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 PAGES OF WINDOWS
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDES REINSTALL WINDOWS
DO MORE WITH YOUR PC REFRESH A PC THE EASY WAY: WE SHOW YOU HOW

EXTERMINATE ALL
MALWARE
‡ RETURN YOUR PC TO NORMAL ‡ REMOVE ALL THE DROSS ‡FIX YOUR BROWSER

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;OLZV\YJLMVY[LJOI\`PUNHK]PJL
techradar.com
Welcome
Hello, and welcome to Windows We review a really, really
Help and Advice issue 166. This big monitor, a camera
month you can learn how to capable of creating images
protect your PC against malware, you can display on it, and a
the kind of unwanted programs huge number of laptops. Plus
and internet intrusions that can there’s a guide to choosing
really spoil your day. Not only which RAM goes in your
that, but if you’re unlucky PC, and whether
enough to become infected with different kinds
something nasty, we’ve got really make a
guides and tips for removing it. difference to
Elsewhere, you’ll find the usual your PC’s
mix of tutorials, reviews and performance.
features. There’s a deep dive into Whatever you
Handbrake video encoding using plan to do with
the new H265 codec, and tips on your PC this
repairing Windows Update if it month have fun
refuses to do its job. doing it.

Ian Evenden Editor

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FEATURES
11 Exterminate all malware
Protect your PC from infestation, and
clean it out if it becomes infected

44 Choose the best RAM

Does the kind of memory in your PC
matter? We investigate different types

55 Beginner’s guide to 5G
We take a comprehensive look at
the latest mobile data standard

REGULARS
6 Discover Can reading all your emails
help you focus? How much customisation
does a keyboard need? And more besides

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SUPPORT
64 Get answers to your
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help from our PC experts
EXPLORE
The best PC tutorials
<ʝʦɠ ʔʦLȫɏ ,ʋɚ (ɃʑQȫʑɚ Vʋ\ɡ
“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!”
24 Get to know the new-look
Google Photos interface
27 Use Layer Styles in Photoshop
Elements for jazzy text effects
30 Improve your screenshots
32 Get Windows 10 working if it
all goes wrong with Recovery
40 Get smoother, smaller video 36 Top ideas to manage your
files with our Handbrake tips Windows 10 app collection

4 | | October 2019
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UPGRADE
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55

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October 2019 | | 5
 NEW THINGS TO DO AMAZING WEBSITES FASCINATING FACTS

PING! Emails may keep coming, but effective

strategies to manage them can help your mood.

6 | | October 2019

(P ʋ ɵOOɡ ɇ ʑ Uɛ Z ʝUʢȲ Hɡ ɇ ʑUɛ
Master your inbox
for a happy life
Too many messages can drive a person crazy, but it
doesn’t have to be that way. Clear out, and change tack
Y
ou may have heard of the
term ‘inbox zero’. If you
haven’t, it’s the idea that an
empty email inbox helps
with focus, and with making
sure you don’t miss a thing. By clearing
out your inbox, and vowing to deal
with every email at the time that you
receive it, you ensure that everything
that needs to get done gets done.
Dealing with those emails doesn’t
necessarily mean
replying to them: “Just as important as a keeping your
inbox zero is a
fleshed out system
clean inbox is a clean
rather than just attitude towards it”
being a concept,
and it gives you options.
First, you could delete or archive that
mail. When you’ve read it, you don’t
need it, so get rid – and if it’s marketing
spam, feel free to set up a filter so it
never darkens your inbox again, or put
longer emails that only need reading in
a ‘read later’ folder. You could delegate
dealing with that mail to someone else;
forward it on to the person it concerns
TYPE HARDER or softer – it’s up to you
When you buy a keyboard, you’re stuck
with the keyboard you’ve got. The switches
activate exactly where they activate – if
you’re a light typist and your keyboard
doesn’t register until you bottom those
keys out, you’re out of luck.
The SteelSeries Apex Pro, at £199, is not
a cheap keyboard, but you can customise
its keys to activate at whatever height
you’d like – and switch on the fly using its
built-in screen.
ON THE FLY Tweak everything from the lights to
the key response without leaving the keyboard.
The Knowledge…
and drop it into a ‘delegated’ folder
straight away. If you can respond or
deal with the contents of the email in
two minutes or less, get it done
immediately. And if you can’t do it
straight away, put the email in an
appropriate ‘to-do’ folder so that you
can do it when the time is right or when
you have the required information.
That’s the bare basics of inbox zero.
But just as important as keeping your
inbox clean is
attitude towards it
clean. The system
suggests you should
schedule times to
look at and work through your email, and
ignore it at other times. That includes
disabling any notifications you might
have on your desktop or your phone.
This does make sense – you’d probably
do the same thing if an over enthusiastic
postie was pushing mail through your
door at all hours of the day. Even if you
don’t follow the process to the letter,
cleaning up your inbox is a great idea.
ALL THE COLOURS The Apex Pro lights up with
some neat effects – or you can switch them off if
Blackpool Illuminations isn’t your thing.
SPECIAL SWITCH SteelSeries’ custom switches can
detect how far they’ve been pressed.
October 2019 |
Discover
Empty your inbox
Snapchat
Spectacles 3
What now?
The Snapchat Spectacles are sunglasses
with a built-in camera, with which you
can record the world around you and
share it instantly with your friends on
social media. These are the third version,
which add an extra camera and allow you
to create 3D videos, onto which you can
overlay ‘crazy’ effects.
That sounds… why?
A very good question, and one for which
we don’t have a particularly strong answer.
Because that’s how the kids are doing
things these days? Snapchat is a strange
app if you’ve never used it. Its posts are
fleeting, in that they can only be viewed
by your followers for a limited time before
being deleted forever, meaning your 3D
video might not get much of an audience
– though you don’t actually have to use
Snapchat, as the Spectacles allow you
to export files and do whatever you like
with them.
Glasses with cameras, though? That
sounds a bit iffy.
It’s about having a convenient way to
document every tiny thing that happens
in your life, if that’s important to you. At
least the Snap Spectacles are a little more
overt with their lenses than some of the
spy camera-type glasses you can pick up
online – people will know you’re wearing
these. They are a darn sight more
convenient than strapping an action
camera to a head mount, but you’ll still
look a bit silly.
Are they like Google Glass?
In terms of the cameras they are, but in
all other ways they’re just sunglasses.
There’s no tiny laser-powered screen in
them, no alternate reality projections
onto the world. All that extra effects
work is done later, in the app.
Is that all?
Actually, we saved the worst part for last:
they only take circular videos or photos.
Not a rectangle in sight. Basically, the
Spectacles 3 (due later in the year for
around £330) aren’t for us.
| 7
(Ƀ ʑ ʢ\ʝȸ ɏ›ɡ Wɪ ɸ ʘʖQ Xɢ
Qɒ ɪEʝX Download this…
Juice
A second dot com bubble www.juicereceiver.sourceforge.net
Podcasts have weaseled their way into our
Is the internet safe from another massive crash? everyday lives. Some of us would prefer a
All signs point to nobody having a clue podcast to flicking on Radio 4 in the
kitchen; some can’t fall asleep without

