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Latest from Computeractive

Microsoft ergonomic keyboard

Why are some of the keys on my keyboard doing strange things?

Unless the keys are sticking, the fault probably lies with a bug. The good news is that it is possible to overcome this problem and get back to normal typing

Isolated island of St Helena calls on British Government to help fund broadband connection

A 'small British village' in the mid-Atlantic is in need of funding to get it connected

Phonepayplus stops rogue Angry Birds apps ripping off consumers

UK premium rate regulator orders UK company, which made almost £28,000, to refund people who downloaded free rogue Android apps

Sony Ericsson T280i

Is my phone’s Bluetooth any use?

The Bluetooth capabilities of Sony Ericsson's T280i phone will only permit sending or receiving items from other Bluetooth phones or...

New website for missing children set up by CEOP Centre

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre launches website and freephone service for missing kids and their families

Portable USB Lego block

Get the most from USB connectors

Every modern PC has one or more USB connectors. We explain what they are, how to use them and how to overcome some of the problems you might encounter

Correct your common typing mistakes automatically in Word

Word includes Autocorrect, a feature that fixes common misspellings and replaces ordinary text with special characters. We explain...

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Bejeweled HD is a game that is perfect for the iPad

The colour matching game is lots of fun with a touch screen

wonga

Wording of Wonga letters found to be "inappropriate" by trade body

Government agency raps short-term loan company for threatening letters

Can I switch boot drives so that I can work on older programs?

The simplest way to run two hard disks in the same PC is to have a dual-boot start-up menu. Using a switch to flick between the two...

Using the Day Grid Balancer

Emergent Task Planner makes the leap from digital to paper

This useful planning tool is now on sale from Amazon in the UK

Keep your children safe online

With children using the family PC for more and more activities, it makes sense to protect them from unsuitable sites. We explain how...

Lords to quiz telecoms chiefs on superfast broadband issues

Select committee will look at issues such as broadband demand in the UK

psp.exe properties

Can I open my old genealogy files or have they gone forever?

Running old programs on a new machine can often cause problems. We describe three solutions that should get things up and running properly again

Map showing location of St Helena (image courtesy Google Earth)

Isolated island of St Helena calls on British Government to help fund broadband connection

A 'small British village' in the mid-Atlantic is in need of funding to get it connected

Phonepayplus stops rogue Angry Birds apps ripping off consumers

UK premium rate regulator orders UK company, which made almost £28,000, to refund people who downloaded free rogue Android apps

New website for missing children set up by CEOP Centre

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre launches website and freephone service for missing kids and their families

wonga

Wording of Wonga letters found to be "inappropriate" by trade body

Government agency raps short-term loan company for threatening letters

Lords to quiz telecoms chiefs on superfast broadband issues

Select committee will look at issues such as broadband demand in the UK

Your move Dawg

Youtube celebrates seventh birthday

Video-sharing site praises users

Global Tech scammers tell PC users they face criminal charges and fines

People claiming to work for Microsoft tell users their computers are infected and being used for attacks on other computers

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Privacy watchdog takes softly-softly approach over compliance with cookie law

Information Commissioner's Office says being heavy-handed with companies that don't comply with new law initially would be inappropriate...

cookies

Government websites may not comply with new cookie law

Cabinet Office admits many Government department websites will fail to comply with amendment to PECR

ISPs still patchy on revealing broadband speeds says Ofcom

Regulator said ISPs need to train sales staff more effectively

barbed-wire-and-wooden-fence-in-field

Rutland Council and BT to roll out fibre for 90 per cent of the county

Homes and businesses in the rural area will receive speeds of up to 80 Mbits/sec, with £2.2m of the budget coming from Rutland County Council

Twitter celebrates 10m UK users and a year at its London office

Micro-blogging site enjoys success in the UK but promises to work with the authorities more, after accusations that it aids criminals...

Android users are a "lucrative target" for cyber criminals

Security company F-Secure's latest mobile-threat report shows worrying trend towards more sophisticated and complex malicious software...

