configuration’, then ‘Start Menu and Taskbar’. Double-click ‘Add Search Internet link to Start Menu’, and choose ‘Enabled’. Click ‘OK’, then close the Group Policy Editor. Now whenever you type terms in the Start Menu search box you’ll see a Search the Internet link.
Windows 10’s Action Center is a useful collection of frequently used shortcuts and stats. To access it, swipe in from the right on a touchscreen, or click the square speech bubble icon next to the clock. You’ll now see any updates or problems with your PC, and a bunch of handy links, including a toggle for tablet mode, Wi-Fi information, and an option to quickly create a new OneNote note. When collapsed, this menu displays three icons so you can quickly adjust certain settings. To set these, choose ‘All settings’ followed by ‘Notifications & actions’ then click each of the three icons under ‘Quick actions’.
Struggling to get something to work? Need a tip?
Then email us your woes (to windowsmagazine@futurenet.com with the subject line ‘Windows Insider’) and we’ll share your perfect Windows tweaks in a future issue.
Child’s play
Tip of the month
Set up family safety
Windows 8 includes a bunch of really useful features for keeping your kids safe online We all know the internet is a wonderful tool for communication, and a brilliant way to find entertainment – but it also has darker regions. With Windows 8.1, Microsoft introduced family user accounts, which can keep kids safe from the nastier aspects of the internet. To set one up, tap the Windows key, then type Users and choose ‘Add, delete and manage
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other user accounts’. Next, choose ‘Add an account’, and select ‘Add a child’s account’. Once you’ve created their account, hit the Windows key again, type Family safety and click the first result. Click the user you’ve created and you can customise their web experience, set time limits and restrict apps or games. Visit account. microsoft.com/family to see what they’ve been up to online.
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Restricted zones Keep your little internet explorers safe from the web’s shadier side with Windows 8
Discover It’s good to talk
Leagues of legends
Download this…
Esports take off
Windows 3.1
How playing videogames competitively has become every bit as profitable as traditional sports
G
erman football club VfL Wolfsburg has signed 22-yearold player David Bytheway, from Nottingham. While this sounds like the latest news from the sports pages, there’s a technology at work here as Bytheway is a professional player of the FIFA series of videogames, and has represented England in world tournaments. Bytheway’s signing is one of the first times a professional sports team has become involved with electronic sports (esports), but it’s just the tip of an enormous – and hugely profitable – iceberg. If a game has a competitive element, you can be guaranteed there’s a league dedicated to it somewhere in the world. Esports have been a big part of the games industry since its inception. In 1972, Stanford University students competed against one another in the game Spacewar. Atari toured the USA with a Space Invaders championship in 1980. In the 1990s, players of first-person shooter and fighting games could take on opponents via the internet.
Today’s most popular esports games – DOTA 2, StarCraft and League of Legends – are challenging real-time strategies, which require an intricate understanding of level design and character abilities, as well as an ability to think and act quickly. Think of them as a fast-paced game of chess where you can also choose which weapon the rook uses to dispatch a pawn. They’ve also become a multi-million dollar industry. Valve’s DOTA 2 has handed out a total of $56.5 million in prize funds. There are more League of Legends players than there are people in France. And live events fill stadiums, and are watched by millions online. While playing games sounds like a simple way to make a quick buck, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Just like traditional sports you need a decent amount of talent and a lot of practice to rise to the top. Fortunately, the barriers to entry are pretty low – you simply need a mid-range PC, and both League of Legends and DOTA 2 are free to play.
https://archive.org/details/ softwarelibrary_win3 For a lot of people, Windows 3.1 was the first taste of the future of computing. It supported multimedia content, it had networking and internet functionality, and it had an accessible interface. It also had some pretty cool – if basic – games, such as Merlin, WinRisk and SkiFree. Thanks to the Internet Archive, everyone can try out Windows 3.1 in their browsers for free. While it’s obviously dated a little in the 24 years since its release, there’s a pleasant nostalgia in hearing the familiar startup noise, and some of the programs (Notepad, Paintbrush) have barely changed. Best of all is that the Internet Archive has gathered a trove of more than 1,000 games for this classic operating system.
I THINK WE’RE alone NOW Solitaire, one of the classics, never changes
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uiz The 60-Secondm Q e sta rts no w! Pe ns at th e rea d y, yo u r ti
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In which game do you find Creepers, and Spider Jockeys?
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Which musician has written a series of songs for Skype emojis?
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What is Samsung’s Galaxy Gear VR?
A. Doom B. Minecraft C. Super Mario Bros
A. Harr y Styles B. Paul McCartney C. Elton John
A. A virtual reality headset B. A smartwatch C. An in-car entertainment system
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A. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring B. The Matrix C. The Empire Strikes Back
A. Myspace B. Napster C. Friends Reunited
A. Tell a dog from its poop B. Tells you which dog suits your personality C. Guesses the breed of your dog from a photo
Which film is the world’s oldest torrent a version of?
Time Inc has acquired a rather passé website, but which one is it?
Answers 1B. 2C. 3B. 4B. 5A. 6A.
What does the what-dog app do?
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06 APRIL
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Who is using dating apps?
Henry Winchester reveals a host of fascinating digital facts
The Pew Research Centre asked American adults about their online dating habits. As expected, 18-to-24 year olds are the most randy, with 27% saying they’d used a dating app or website. 22% of 25-to-34 year olds, and 21% of 35-to-44 year olds said they’d tried to find love on the internet. What’s more, the number of 55-to-64 year olds playing the dating game has doubled to 12% since 2013.
1.125 Terabytes a second
The data transmission speed achieved by scientists at University College London. For context, that’s 50,000 times the average UK broadband speed of 24 megabits a second, which is fast enough to download the entirety of Game of Thrones in HD within a second. The new technology achieves ludicrous speeds by using modulated pulses of light to send more data than conventional fibreoptic systems.
How huge is Kickstarter?
The crowdfunding site has celebrated the 100,000th project to be funded since its launch in 2009. When it began, it took 121 days to reach 100 successfully funded projects – now it takes just three days to reach the same number. Music is the most popular category, and 150 games funded via Kickstarter are available on the Steam gaming platform. In total, $1.9 billion in funding has flowed through the site.
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Does Amazon know something we don’t? A clause in the terms of service for Amazon’s Lumberyard game engine deals with a zombie uprising. It prevents the engine’s use in medical equipment and live military combat, unless there’s “a widespread viral infection transmitted via bites or contact with bodily fluids that causes human corpses to reanimate and seek to consume living human flesh, blood, brain or nerve tissue and is likely to result in the fall of organised civilization.”