S
ocial blogging website
Tumblr was sold off in
August. Owner Verizon,
which acquired Tumblr as
part of its takeover of Yahoo
in 2017, reportedly sold the site to
Automattic (the owner of blogging
platform Wordpress) for around
$3 million. Considering Yahoo initially
picked up Tumblr in 2013 for $1.1
billion, that’s a somewhat different
valuation and a remarkable loss.
While it’s reflective of the rise and fall
of one website – modern Tumblr
seems to be a magnet for negative
press, and is home to some of the
more interesting characters on the
web – could it also be a sign of an
internet-wide decline?
Time for a crash?
Realistically, we don’t know. If there is
a crash coming, it’s something that
will happen on the stock market, but
many of today’s conditions do mirror
those of the late 1990s. Many
websites and services are kept afloat
by venture capital investment rather
than by their own profits. High-
ranking, highly hyped websites
launch themselves on the stock
market to great, some might suggest
unwarranted, success. As they did
before the first crash, technology
stocks lead the market. And things one. But if you’re trying to get hold of the
latest episodes on your PC, you’ve likely
are only gaining. There seems to be run into a bit of a wall – or, more
no fluctuation; technology stocks are specifically, you’ve likely run into iTunes.
rising and rising with no end in sight. There’s nothing explicitly wrong with
iTunes, but if you’re only using it for
Analyst numbers podcasts we’d argue it’s far too heavy and
That’s a good thing for technology, awkward. Better, then, to use a tool that’s
right? It is for now, and analysts dedicated to the task, like Juice.
expect numbers to continue rising. Yes, Juice is comparatively ancient – it’s
Tech investors are apparently driven almost 15 years old. It comes from a time
by FOMO, the fear of missing out, and when podcasts were brand new. But
using its simple interface to add your
the hype behind tech investments is favourite shows and download episodes is
strong. But if it proves to be simplicity itself, and when you’ve
unsustainable, or if the market collected your podcasts you’re free to
changes its mind? listen with whatever player you like.
Things are going to fall fast. “We are
very much focused on the possibility
that once you get to new highs,
there’ll be too much complacency,"
said technical strategist Bob Farrell
earlier this year, “And when the
markets reverse, they’re reversing
without warning”.
How does this affect you? It likely
won’t: these are big corporate issues,
and you may never see the effects
directly. But if you’re keeping things DIRECTORY ENQUIRIES Juice’s directory is
dated – but it’s great if you add your own.
online (and who doesn’t keep at least
something online these days), using
cloud storage, writing a blog or
anything else, be aware that today, as Follow us on…
in 1999, things aren’t permanent. If
you care about it, back it up and keep
it safe.
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7+(6(&ǖǕ'ȷƹ ƾ,=
ɏVWʋUWɡQ ʝɦ
3ʑ Q ɡD ɢʃȱ ɏȾHDʏ ɨ\ʝʦ ɠʤʖ
www.facebook.com/windowsmag

Which site

1 According to alexa.
com, what is the 3 Which of these
sites ranks higher 5 surprisingly tops
Alexa’s ‘encyclopedias’
most visited site on on the Alexa visitor
the internet? rankings? category?
A britannica.com
NEXT UE ON SALE
A twitter.com
A google.com
B youtube.com B bing.com B webopedia.com
C howstuffworks.com
Octob
ber
C facebook.com C reddit.com
Which international

2 Number three on
Alexa’s list is tmall. 4 What is listed as
the most visited 6 version of Google
ranks highest?
com. Where is it based? site in Turkmenistan?
A yandex.ru A google.com.hk
A Tallahassee B google.co.in
B Texas B mail.ru
C google.com C google.be
C China
Answers A C C C A A 2019

8 | | October 2019
 Discover
Facts & figures

$5 BILLION
is the amount of money lost by ride-sharing
firm Uber in the three months to June 2019,
the biggest loss in its history. The company,
Here we reveal some mostly useless valued somewhere north of $80 billion,
has never made a profit.
yet highly fascinating numerical facts...

