Computeractive - 22 June 2022

76 Pages·2022·45.9 MB·English

WELCOME
From the Editor
EDITORIAL 2021
Group Editor Daniel Booth
Deputy Editor Robert Irvine BACK ISSUE CD
Production Editor Graham Brown NOW ON
Art Editor Katie Peat I must have YouTube open in my browser bookmarking specific SALE!
Contributors Dinah Greek, David Ludlow, Jonathan Parkyn,
for about 40 hours a week, and yet I hardly moments in videos, adding a p34
Chris Paton, Nik Rawlinson, Andy Shaw
ever visit the site. That’s because I’ve download button to the player,
ADVERTISING
customised it to run in the background and stopping Google knowing what
Advertising Manager Alexandra Thomas
Deputy Advertising Manager Rebecca New while I work, playing music to help me you’ve watched.
concentrate. My top three hacks are: one, Actually, there’s a fourth hack I use, which
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
Subscriptions Juber Ahmed play it in Brave to avoid adverts; two, is to leave Auto-play switched on, and trust
For subscription enquiries ring 0330 333 9493 install the Music Mode extension to YouTube to learn my tastes. In his feature
PRODUCTION ensure smooth streaming; and three, Robert suggests turning this off to avoid
Head of Production use Enhancer to control playback speed disappearing down YouTube’s “rabbit hole”,
Stephen Catherall
via my mouse. but I’m happy to tumble in - as long as it
Senior Production Manager
Lawrence Brookes YouTube guru Robert Irvine mentions all doesn’t lead me to Jive Bunny’s greatest hits.
three tricks in his Cover Feature, which Daniel Booth
INTERNATIONAL LICENSING AND SYNDICATION
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SNIPCA URLs
Computeractive 10,000 3 days
Printed in the UK
Daily victims of Battery life of the We use snipcas to turn long URLs
‘CCleaner search’ Nokia G11 phone that are hard to type into ones that
attacks - p8 -p26 are short and simple. They aren’t
websites themselves, which means
£9
they won’t be recognised if you type
Price of Orico’s caddy them into Google. Instead, you need to
for turning an old type them into your browser address
SATA hard drive into bar, then press Enter. Doing this will
an external drive - p67 take you to the correct website.
Issue 634 • 22 June – 5 July 2022 3
Contents
22 June – 5 July 2022 • Issue 634
6 News New Windows 11 update offered to
Journey’s end
PCs that don’t support it
for the hard
drive?
10 Question of the Fortnight
Will Microsoft kill off hard drives next year?
p10
11 Protect Your Tech
Chrome-hacking browser extension
12 Letters
Treat us like grown-ups over Windows 11
14 Consumeractive Where’s my Fitbit
refund for recalled watch?
16 Grow Your Family Tree
Search service records of Wrens
18 Best Free Software
BCUninstaller 5.3
Box Cube Mythic
21 Named & Shamed
p22
4K Player for YouTube
Reviews
22 Box Cube Mythic
Box PC wins fair and square
23 Acer TravelMate Vero
Eco laptop won’t cost the Earth
24 Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
Android tablet that catches Apple’s
25 OnePlus Nord 2T
OnePlus phone improves with age
Acer TravelMate Vero
26 Nokia G11 p23
Budget phone’s cost is its saving grace
28 Logitech MX Master 3S
Logitech’s mouse just squeaks it
Logitech MX Mechanical Keyboard
Serious keyboard for all types
29 Magix Movie Studio 2022
Video-editing tool makes the cut
30 Buy It/Competition
Win an Anker PowerConf C200 webcam
4 22 June – 5 July 2022 • Issue 634
Subscribe now!