Information Commissioner's Office

ICO website goes offline in suspected DDOS attack

Information Commissioner's Office's website appears to be latest target of hacktivists

bejeweled-title-screen

Bejeweled HD is a game that is perfect for the iPad

The colour matching game is lots of fun with a touch screen

Hank Hazard - the Stunt Hamster

Exactly how much fun can a hamster have in his ball? Lots if he can avoid the sharks and flames in this fun iPad and iPhone app

Plan your journey and get live times with the National Rail app

This free National Rail app is a useful tool when taking the train

gamebooster

Optimise your computer for games with Iobit Game Booster

This system optimiser is available at no cost for a limited time

Test how quickly your computer starts with Boot Racer

A benchmark utility that measures a meaningful test of your computer

hijackthis

Get a detailed diagnostic report on your computer with HijackThis

This free tool will report on Windows Registry and file settings on your PC

Store and share documents on the internet with Microsoft SkyDrive

View your files on Skydrive in a normal folder in Windows

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Send personalised postcards with Touchnote Postcards

Take a picture, write a message and send a postcard

Pocket for Android

Save articles to read later with Pocket for Android

Find an interesting article and save it for later with this handy smartphone and tablet app

Find the world's most misplaced man with Where's Wally HD

Where's Wally HD - The Fantastic Journey even has a multiplayer game on the iPad

universal-usb-installer-linux

Make a bootable Linux USB key with the Universal USB Installer

A useful Windows app for making bootable USB keys

Enjoy ebooks on your PC and mobile devices with Mobipocket 6.2

A capable ebook reader for Windows with a built in store browser and the ability to transfer to other devices

Painstaking family tree assembly with Gramps

While it might look dull, Gramps is a very powerful piece of software

bitdefender-total-security-trial-download

Try a free security suite with Bitdefender Total Security 2012

A 30-day trial version that enables you to test the software fully

r368-novatech-nfinity-1

Novatech Nfinity 2367 Plus

An ultrabook laptop at an incredibly low price

GFI Vipre Internet Security 2012

Internet security with bite

Synology Diskstation DS112j

Lots of impressive features, but expensive for a single-bay NAS enclosure

r-370-nikon-l25

Nikon Coolpix L25

It's certainly cheap, but will it make you cheerful?

Alan Wake

A dark horror story that puts a novel spin on things

r-370-canon-pixma-mg8250-showing-controls-in-lid

Canon Pixma MG8250 multi-function inkjet printer-scanner

Lots of extras and a beautiful design too

Fractal Design Define R3 (USB 3.0) Arctic White

A PC case with great build quality that's also very quiet

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Griffin Helo TC Assault

Take short-haul flights with this smartphone-controlled attack helicopter

microkorg

Make music with the MicroKorg digital synthesizer and vocoder

Edit your sounds with proper controllers rather than a keyboard and mouse

AVM Fritzbox WLAN 3270

A router that is expensive but very easy to use

r-370-pentax-vs20-brilliant-white

Pentax Optio VS20

A compact camera with a big zoom and a twist in its design

Sony Xperia S

A smooth and stylish Android smartphone

Samsung ML-2955DW

A bargain fuss-free laser printer

samsung-900x3b-03

Samsung Series 9 900X3B

Samsung’s sleekest lightweight laptop yet

Microsoft ergonomic keyboard

Why are some of the keys on my keyboard doing strange things?

Unless the keys are sticking, the fault probably lies with a bug. The good news is that it is possible to overcome this problem and get back to normal typing

Is my phone’s Bluetooth any use?

The Bluetooth capabilities of Sony Ericsson's T280i phone will only permit sending or receiving items from other Bluetooth phones or...

Get the most from USB connectors

Every modern PC has one or more USB connectors. We explain what they are, how to use them and how to overcome some of the problems...

Bios setup utility

Can I switch boot drives so that I can work on older programs?

The simplest way to run two hard disks in the same PC is to have a dual-boot start-up menu. Using a switch to flick between the two...

Keep your children safe online

With children using the family PC for more and more activities, it makes sense to protect them from unsuitable sites. We explain how...

psp.exe properties

Can I open my old genealogy files or have they gone forever?

Running old programs on a new machine can often cause problems. We describe three solutions that should get things up and running properly again

Why are odd patterns appearing on my monitors shortly after startup?

As this problem seems to be connected to the length of time the computer has been on, we suspect that there is either dirt on the graphics...

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

How do I find out if the firewall in Windows 7 is active or not?

Any new computer should come with the Windows 7 firewall active, but a quick look under Control Panel and then System and Security...

Delete Gmail email on iPHone 4S automatically

Why can't I delete emails from the inbox of my new iPhone 4S?

The default on an iPhone 4S is to archive all Gmail emails instead of deleting them, so this the button for this option needs to be switched to the off position

Wrap text around unusual shapes

Serif Page Plus lets loose the designer in you with its various wrap settings

iPad secrets picture

Make the most of your Apple iPad

Whether you're a hardened iPad user or setting off with your first Apple product, our tips will help you dig deeper into what the latest iPad can do

How to spot email scams

We take a look at a recent phishing email, claiming to be from the HMRC, to show how you can catch the scams

Improve your PC's start-up speed

If a computer is slow to start as too many programs try to open simultaneously, the Delayed Start option in Windows 7 and Vista will...