60%
of new passwords are secure against guessing
attacks – meaning it would take an attacker over
a hundred million guesses before identifying
3%
the correct password – according to figures
of Brits surveyed answered
from Google Password Checker. ‘don’t know’ when the question
‘Have you ever tried surfing’ was
posed to them by YouGov.
ʬʬ

is the number of cassette tapes predicted to

be sold by the end of 2019, in an unlikely uptick
for the dreadful old format. 50,000 were sold
in 2018, accounting for 0.2 percent of album
2006
2006
was a good year for World of
Warcraft, and you can experience
it again now WOW Classic has

1
sales. A return to software sales on cassette
remai t we’ll keep you posted.
launched. The online RPG snared
The version number of the 12 million players at its peak, and
latest release of phone
operating system Android, hopes to do it again by reverting
despite being the 15th
named version since the OS to patch 1.12. Those who prefer a
came out of beta in 2009.
The idea of jumping to 10 is more up-to-date game can, of
very popular, with Windows
10 being around the 19th course, continue playing version
released version of
Microsoft’s OS, depending 8.2, which launched in June.
on how you count them.

October 2019 | | 9
 Incoming
The hottest new hardware above the horizon

Skybot F-850
From £75 million en.roscosmos.ru
In definitely-not-alarming news, a six-foot-tall humanoid robot has been
launched by the Russian space agency to the International Space Station,
sitting in the commander’s chair of a Soyuz capsule as if it were ready to
take control at any moment.
And it potentially could. While the Terminator-like robot, known as Fedor,
is capable of running autonomously, it can also mirror the movements of an
operator wearing some fairly standard PC virtual reality gear. The human
scale of the ’bot means it can use human tools, potentially including
laptops – previous, Earth-based Fedors have driven cars and handled
electric drills. They have also, and we’re sure this is nothing to worry about,
fired guns from each hand and done the splits. Whether that was at the
same time, the press release sadly fails to mention.
Fedor runs on a Linux operating system, and will spend two weeks
working with the ISS crew. All together now: My god, it’s full of Tsars.
All image credits: Roscosmos

10 | | October 2019

SEEK AND DESTROY
MALWARE
'LVFRYHUKRZWRSURWHFW\RXU3&IURPPDOZDUHSOXV
how to get rid of any infections that sneak through
nless you’ve lived
under a rock your
U whole life, you’ll
have come across
malware at some
point, whether it
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dodgy website. The question
remains, how do you protect
yourself against it, and what can
\RXGRVKRXOG\RXÀQG\RXU3&
infected? In this feature we’ll answer
these – and other – questions.
We’ll open with a quick run-
through of the most common
forms of malware you’re likely to
encounter, from traditional worms
and Trojans to backdoors, rootkits
and ransomware. We’ll then help
you perform a security audit of your
3&²\RX·OOÀQG:LQGRZVLVPXFK
Windows 10
Defeat malware
better at protecting you than earlier
versions of Windows, but there’s
still room for improvement.
Then it’s on to the tricky question:
what do you do when an infection
sneaks through your defences?
We’ll step you through the
techniques and tools you’ll need
to not only wrest control of your
computer back from whatever
malware has invaded it, but also
start to clean up the mess it
leaves behind.
These days you’re under threat
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look at ways you can avoid being
targeted when using the internet,
boosting privacy and security and
making the web and other online
activities a safer, more pleasurable
experience once again.
October 2019 | | 11
Threats to your PC’s security
Receive a complete rundown of the key dangers
– malware, hackers and more – that threaten your PC
hreats to your privacy

T
and security come in
many shapes and forms
these days. Let’s start by
taking a brief tour of the
different types of
malware around to provide you with a
better understanding of what to look
out for.

Virus/worm
Traditionally malware was conflated
with the term ‘virus’. However, viruses
are a specific form of malware: code
inserted into other files (such as macros
in Microsoft Office documents, which is
why macro supported is now disabled
by default in Office). Along with worms Malware comes in all shapes and
– standalone programs rather than sizes, with some Trojans more

Images : Microsoft, Malwarebytes, PDF 24 Creator,

malicious code hidden inside other files,
viruses are primarily a mechanism for
delivering so-called malicious ‘payloads’,
and are designed to replicate
themselves as far and wide as possible,
such as through copying to shared
network folders or hiding inside emails.
prevent you from detecting and
removing the threat to spying on your
activities and downloading more
malware to your PC.
dangerous than others. Windows
Security provides ratings for each.
reference to the time it takes between
discovering a hole and patching it.
People’s reluctance to install security
updates, thus increasing the risk from

Trojan horses Zero-day exploits

These days, a more common form of
malware comes under the ‘Trojan horse’
heading. As the name suggests, they’re
called Trojans because they attempt to
sneak on to your PC under false
pretences, typically by masquerading as
legitimate software. Once installed, they
can deliver different kinds of payloads,
from changing system settings to
The never-ending release of security
updates for Windows, web browsers
and other software are a constant
reminder that security holes are
constantly being discovered – these
holes make it possible for hackers to
inject malware or take control of
compromised systems using zero- Dedicated anti-ransomware tools are available, but
day exploits. The ‘zero day’ is a the trick is obviously to avoid ever being infected.