See page 58 for our special subs offer
Workshops & Tips
35 How to… Organise your folders
like an expert
38 Clean your PC on a schedule
40 Readers’ Tips
Open Thunderbird emails in multiple
windows
42 Browser Tips Search images using
Google Lens more easily
p35
44 Phone and Tablet Tips
Make voice calls easier to hear
File like you mean it
46 Make Windows Better Search the
HACK
registry for a specific key or value
47 Make Office Better YouTube FECAOTVUERRE
Change page colour and print it P50
48 In the Club
Create short videos on YouTube
Block ads, get 4K, download videos,
stop buffering – and much more
49 What’s All the Fuss About?
Turing Image Super Resolution
50 COVER FEATURE
Hack YouTube
Get more from the world’s biggest video-
sharing site with our expert tips and tricks
60 Drag and drop like an expert
Make Windows’ move-and-copy feature
suit the way you work
Fix a Make key
repairs
62 Fix a broken keyboard
Don’t throw out your faulty keyboard – try
p62
these four fixes to ensure your device
reverts to type
B O E
64 Problems Solved R K N
Why is my PC shutting down on its own?
71 Reader Support
Why can’t I use Qwant with Vivaldi? keyboard
72 Jargon Buster
74 Easy When You Know How
Robert Irvine creates a photo collage
Issue 634 • 22 June – 5 July 2022 555
News
The top stories in the world of technology
New W11 update offered to
PCs that don’t support it
Microsoft has Within hours, Windows 10
accidentally offered users who had previously
the first Feature been unable to install
1
update for Windows 11 to Windows 11 said they were
computers that lack the being offered the update.
specifications to run the It was first reported by
operating system. members of Reddit’s Windows
In early June it released a 11 page (www.snipca. 2
preview version of the update com/42232), who expressed
(22H2), which is due to be surprise that they were seeing
finalised by the autumn. messages from Microsoft who said the same message Insider (https://insider.
saying ‘Windows 11, version reported by Reddit members windows.com), and be what
WHAT WE THINK 22H2 is ready – and it’s free’. had replaced ‘does not qualify’ Microsoft calls a ‘seeker’.
One member, when she checked for updates This means you have to
If Microsoft ever decides AceRimmer412, posted a on her Windows 10 computer. click the download button to
to ease the hardware screenshot of the message Microsoft’s response to her install the update, and
restrictions for Windows (1 in our screenshot above Tweet appears to have crushed shouldn’t wait for it to be
11, this bungled approach – right), alongside Device hopes that it was loosening automatically installed.
causing mass confusion – is Manager showing the the technical requirements One of the most eagerly
precisely how it would do computer running an Intel needed to run Windows 11. awaited new tools in 22H2
so. That’s why, at first, we Core i5-7200 processor 2, is the return of folders in
thought it was a sign that which Microsoft says isn’t Group programs in the Start menu, letting
restrictions might be lifting, supported by Windows 11. Windows 11 22H2 you group similar programs
and Microsoft’s dismissal Soon after, on Twitter, To get the preview version of together.
doesn’t completely dissuade Microsoft confirmed it was update 22H2, you have to be To do so, you’ll just need
us from that view. In May, looking into why this was signed up as a Windows to drag and drop one program
Windows 11’s market share happening, and that the icon on to another, then
stood at 10 per cent (www. hardware requirements for name the folder.
snipca.com/42238), dwarfed upgrading to Windows 11 In our screenshot (left)
by Windows 10’s 72 per cent. hadn’t changed. we’ve created a folder called
Microsoft needs to act fast to It was responding to a tweet Entertainment containing
change that. from user Barb Bowman apps for Netflix, Amazon
(www.snipca.com/42233), Prime and Disney Plus.
MICROSOFT ADDS TABS TO FILE EXPLORER
Microsoft has introduced tabs in for Desktop, Download,
File Explorer in a new preview Documents and more 1.
version of Windows 11, meaning There is also a “refreshed 1
2
you can jump between folders layout” of File Explorer’s
without opening a new window. left navigation pane 2. This
It published a screenshot lists the Home button first,
of the new feature on its blog followed by folders you’ve
(www.snipca.com/42235), synced with OneDrive, then pinned for quick access. It’s changes will appear in the
showing tabs along the top below that folders you’ve not yet known whether these 22H2 Feature update.