Windows Genuine Advantage screenshot

Why do I keep getting a Genuine Windows Validation request?

Before downloading some software from Microsoft, it will ask you to verify that you have a legitimate copy of Windows – even though many users find this confusing

Fix typing errors

Correct your common typing mistakes automatically in Word

Word includes Autocorrect, a feature that fixes common misspellings and replaces ordinary text with special characters. We explain how to get the most out of it

How to improve the photos of devices you want to sell online

Many people buying products online look at the photos uploaded by sellers before they read the description, so if your photo is bad,...

Download your personal data and keep it close with Google Takeout

Whether you want to create a local backup of everything stored on the Google services you use or are curious what’s on file, Takeout...

Content advisor - approved sites for lead pic

Make your child's web surfing with Internet Explorer a whole lot safer

An Internet Explorer feature called Content Advisor can prevent your youngsters straying onto unsuitable websites. It's not perfect,...

Give your computer maximum security with Windows Firewall

We explain how to check if the Windows Firewall is working correctly, how to fix it if something goes wrong, and how to configure it...

Installing a new hard disk illustration

Replace the hard disk in a laptop

It is inevitable that every hard disk will run out of storage space or fail at some stage. We show you how to fit a new hard disk with more capacity to a laptop PC

Convert your home movies into 3D

We explain how to take 2D footage shot on a normal camera and convert it to 3D using free tools found on Youtube. You can then share...

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Check your documents and essays for style, content and plagiarism

A free service can check the spelling, grammar, content and style of your documents. It can also tell if you've been using someone...

Keep files organised illustration

Use Smart Folders to organise files

A free tool from Addictive Tips makes creating folders easy and fast

Give your desktop a great new look

How to create attractive wallpapers for the Windows Desktop using your favourite photos

Making an electronic form

Use Microsoft Word to create all types of electronic forms

We show you the best way to create an electronic form within a Word document

Perform online tasks automatically with the If This Then That service

The internet has countless useful and valuable tools that allow users to share and swap information. A free tool helps automate tasks...

Record and share videos of your computing techniques in Windows

A free service lets you share things you've discovered how to do on your PC with friends. We demonstrate how to use Screenr to make...

Network hard disk

Get more storage by using a network-attached hard disk

We show you how to add extra storage space to your local area network

r368-novatech-nfinity-1

Novatech Nfinity 2367 Plus

An ultrabook laptop at an incredibly low price

How to spot email scams

We take a look at a recent phishing email, claiming to be from the HMRC, to show how you can catch the scams

Make music with the MicroKorg digital synthesizer and vocoder

Edit your sounds with proper controllers rather than a keyboard and mouse

wubi-install-window

Install Ubuntu using Wubi

The Wubi installer is the easiest way to install Ubuntu and also makes removal easier

Uninstall Ubuntu with Wubi

If you don't want to use Ubuntu anymore, or want to install it properly, a Wubi installation is simple to remove in Windows

r-370-sony-xperias-black

Sony Xperia S

A smooth and stylish Android smartphone

Install Windows 7 in VMware Player

VMware Players offers a way to create a Windows 7 installation that can be experimented on without putting files at risk

Download the new issue of Computeractive for iPad

Stop Word 2010 automatically creating links in documents

This video shows how to stop Word 2010 from creating web links when it thinks it recognises a web address

Binatone TV games system

A trip back in time

The Centre for Computing History stand at the Gadget Show Live 2012 has some fascinating items on display

Hands on: Windows 8 on a touchscreen all-in-one PC

We take a look at the Windows 8 Metro interface on an all-in-one touchscreen PC

Western Digital at the Gadget Show Live 2012

Western Digital details internal hard disk range

The Western Digital Caviar range has three different hard disks designed for specific types of user

Hands on: Acer S5 Ultrabook

Super-thin laptops were the order of the day at Gadget Show Live 2012

How to clean your laptop

Make your laptop quieter and cooler by cleaning the fan and heatsink

apple-new-ipad-3

Apple iPad (third generation)

Is Apple’s latest tablet still the best there is?

Latest issue & subscription deals

Poll

Are you concerned about viruses that target mobile phones?

Jargon Buster

Computing terms explained in plain English

Router

A device used to connect more than one computer or other device to the internet.

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