POTENTIALLY UNWANTED PROGRAMS

One grey area when it comes to malware is that related to
3RWHQWLDOO\8QZDQWHG3URJUDPVRU383V6RPHDSSOLFDWLRQ
installers offer you additional programs, toolbars and other
software during the set-up process – most are perfectly
legitimate, but there are question marks over the practice.
This so-called ‘bundleware’ is used to help fund development
of programs, ensuring they remain free of charge, but the
practice can be abused.
0RVW383VDUHKDUPOHVV²DQGGHÀQLWHO\QRWPDOZDUH²EXW
some can harbour spyware, browser hijackers and other unwanted
programs. The major problem is that they’re often pre-selected for
installation by default, and the terminology for rejecting the offer
can be confusing. What exacerbates the problem is that most
VHFXULW\VRIWZDUHLJQRUHVSURJUDPLQVWDOOHUVWKDWRIIHU383VDVWKH\
technically require your authorisation – however poorly framed –
before they can be installed.
7ZRSURJUDPVWKDWFDQKHOSNHHS383VRII\RXU3&DUHWKH
premium version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (see over the
page) and a free program called Unchecky (www.unchecky.com), Unchecky is a tool that can detect (and deselect) some PUP install options, plus
which we recommend for all users. it will warn you about others.

12 | | October 2019
 Windows 1
Defeat malwar
zero-day exploits, is one of the
reasons why Windows 10 makes such
updates mandatory.
Zero-day exploits can carry all kinds
of malware payloads, and your best bet
for protecting yourself in the interim
between discovery and patching is to
ensure your security software has
built-in protection against them using
heuristics, which acts on suspicious
behaviour that may indicate the
presence of malware.

Backdoor
An infection that allows hackers
– typically automated scripts or
other infected computers (known
as zombies or ‘bots’) to remotely
access and control your PC. Delivered
by worms and Trojans, they can do
anything from use your computer
to deliver spam, steal personal Dedicated tools for removing rootkits exist from several vendors – Malwarebytes’ version has been in beta
information or act in conjunction with for years, and is free to download from www.malwarebytes.com/antirootkit/
other infected PCs (collectively known
as ‘botnets’) to attack major online making it impossible to visit security- you pay to restore control (or decrypt
services through Distributed Denial based websites, plus make use of personal data). It’s delivered in many
of Service (DDoS) attacks. whatever information it’s gathered. different ways, from regular infections
and other vulnerabilities (such as
Spyware Rootkits and ransomware backdoors) to phishing – tricking users
While traditional viruses aim to Rootkits are a special form of malware into running programs. Unlike other
replicate themselves far and wide, that’s designed to conceal its own malware, it makes no attempt to hide.
spyware tends to exclusively focus presence – in the form of tell-tale Once triggered, you’re either locked
on the computer it’s been installed processes and running programs – and out of your entire PC or key parts of the
on. Its primary aim is typically to actively protect itself from being system, and you may find all personal
collect information about you removed by security software. Thus files are encrypted, spreading to any
– through spying on your usage hidden, the rootkit can then introduce connected network shares and backup
– often to target you with ads and payloads that can steal user information drives. You’ll receive regular prompts –
other material for financial gain. It’s or even hijack the computer for use as and a deadline – to pay an online
also often used to steal sensitive part of a larger botnet network. ransom in return for an unlock code that
information such as financial data Ransomware is even more insidious. It (in theory) removes the restrictions and
and passwords through the use of a seizes control of your PC and demands restores control or your data.
keylogger, which monitors keystrokes
and mouse movement.
Like other forms of malware, spyware
“Zero-day exploits can carry all kinds
also attempts to change computer
settings – particularly internet-based
of malware. Ensure your security
settings. This is to both protect itself by software has built-in protection”
BEHAVIOURAL THREATS
As you’ll see over the page, it’s increasingly tricky for
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why modern malware is increasingly based on deception,
designed to trick you into clicking a web link or opening an
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Many of these so-called phishing attempts originate from
emails or instant messages. They attempt – with varying
degrees of success – to make themselves look genuine, with
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fake website where you’re asked to enter sensitive security
information to ‘verify’ your details. In actual fact, what you
enter is captured by the hacker.
There is also a growth in emails claiming to have hacked
the user’s computer. They claim to have recorded – using
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websites and aim to make themselves more plausible by
inserting an old password stolen from website breaches
that’s associated with your email account. Most of these
Behavioural threats tend to originate mostly
SKLVKLQJHPDLOVDUHFDXJKWE\VSDPÀOWHUVEXWRFFDVLRQDOO\D from emails attempting to trick you.
few will sneak through. Do not respond to any of them.

