Getting the most from your PC

Today's computers and peripherals sport an enormous array of features and functions, but many remain underused or completely untouched by the vast majority of users. Other features may have originally affected a buying decision but have long since been forgotten.

While some features are underused because they are out of date or simply no longer that useful, there are plenty of genuinely handy yet unintentionally neglected features on most devices.

So here's our top 10 forgotten but functional features which you'll find on almost all PCs, printers and digital cameras.

Soon you'll be making the most of your equipment and using features you never knew you had without spending a single penny. You can't get better than that.

1. Digital camera preset modes
Most digital cameras offer a wealth of different shooting modes but let's face it, the vast majority of us leave our cameras set at Auto. Photography enthusiasts may sometimes use some of the manual modes but other settings are more often than not neglected.

These include the criminally underused preset scene modes, which automatically choose the optimal camera settings for specific creative photos. Among the symbols used to represent these modes on your camera are an icon depicting a man running.

This icon represents the sports mode, which will try to freeze the movement in the frame to get the clearest, most blur-free shot.

Just because it's called sports mode, though, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to save it for Sports Day. You can use this setting to get a blur-free shot of any moving object, from a vehicle to the kids chasing the dog.

Don't forget the other presets either. The icon showing a person's face in profile instructs the camera to take the perfect portrait, while a pair of overlapping triangles often represents the mode that selects the best settings for a distant landscape shot.

2. Microphone socket
It's fair to say that every computer built in recent times has a microphone socket, yet few of us actually use it. We know microphones can be used for voice recognition and voice communication but in the past, these have often disappointed.

Fortunately, advances in technology now make both of these propositions viable. Voice recognition applications have become much more accurate, while broadband connections allow decent internet telephone calls or even video conferencing.

If you've recently upgraded your PC and have broadband, it's well worth plugging in a microphone and giving it a shot - you may be pleasantly surprised.

3. TV-out socket
We use dedicated monitors with our computers because TV sets are too flickery and low in detail for normal Windows applications. So how come most PC graphics cards also have a TV-out socket?

This is because your TV is perfect for playing games or watching DVDs and downloaded film trailers, and is also normally the biggest screen in your home.

Modern TV sets often have flip-down panels on the front with various inputs for camcorders or games consoles and these can also be used for your PC's TV output.

Most PC's offer two types of TV output, called composite and S-Video. If your TV has a small round four-pin socket labelled with an S, then use the S-video connection from your PC, as it will give better quality. If your TV only has a round yellow socket, use the composite connection. The red and white sockets are for stereo audio.

You may need to activate the TV output function - the documentation that came with your computer or graphics card should tell you how.

To get the best picture you should also reduce your screen resolution to 800 x 600 by right-clicking on your Desktop, choosing Properties and then clicking the Settings tab to open the Display Properties Control Panel. There should be a sliding scale in this window that lets you change the resolution.

4. Portable storage for all occasions
It's quick and easy to transfer pictures and music between your PC and the internal memory of a digital camera or MP3 player.

Once connected, Windows treats these devices as normal removable drives onto which you can simply drag and drop files - so why limit those files to just photos and music?

There's no reason why you can't transfer a load of Office documents to your camera or MP3 player and use the memory in these devices for temporary backup or moving files between PCs.

5. Manual feeds for printers
Modern printers feature all manner of slots and trays into which paper can be fed but most of us just load the main tray and leave it at that. This is a real shame, as manual paper-feed slots and trays can be used for printing on anything other than a plain sheet of A4 paper.

If you've got headed paper that is only brought out for special correspondence, slot it into the manual feed rather than the main tray. In addition, adjustable guides allow you to print on narrower stock such as compliment slips and envelopes - useful for Christmas cards.

Many printers also employ a manual feed for handling thin card and transparencies. The main paper tray will still cater for most of your requirements but start using the manual feed for those special printing occasions.

6. No more nasty printing surprises
You know the score - you press print, but what comes out of the machine has great swathes of your document or website missing, or loads of unnecessary pages at the end.

Fortunately, Windows offers a Print Preview option in the File Menu of almost every application. Use this before printing to see what you're really going to get.

If you see the right-hand edge cropped off in the preview, go to Page Setup in the File Menu and choose the wider landscape orientation.

If you notice lots of unnecessary pages after the important ones, then simply tell your printer to output only, say, pages one to three in the Page Range field of the Print window. This way you'll end up getting the output you want first time, which saves you time, ink and paper.

7. Scan and store documents
While most scanners are used for getting photos onto your PC, they also do a nifty job of digitising paper documents. PCs are great at storing and managing files, so why not use yours to keep track of bank statements, bills or important correspondence?

Better still, you can use the optical character recognition software supplied with most scanners to turn scanned pages into real text.

Once in text form, you can use Windows to search for actual words or phrases, which is preferable to flicking through a filing cabinet trying to find that crucial page.

Once scanned, you can then print the document as often as desired, effectively turning your PC into a photocopier. Remember to keep the original documents, though, as some organisations won't accept copies.

8. Neglected keyboard buttons
The average PC keyboard has more than 100 keys, but can you say you use them all? Aside from the keys that make up the main keypad, there are usually a wealth of additional buttons lined up along the top of modern keyboards, often labelled with envelopes or audio icons, for example.

These can be used to launch your email and web browser, or play music tracks without ever touching your mouse.

For these to work, you'll need to install the software that came with the keyboard. Rather cleverly, this software may also let you change the button's function to something else, such as launching a different application or opening your favourite web page.

9. Digital camera as a voice recorder
Many digital cameras can record audio clips, either by themselves or as part of a short movie, which can be invaluable for taking voice memos while you're on the move.

You may want to note the names of people you took photos of at a party or work event, or even take down their email address so you can send them copies of the pictures you take.

If you're experimenting with your camera's settings, you may want to make a quick voice note of the settings you used on a photo for future reference.

Alternatively, you could even use the facility to record thoughts or moments of inspiration when a notepad is either inconvenient or unavailable.

10. Organise your life
PCs make great organisers. They can remember thousands of contacts, manage our schedules and remind us to go to the dentist or post birthday cards.

For most of us, Microsoft Outlook is used for email and little else. This is a terrible waste, especially in terms of its potential use for backup purposes. How many of us only keep appointments in paper diaries or friends' numbers in their mobile phones?

Both are easily lost or stolen, whereas a PC-based organiser can be kept safe, backed up, and synchronised with multiple devices, including your phone in many cases.

If you've got electronic organiser facilities on your PC, we'd highly recommend taking a deep breath and giving them a go. Before long you'll wonder how you ever coped without them.

LEGACY-FREE PCs

While there are loads of underused features worth investigating on your PC, there are probably just as many that should have been consigned to the technology scrap heap a long time ago.

Modern PCs are packed with old-style ports and expansion facilities we think we'll need but never use. So-called legacy-free PCs eliminate these old-fashioned ports, drives and expansion facilities entirely in favour of technically superior modern alternatives.

With the explosion of USB devices, there's little need for the old-style parallel port you find at the back of your PC.

Legacy-free PCs have been the subject of much debate but a sceptical industry is finally coming around to the idea. It's about time too, so we can enjoy PCs that are smaller, faster and more reliable.

Ironically, the legacy-free computer is something Apple owners have long taken for granted: five years ago, the new iMac abandoned all old-style connectivity to become the first truly legacy-free computer.