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Latest PC help articles

Is it a genuine call from Microsoft?

Telephone calls suggesting that they're from Microsoft saying they can fix a fault on your PC up are always a scam. Take our advice and just hang up

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How can I turn Autoplay back on?

Autoplay has been known to turn itself off, but turning it back on is easy to do

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Create a cartoon or animation

Do you fancy creating your own comic strip or animated film? We explain how some free software will help you make the most of your cartoons

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Give Caps Lock an audible warning

Activate the Caps Lock sound function so you notice you've hit it be accident

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Keep your laptop cool and aired

You can spend any amount of money on devices to keep a laptop cool, but one reader has a novel suggestion that won't cost a penny

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How to use the Command Prompt

Lurking under Windows is the little-known world of the command line. We explain how to use this to fix faults and make your PC much more secure

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How to find older forum posts

Forums often fix a date after which posts are no longer displayed. However, there is an easy way of getting these older comments back on to your screen

Computeractive's art editor moves on after a decade

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Is it legal to re-use my Windows 7 upgrade disc on a different PC?

There are many different types of Microsoft licence. However, the main thing to remember is that OEM licences are not transferable, but the retail equivalents are

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Learn to type like a professional

Pecking away at the keyboard can be slow and offputting. We describe the ideal workstation and what software is available to get you up to speed as a touch typist

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How can I move a partition of my C: drive to a new hard disk?

Windows 7 is unable to clone and expand a partition from one drive to another, but an inexpensive piece of software will make the job extremely easy

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Why do I only get sound on some applications on my Windows 7 PC?

In Windows 7 it's possible to alter the volume of each application that is running

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How Microsoft's ribbon works

Since Microsoft changed the look and feel of Office 2007 with the ribbon it has worked its way into most applications. We show you how to get the best out of it

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Why did I get a timed out message when I tried to update to iOS 5?

There is always a huge demand whenever Apple launches a new OS for its iPhones. The trick is to wait a few days until the initial rush to get it is over

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VoIP

Voice over IP. The routing of voice conversations over the internet, which is cheaper than the telephone...

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