October 2019 | | 13
Strengthen your PC’s security
$XGLW\RXUFXUUHQWVHFXULW\DQG¾QGZD\VWRDGG
extra layers of protection to keep malware at bay
hen it comes to

W
protecting your
Windows 10 PC, both
antivirus and firewall
protection are built into
the operating system,
and while it’s strictly no-frills, Windows
Security is capable of keep most
malware off your system. We tested it
with a range of live malware samples,
and it detected them all, throwing up a
warning dialog offering to remove or
quarantine the malware in question.
Windows itself is also packed with
malware-thwarting technology too. User
Access Control (UAC) is the confirmation
dialog you see whenever you open a file
or program that wants administrative
access to your system. Windows 10 also

Images : Microsoft, Firefox, Comodo, Birdefender

introduced the SmartScreen filter, which
automatically pops up a warning about
program files that aren’t digitally signed.
Many are legitimate, but it provides you
with an extra step of protection. The
filter will go even further if it detects
known malware, with the dialogue box
turning red instead of blue and the
warning made crystal clear.
Most malware originates from the
internet, which is why your web browser
has a role to play too. All modern
browsers – including Microsoft Edge
– will screen any file after it’s been
downloaded for potential malware,
alerting you if it’s known malware. Some
browsers, such as Firefox, will even flag
a file that’s not been downloaded or
Web browsers such as Firefox have built-in controls to
help protect you against malware-infected downloads.
opened by many people – this should Third-party protection
ring alarm bells if you’re downloading If you’re looking to add extra layers of
well-known software from a less protection to your PC, there are
reputable website. It suggests the file numerous free and paid-for third-party
may have been tampered with, so
cancel the download and source it from
a safe location, such as the program’s
own web pages or a trusted mirror.
Browsers also attempt to keep you
away from dangerous websites like
those involved in phishing scams too – a
highly visible warning screen will
appear. You can bypass this, but don’t
say you haven’t been warned if you Windows SmartScreen usually throws up a blue
decide to ignore its assessment. dialog for unknown apps, and red for viruses.

CONFIGURE YOUR FIREWALL

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RQHZHDNOLQN²LWVÀUHZDOO7KH:LQGRZV)LUHZDOOLVFRQÀJXUHG
only to monitor incoming connections – in other words, those
PDGHWR\RXU3&RYHU\RXUQHWZRUNRUWKHLQWHUQHW,WDVVXPHV
DOOWUDIÀFRULJLQDWLQJIURP\RXU3&LVOHJLWLPDWH²EXWWKLVFDQ
include any malware that’s sneaked through your defences and
has established a backdoor connection to the internet. These
can then dial home to begin wreaking whatever havoc they’ve
EHHQGHVLJQHGWRLQÁLFW
This step-by-step guide reveals how to add two-way
SURWHFWLRQWR:LQGRZV)LUHZDOOXVLQJDIUHHDGGRQSDFNDJH
from Malwarebytes, but if you want a more user-friendly
DOWHUQDWLYHWKHQUHSXWDEOH,QWHUQHW6HFXULW\SDFNDJHVIURPWKH
likes of Norton, Kaspersky and Bitdefender all ship with
WZRZD\ÀUHZDOOV$QRFRVWRSWLRQLV&RPRGR,QWHUQHW6HFXULW\
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additional functionality such as being able to run your web
browser inside a ‘sandbox’ (isolated container) to protect the
UHVWRI\RXUV\VWHP6HHZZZFRPRGRFRPKRPHLQWHUQHW
Comodo’s firewall runs in ‘Safe mode’ by default – it’ll allow trusted
VHFXULW\IUHHLQWHUQHWVHFXULW\SKSIRUGHWDLOV apps to access the internet, only alerting you to unknown ones.

14 | | October 2019
 Windows 10
Defeat malware
packages out there. If you’re in the
market for third-party protection or
want to review your current package as
its subscription comes up for renewal,
visit www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/
home-windows/ for a comprehensive
list of tests, updated regularly. What
you’ll notice, though, is that Windows
Security now rates highly in malware
detection and cleaning tests.
Does this mean there’s no need for
additional protection? Windows Security
provides a good last line of defence, but
third-party tools tend to offer a wider
range of preventative measures – and if
you’re still running Windows 7 or 8.1,
then switching to a different security
package is essential. You should also
look to strengthen – if not replace – the
built-in Windows Firewall. See below for
why, and how.

Add extra layers

In addition to a firewall, third-party tools
provide additional components to help
close more gaps in your protection.
They’ll often proactively scan USB drives
when plugged into your PC, and some
offer protection for smart devices like
webcams too, ensuring they can’t be
switched on surreptitiously by hackers
for spying purposes. Parental controls
allow you to protect younger members
from more threats than the basic
options provided in Windows itself.
Take Bitdefender for example: it
comes with an online threat prevention
module, which works proactively in the
background to protect you when
browsing the web or using your
“As well as a firewall, third-party tools
provide additional components to
help close gaps in your protection”
Third-party tools provide a range of additional measures to protect and prevent infection.
network. Built-in anti-ransomware
protection is augmented by its Safe
Files component, which allows you to
specify protected folders such as
Documents and so on. When enabled,
applications can’t access these folders
without you explicitly granting them
permission, serving as an extra block
against ransomware.
Many security tools also provide tools
that scan for security vulnerabilities
– not just in Windows, but your
applications and Wi-Fi network too.
They’ll alert you to weak passwords,
outdated programs and missing
Windows security fixes.
Whether or not you opt for third-party
protection, we strongly recommend you
install a secondary, non-conflicting
package to provide another layer of
security. Our go-to package remains
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware – its
detection rates have suffered of late
as a primary package, but as backup
protection it remains second-to-none.
Download the free version from www.
malwarebytes.com – there’s a 14-day
free trial offering proactive, real-time
protection against malicious websites,
PUPs and other threats not covered by
some security packages, then revert to a
scan-and-remove tool if you don’t want
to pay the £29.99/year asking price.