You’ll like this… but not this…
Queen honours man who streamed church Malware is stealing credit-card details from
services in lockdown (www.snipca.com/42225) Chrome users (www.snipca.com/42234)
6 22 June – 5 July 2022 • Issue 634
Chrome to block online requests
IN BRIEF
it knows you’ll say ‘no’ to SPOTIFY PLANS TO
OFFER AUDIOBOOKS
Spotify has said it plans to
Chrome will soon start 1 start offering audiobooks,
automatically blocking alongside podcasts and
“undesired” requests music. In a statement to
from websites if it ‘learns’ investors (www.snipca.
that you normally deny com/42242), Spotify boss
what they are asking for. and co-founder Daniel Ek
For example, if you said audiobooks “will be a
previously refused permission massive opportunity” and
for a site to know your that just as in podcasting
location, Chrome will “expect us to play to win”. It
remember this and stop 2 follows Spotify’s acquisition
that request appearing the of audiobook company
3
next time you visit. Findaway last year.
When this happens, you’ll
FLIGHT SIM 40TH EDITION
see ‘Notifications blocked’ at
COMING IN NOVEMBER
the far left of your browser
address bar (1 in our browse the web with minimal start in the next version of Microsoft is releasing a
screenshot) and a message interruption, Chrome predicts Chrome (103), due to arrive 40th-anniversary edition of
saying that ‘Notifications when permission prompts are on 21 June. Flight Simulator, containing
were automatically blocked unlikely to be granted based It will also start using aircraft from previous
because you usually don’t on how the user previously machine learning to predict versions including the Wright
allow them’ 2. You can click interacted with similar what kind of tools you want Flyer, Spirit of St Louis and
the blue ‘Allow for this site’ 3 permission prompts”. to use in the Android version the Airbus A310. It will be
if you want to carry on seeing Chrome will use machine of Chrome based on your available in November for
notifications. learning methods to identify typical activity at different Xbox Series X, Xbox Series
In its blog (www.snipca. the permissions you regularly times of the day. S and PC – free to those
com/42239), Google said that refuse. This is a form For example, it will who already have the 2020
while some notifications “help of artificial intelligence automatically show the ‘share’ edition. Watch Microsoft’s
deliver updates from sites you which learns how to make option at times when you trailer at www.snipca.
care about”, they can also predictions based on data it often share links, or the com/42248.
become a “nuisance”. receives. microphone icon at times
It added: “To help people Google said this feature will you search using your voice.
Dell launches thinnest ever XPS laptop
Dell has released the pixels. Dell
thinnest ever laptop in its claims battery TOMORROW’S
XPS 13 range – just 13.9mm life is 12 hours WORLD
thick, and weighing 2.59 (www.snipca.
pounds (pictured). com/42247), while Jab this robotic
The most recent XPS 13 it should be quieter arm in the palm
devices, released in 2021, were because it has just and it will recoil
14.80mm thick, and weighed one fan, rather than as though in
2.64 pounds. Dell said that it the two in last year’s pain. It’s a form
was able to make the new range. of synthetic
laptop so thin and light It’s powered by a Dell also announced a skin created
because its motherboard is 12th-generation Intel Core new XPS 13 2-in-1 laptop- by scientists at
1.8 times smaller than in the processor, RAM is from 8GB tablet, due later this Glasgow University, who
previous models. to 32GB, and you have a summer, with a detachable based it on how the nervous
It added that the smaller choice of a 256GB, 512GB or keyboard to rival the iPad system works. Ultimately,
motherboard has also created 1TB SSD. Pro and Microsoft Surface it could be used to build
enough space for it to build a It was due to be released on Pro. The keyboard attaches prosthetic limbs that have
better speaker system, with a 16 June. UK prices had yet to magnetically, and its “near-human levels of touch
deeper bass. be confirmed at the time of reversible hinge allows for sensitivity”. Watch it at www.