8SJUDGHWKH:LQGRZVÀUHZDOO

1 Initial steps 2 Switch the 3 Review and allow

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wfc – once installed, type ‘wfc’ into the
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outbound connections.
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(recommended)’. Also tick the failsafe
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1RWLÀFDWLRQV DQG VHOHFW ¶/HDUQLQJ PRGH·
to switch monitoring on.
All digitally signed and trusted
apps will be given network access
automatically, but you’ll start to see
SRSXS QRWLÀFDWLRQV IRU RWKHU DSSV
If they’re trusted (not all safe apps
are signed), click ‘Allow this program’.
If you’re not sure, press ‘Block for now and
ask me later.

October 2019 | | 15
Remove malware from your PC
'LVFRYHUZKDWWRGRZKHQPDOZDUHVWULNHV±¾QG
out how to remove it, plus clean up afterward
hen your security

W
protection works as it
should, you’ll either
enjoy a hassle-free life or
see the occasional alert
pop up when your
antivirus tool spots – and blocks – a
potential infection from taking hold. But
if your security regimen is compromised,
you’ll have to take remedial steps to
clear any infection from your machine
– sudden sluggish performance, random
popup alerts and other strange
behaviour might all point to infection.
The simplest thing to do is try and run
a scan with your existing security tools
having first attempted to install the
latest updates – if they detect the threat,
let them attempt to clean or quarantine
it, then reboot and run full scans again.
If infections keep cropping up, or you’re
unable to open your security tool, you
may need to attempt to boot into Safe
mode to run your security software from
where the malware can’t cripple it.
6FDQQLQJIURP6DIHPRGH
There are two ways to enter Safe mode
– one method is described opposite in
Most anti-virus vendors provide standalone
removal tools – try a selection if you’re struggling.
the step-by-step guide. If that takes you
back to the normal desktop, try pressing
Win + R, typing msconfig and pressing
Enter. Switch to the Boot tab, tick ‘Safe
boot’ and select Network before clicking
OK and rebooting when prompted.
Some malware removes the Registry
keys required to successfully boot into
Safe mode – if you’re unable to get Safe
mode to work following the steps in the
guide opposite, skip to the next section.
For those who can get into Safe mode,
you’ll need to enter your user password
(any PINs aren’t accessible from here) to
Kaspersky’s rescue disc – like others – loads a
virtual desktop to run its own removal tools.
log in. At the desktop, open your
existing security packages, let them
update and run full scans.
Hopefully they’ll find and remove the
infection, in which case reboot back into
normal mode (if you used msconfig to
get into Safe mode, you’ll need to open
it again and untick ‘Safe boot’ before
clicking OK and rebooting) and run final
scans to verify the infection has gone.
If you want to be doubly sure the
infection has been removed – or your
security software doesn’t find anything,
try enlisting the help of several
additional tools. Most security vendors
offer free scan-and-removal tools, so
Google ‘virus removal tools’ to see
what’s available. One example worth
trying – because it employs the services
of two separate anti-virus engines – is
Emsisoft Emergency Kit (EEK), which you
can download and run from www.
emsisoft.com/en/software/eek/ for
second and third opinions. Also try
VIPRE Rescue (www.vipreantivirus.com/
vipre-rescue-virus-removal-tool.aspx) if
Images : Microsoft, Malwarebytes, RizoneSoft, Macrium,

EEK doesn’t work.

Use bootable rescue discs

If you’re locked out of Safe mode and
have access to another, clean PC, visit
your antivirus vendor’s website on there
to track down a bootable emergency
rescue disc. If it doesn’t offer one,
download the Kaspersky Rescue Disc
ISO from https://support.kaspersky.com/
BEAT BROWSER HIJACKS viruses/rescuedisk to a clean PC. Either
right-click the ISO and choose ‘Burn
image’ to burn it to CD or DVD, or use a
If your browser’s home page has been changed, or unwanted toolbars and tool like Rufus (https://rufus.akeo.ie/) to
popups appear, you’re the victim of a browser hijack. Try Malwarebytes’ create a bootable USB drive.
AdwCleaner from www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner (scroll down to the After booting, a separate desktop
green ‘Free Download’ button). Close all browsers and launch the tool, environment is loaded and the
granting it admin access when prompted, then click Scan Now. Finally, review Kaspersky Rescue Tool will automatically
its findings and quarantine anything you don’t like the look of. start. Let it scan – multiple times if
prompted – to ensure all traces of the
infection are removed.

16 | | October 2019
 Windows 10
Defeat malware

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created emergency rescue media – just in case. option to retain internet access).

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,I6DIHPRGHZRQ·WZRUNUHERRWRUUHVWRUH\RXUEDFNXS If not already installed, download and run the portable
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5 Fix internet problems 6 Decrypt ransomware

If you’re unable to access the internet or network after II ÀOHV KDYH EHHQ OHIW HQFU\SWHG DQG \RX KDYH QR EDFNXSV
cleaning up after malware try the repairs offered in one or both to call on, make a note of the ransomware type from your
RI&RPSOHWH,QWHUQHW5HSDLUZZZUL]RQHVRIWFRPGRZQORDGV security logs and visit www.nomoreransom.org – upload two of
FRPSOHWHLQWHUQHWUHSDLUDQG1HW$GDSWHU5HSDLU$OO,Q2QH \RXU HQFU\SWHG ÀOHV DQG SDVWH LQ WKH UDQVRP QRWH WR GHWHFW LWV
KWWSVVRXUFHIRUJHQHWSURMHFWVQHWDGDSWHU type and hopefully locate a free decryption tool.

October 2019 | | 17
Expand your protection
Fill in the gaps in your security and privacy with this
essential collection of tips, techniques and tools
ou’ve got the essentials

Y
sorted – anti-malware
software in place, plus
any tools you’ve
downloaded from the
previous spread on
cleaning malware infections (even if
your PC is currently behaving itself, now
is a good time to collect them together
somewhere safe, like on a USB flash
drive). Now you’ve locked down your PC,
what other steps can you take to secure
other parts of your online life?

Secure online accounts

Browse to www.haveibeenpwned.com

Images : haveibeenpwned.com, authy.com, disconect.me

where you’re almost certain to discover
your trusted passwords of old have been
involved in at least one security breach
– even if you weren’t personally
affected, common passwords like
‘fred1234’ are bound to have been used
by others and subsequently exposed
too. We recommend installing a strong
password manager like BitWarden
(www.bitwarden.com) to store and
generate new lengthy, randomly
generated passwords comprising letters,
numbers and special characters. All you
need to remember going forward is one
master password – make sure that
password is both memorable and long,
not easily guessed and a mix of letters
and numbers.
Add an extra layer of protection to
your BitWarden password vault – and
other key online accounts – by adding
Don’t panic if you find your email address appears in various site breaches – just make sure your
passwords have been changed.
two-factor authentication (2FA) to your
login. This prevents anyone from
getting into your account without
physical access to your phone – even if
your password is compromised. 2FA
codes can be delivered by email, mobile
text or to an authenticator app – email
isn’t secure (see below), while text
messages require you to have a mobile
signal when sent. The best option is the
authenticator app – we currently
recommend Authy (https://authy.com/),
which can be installed on more than
one device (including your PC) and
codes accessed even when offline.
Secure internet access
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) serve
two major purposes: one, they encrypt
your internet traffic on insecure
networks such as public Wi-Fi hotspots,
but they also mask that traffic from your
Internet service provider too. By
connecting to a VPN server in a different
country you’re also able to trick internet
services as to your actual location,
enabling you to bypass many
geographic restrictions – for example,
enabling you to access catch-up TV
while abroad on holiday. WindScribe
(https://windscribe.com) offers a

FILL IN THE GAPS

:LQGRZV6HFXULW\KDVSOHQW\RIEXLOWLQSURWHFWLRQDJDLQVWV\VWHP
exploits, rootkits and the like, but there are still gaps – many
behavioural related – that you can close with the help of free
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SDWFKHVZLWKWKHKHOSRI3DWFK0\3&KWWSVSDWFKP\SFFRP
home-updater-overview).
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KDVD%XQGOHZDUHVHFWLRQWKDWFDQKHOSURRWRXW383VDOUHDG\RQ\RXU
system. Worried about the security of sensitive data backed up to the
FORXG"(QVXUH\RXUÀOHVDUHSURWHFWHGE\DQH[WUDOD\HURIHQFU\SWLRQ
EHIRUHEHLQJXSORDGHGZLWK&U\SWRPDWRUKWWSVFU\SWRPDWRURUJ
Add extra protection against potentially harmful websites by adding
WUDIÀFOLJKWVHFXULW\UDWLQJVWRZHESDJHVDQGVHDUFKHQJLQHUHVXOWV
XVLQJRQHRI1RUWRQ·V6DIH:HE&KURPH)LUHIR[DQG(GJHRU
%LW'HIHQGHU7UDIÀF/LJKW&KURPHDQG)LUHIR[6HDUFK\RXUEURZVHU·V
add-on store for the appropriate plugin.
)LQDOO\ZDQWWRVFUHHQHPDLOEHIRUHGRZQORDGLQJLW",QVWDOO3RS7UD\8
KWWSSRSWUD\XVRXUFHIRUJHQHWRU3233HHSHUZZZHVXPVRIWFRP
to preview all of your accounts from one convenient app.