The screen is 13.4in, with a press, though it will cost $999 100, 112.5, and 125-degree snipca.com/42224.
resolution of 1920x1200 (around £820) in the US. angles of use.
Issue 634 • 22 June – 5 July 2022 7
News
CCleaner searches could hack
IN BRIEF
your PC
APPLE FINALLY ADDS
WEATHER TO iPAD
Apple is finally Searching for a free
adding a version of CCleaner
weather app Professional can deliver
to the iPad, 12 results that link to malware,
years after it security experts have warned.
released the The malware, called
first version of the tablet FakeCrack, can steal all the
and following repeated files on your PC, including
requests from users. It will your personal data.
be part of the iPadOS 16 It was detected by They added that the Hackers appear to be
update, due this autumn, researchers at Avast hackers are also exploiting increasingly targeting users
and will look similar to the (www.snipca.com/42220), searches for pirated editions of searching for cracked
iPhone’s weather app, with a who published a screenshot “games, office programs, or software, such as in the
background that reflects the showing the fake links programs for downloading ChromeLoader attacks that
current weather (pictured). highlighted in yellow multimedia content”. It’s an infect browsers (see page 11).
See page 45 for more on (pictured). These appear as effective form of attack Rather than searching for
iPadOS. results for the search term because criminals can exploit CCleaner Professional, you
‘ccleaner pro crack’. SEO tricks that make their can buy it from the official site
FIRST UK PHONE FOR
Clicking an infected links appear on the first page at www.snipca.com/42219. It
FIVE YEARS TO LAUNCH
link takes you through of Google’s results. normally costs £24.95 after a
London firm Nothing a network of internet Avast is reporting an average 14-day free trial, but at time of
(https://nothing.tech) will domains until you arrive of 10,000 hacks every day. press it was going for £19.95.
launch the first British- on a ‘landing page’ that links Most of the victims are based Tools found only in the full
designed smartphone for to a legitimate file-sharing in France, Brazil, Indonesia version include deleting your
five years on 12 July. The service containing a ZIP file and India, though attacks have browser history automatically,
device, called Phone (1), will carrying the malware. been spotted in the UK too. and updating drivers.
have a “minimalist design”,
a frame made from recycled
MoD to build quantum computer to
aluminium and transparent
glass on the back. The last
fight better
UK phone maker, Wileyfox,
released three phones
between 2015 and 2016, but The Ministry of Defence
never made a profit and went (MoD) is building a
bust in 2018. powerful quantum computer
that could help guide military
THE WORLD’S tactics on the battlefield.
GONE MAD! It will use single particles of
light to solve complex
In 50 years’ time we’ll be so problems at speeds beyond
worried about overpopulation conventional supercomputers.
that parents will choose to The MoD will work with other battlefield data. than normal machines
have virtual children and raise British firm Orca Computing, Orca boss Richard Murray because they can process
them in the metaverse. founded by Oxford University said: “For certain parts of data in zeroes and ones
That’s the depressing graduates. Stephen Till, a those problems, the simultaneously. This means
prediction in AI expert senior fellow at the MoD’s complexity will be so vast, so they can perform incredibly
Catriona Campbell’s new Defence Science and challenging, that it makes complex calculations with
book AI by Design: A Plan Technology Laboratory, sense to solve some of that breathtaking speed.
For Living With Artificial called the partnership a problem with a quantum Experts say problems that
Intelligence. The hardback “milestone moment”. system rather than a classical take normal computers years
costs a mere £56 on Amazon He said the aim is to build a one”. He added that the could be solved by quantum
(www.snipca.com/42212). quantum machine capable of system could be operational in computers s in minutes.
Think we’ll spend the money working inside an armoured the next two to four years. They’re already being used to
on our real kids instead. vehicle, though it could also Quantum computers are help tackle climate change
be used to analyse images and considerably more powerful and develop new drugs.
8 22 June – 5 July 2022 • Issue 634
Ofcom vows to protect UK’s
IN BRIEF
‘essential’ phone boxes
THREE HIKES PRICES FOR
CALLS AND TEXTS
Ofcom has introduced Universal Service Pay-as-you-go (PAYG)
stronger rules to keep Obligation (TUSO) Three customers will soon
phone boxes in place in areas that BT and have to pay more to make
where there’s a poor mobile KCOM, which calls, send texts and use
signal or frequent accidents or serves Hull and data. From 12 July the cost of
suicides. surrounding calls will increase from 10p
It said the changes mean areas, must follow. a minute to 35p; texts from
that phone boxes “will be Both companies 10p to 15p; and using 1MB of
safeguarded against removal if will need to data from 5p to 10p. Three
they are still needed by a local consult with has told customers that they
community”. local authorities can exit without paying a
A box will also be kept if 52 on removing fee, and claim a refund for
or more calls have been made boxes that are the outstanding credit by 17 July.
from it in the past 12 months, last remaining
EDGE’S SLEEPING TABS
or it’s often used to make calls calls were made to Childline, in an area.
SAVES 39.1MB OF RAM
to helplines such as Childline and 20,000 to Samaritans. Ofcom estimates that its
and Samaritans. Currently, there are around previous rules protected Edge’s Sleeping Tabs
Ofcom says that boxes still 20,000 phone boxes in the around 5,000 phone boxes, feature saves 39.1MB of
provide an “essential service UK, down from a peak of though it says many of these RAM for every tab it turns
in some areas”, despite the 92,000 in 1992. BT has turned may no longer need to be kept off, Microsoft said (www.
total minutes in calls falling many boxes into Street Hub because of the “ongoing snipca.com/42196). The tool,
from 800 million in 2002 to kiosks providing Wi-Fi, while decline in call volumes and introduced in 2020, puts tabs
just four million in 2021/22. others are being used by local improvements to mobile that haven’t been used for a
It added that almost authorities for other purposes, coverage”. while into sleep mode, saving
150,000 calls were made to such as storing defibrillators. However, its research PC resources. Microsoft
emergency services from The new rules (www.snipca. indicates that at least 1,400 claims it has put 6 billion tabs
phone boxes in the 12 months com/42198) are part of a boxes are in areas without to sleep in the past 28 days,
to May 2020. Around 25,000 revamped Telephony good mobile coverage. saving 273.7 petabytes of
RAM. To check it’s switched
on, type edge://settings/
EU forces Apple to use USB-C chargers
system into Edge, then look
at the ‘Save resources with
Apple may be forced to covered, but not until sleeping tabs’ slider.
replace its Lightning port 40 months have
XIAOMI SELLING FIRST
after the European Union said passed from the law
AMAZON FIRE TVS
that from autumn 2024 all coming into effect.
phones and tablets must use a In its announcement Chinese manufacturer
USB-C charger. confirming the law, Xiaomi has released its first
EU policymakers have been the EU said it would range of smart TVs with
keen to enforce a standard save consumers “up to Amazon’s Fire TV built in.
charging port in order to make €250m (about £213m) Prices for the F2 range start
life easier for Android and iOS a year on unnecessary at £399 for 43 inches (www.
users who need different charger purchases” would “stifle innovation” and snipca.com/42197, pictured),
cables for different devices, and cut 11,000 tonnes of waste create “an unprecedented rising to £449 for 50 inches
and also to cut down on the per year (www.snipca. volume of electronic waste” and £499 for 55 inches.
amount of unused cables. com/42200). because millions of Lightning They’re all 4K models, have
The new rule will cover a It’s not known whether the cables would be thrown away. four HDMI 2.1 ports and can
range of “small and medium- UK government plans to pass However, it recently added be controlled using Alexa.
sized portable electronics”, similar laws, but EU officials USB-C support to the iPad Pro,
including phones, tablets, say that under the current and it’s strongly rumoured
headphones and headsets, post-Brexit rules it would that the iPhone will follow
handheld video-game apply in Northern Ireland. in 2023.
consoles and portable Apple didn’t comment on
Do you agree with the law?
speakers. the decision, but has
Let us know: letters@
Laptops will eventually be previously said the move computeractive.co.uk
Issue 634 • 22 June – 5 July 2022 9
QQuueessttiioonn o of ft hthee F oFrotrntingihgtht
Will Microsoft kill off hard
drives next year?
It’s reportedly forcing PC manufacturers to prioritise SSDs
Visit Microsoft’s page
THE FACTS
listing the system
requirements for
•
Windows 11 (www.snipca. PC manufacturers say
com/42250) and you’ll see that Microsoft wants them to
you need a storage device use SSDs as the boot drive
that’s 64GB or larger. But rather than hard drives in all
nowhere does it specify what computers built from 2023
kind of drive that needs to be. • Microsoft’s current
As long as it’s big enough, why hardware requirements for
should Microsoft care whether Windows 11 include a 64GB
you’ve got a hard drive or a storage device, but that can
solid-state drive (SSD)? be a hard drive or SSD
•
Well, it seems that Microsoft SSDs are more expensive
might be developing an per GB than hard drives
interest in what’s under the
bonnet of your computer. A
report by Trendfocus, analysts laptops only, with PCs
for the data-storage industry, following in 2024, though he
says that PC manufacturers said “things are still in flux”.
claim Microsoft is asking them What does all this mean
to ditch hard drives for SSDs for you? Whether or not
as the primary boot drive in using a secondary hard drive capacity. Microsoft gets its own way,
all their machines, starting for storing large files, such as Manufacturers have to make you should take it as another
next year. photos, music and videos. But the same cost calculations sign that SSDs will eventually
when deciding which replace all hard drives (read
components to fit inside their Issue 626’s Cover Feature for
To keep costs the same, PC
computers. more reasons why). If you can
builders would have to downsize from Trendfocus Vice President afford one for your current
John Chen told our sister site machine, we’d suggest
a 1TB hard drive to a 256GB SSD Tom’s Hardware that to keep upgrading. And if you’re
costs the same, PC builders looking to buy a new
would have to downsize from computer, choosing one with
Microsoft didn’t comment this extra speed comes at a a 1TB hard drive to a 256GB an SSD as the boot drive
on the report, but it’s not hard cost. SSDs are getting cheaper SSD – and most don’t consider should ensure it lasts longer.
to see why the company all the time, but typically they that to be enough capacity for But we can’t see Microsoft
would want all Windows 11 are still much more expensive many users. Chen added that changing its system
computers to have SSDs. They per gigabyte than hard drives. building a computer with a requirements to force SSDs on
have many advantages over You’ll notice this difference 512GB SSD would “break the existing users. Yes, there are
hard drives, being faster, if you shop for drives online. budget” for many lower-end two features in Windows 11
quieter and smaller, as well as Our current favourite SSD, machines. that do require an SSD –
lasting longer and consuming Corsair’s MP600 (see page 33), Unsurprisingly, DirectStorage (makes games
less energy. From Microsoft’s costs £85 for 500GB (www. manufacturers have knocked load faster) and the Windows
perspective, why wouldn’t snipca.com/41547). For that back Microsoft’s demand. Subsystem for Android (lets
you choose an SSD? The faster price you could buy almost Chen claims that originally Android apps run in the
your computer, the smoother three 1TB Seagate Barracuda Microsoft wanted to push it operating system) – but
Windows will run. hard drives (from www. through this year, but was neither are essential.
Many laptops and PCs snipca.com/42254). It’s why persuaded to delay it to the Microsoft’s more pressing
already come with an SSD for many users stick with hard second half of 2023. If that concern is getting people to
the boot drive, with some drives, sacrificing speed for date sticks, it’ll probably be for upgrade in the first place.
10 22 June – 5 July 2022 • Issue 634