18 | | October 2019
 Windows 10
Defeat malware
generous 10GB free bandwidth a
month with support for servers from
10 countries including the UK, US
and Switzerland. A Pro package comes
with tools for blocking ads and trackers
as well as malware ($9.00 a month or
$49 for a year).
While VPNs encrypt your data in
transit, they don’t hide it from the
services you’re connecting to, so you’ll
need to continue to take steps to
protect your web browser. Make use of
private or incognito windows when
browsing – which allegedly don’t store
any tracking information after they’ve
been closed. We say allegedly – it’s still
possible for your traffic to be monitored
by your internet service provider.
One way to tighten this security is by
enabling so-called DNS over HTTPS if
your browser allows you to do – for
example, Firefox users should open
Options > General tab, then scroll all
the way down and click Settings under
‘Network Settings’ before ticking
‘Enable DNS over HTTPS’ (with the
default Cloudflare provider) before
clicking OK. This prevents man-in-the-
middle attacks and eavesdropping on No more excuses – protect your online accounts by implementing 2FA now.
the websites you visit.
Also look to install add-ons to help com). Mail between ProtonMail users is your web activity by forcing it to run
block trackers and malicious advertising. automatically encrypted, while you can in a sandbox – that way it can’t spy
The step-by-step below reveals how to configure sensitive messages so on you through tracking cookies.
use Disconnect to monitor and block non-ProtonMail users are directed to a Similarly consider switching from
invisible trackers – after installing it, secure, encrypted web link to read – and well-known, but not necessarily
install AdBlock Plus (https://adblockplus. reply – to the message. secure, technologies such as Skype
org/) for a sensible approach to Protecting yourself when chatting and WhatsApp to Signal (https://signal.
blocking intrusive and potentially with others and using social media is a org), an open-source chat tool that
dangerous adverts without removing must too. Install the Facebook Container works on your phone and PC
all adverts. add-on for Firefox, for example, and you desktop and offers secure end-to-
Email is notoriously insecure – can isolate Facebook from the rest of end encryption.
unencrypted and easy to intercept.
Traditional encryption techniques
involving PGP only work with contacts
“Two-factor authorisation stops
who apply it to their own email. One
workaround is to sign up for a free
anyone getting into your account
ProtonMail account (www.protonmail. without access to your phone”
Track the trackers

1 Install Disconnect 2 Monitor website 3 Block trackers

*R WR KWWSVGLVFRQQHFWPH
disconnect and click ‘Get Disconnect’
to locate the plugin in your browser’s
add-on store, then install it from
there. Once installed, you’ll see the
Disconnect button appear in your
browser toolbar. You do not need to
donate if you don’t want to.
Now browse to one of your
favourite websites. You’ll see the
Disconnect button display a number
– this is the number of trackers it has
GHWHFWHG &OLFN WKH 'LVFRQQHFW EXWWRQ
for a summary, split into four sections
² FOLFN RQH WR UHYHDO WKH VSHFLÀF
requests made.
Any trackers ticked and marked
green are blocked by default; grey
trackers are safer, but can also be blocked
by ticking the box. You’ll see statistics
revealing how much time is saved not
SURFHVVLQJ WKH WUDFNHUV &OLFN WKH
¶9LVXDOL]H SDJH· EXWWRQ WR VHH ZKHUH
the trackers go. Q

October 2019 | | 19
 Subscribe today to receive your
FREE Native Union Eclipse Charger

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 VOT E FO R YO U R FAVO U R I T E G A M E S
OF THE YEAR IN THE 37TH ANNUAL
G O L D E N J OYST I C K AWA R D S

V O T I N G O P E N S F R I D AY
20TH SEPTEMBER 2019
Visit to www.g a m es ra da r.co.u k to ca st you r vo te

f facebook.com/goldenjoysticks l twitter.com/GoldenJoysticks
 WINDOWS TIPS INTERNET ADVICE EXCITING NEW PROJECTS

Welcome )ʅɸɗ ʙLVʤʖQɒ

Every month in
Explore you’ll
discover some
great ways to do
more with your PC,
whether it’s mastering the
basics, or getting productive
with all kinds of apps.
This month, you’ll learn how
to use the new Google Photos
after the latest changes to the
service (p24); how to apply
Layer Styles in Photoshop
Elements (p27); how to
manage the apps that build
up on your PC (p36); and how
to repair Windows Update if
it goes wrong (p38). There
are plenty of time-saving tips
and tricks too, making time
spent with Windows 10 a
breeze. Have fun!
Ian Evenden
Editor
ian.evenden@futurenet.com
24 After recent changes, meet
the new-look Google Photos
27 Use Layer Styles in Photoshop
Elements to jazz up your text
30 Taming PrintScreen: How to
take better Windows screenshots
32 Windows 10 recovery tools
explained and problems fixed
36 Manage your collection of
apps with our tips and tricks
38 What if Windows Update stops
working? Follow our simple guide
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ
0ʋʁɖ:\ʎLʂʙɵɖ:ɵOVʝɚVʋ\ɡ
“Find, install, update and manage
apps in Windows 10 so you can
make the most of your PC”
7ʦʢɚ Wɛ SDȰɏ 
WɛʓʖQɍʝXɢPʝȾɏ

Our promise to you…

Get more from Windows, software and all your favourite sites

Packed with informative tutorials
Every issue, we guarantee to pack the
magazine with great tutorials teaching
you all the best things you can do with your PC.
Each article features step-by-step instructions
to make learning new skills fast and enjoyable.
Get more from your favourite websites
We all have our list of favourite sites
but often we miss out on great features
EHFDXVH WKH\·UH GLIÀFXOW WR XVH RU KLGGHQ IURP
sight. We’ll show you how to do more online,
for a more satisfying web life.

Customise Windows to work your way
We all know how to do the basics but
getting the most from Windows isn’t
always easy. Our dedication to the operating
system means you get the very best tips and
tricks for all versions of Windows.
Discover new programs with our help
From speed-up and security software
to superb photo apps, there’s always
something new to try on your PC. The
Windows Store in Windows 10 and Windows
8.1 is packed with software to download.

October 2019 | | 23
/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
Use Google YOUR PHOTOS
This is the default

Photos like a pro Photos view. It puts

your photographs in
chronological order,
with the most recent
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ&ʋUʢȲɏ0ʋUʂKɪɸɗVʋ\ɡ ones first.

“Google Photos has changed PHOTO ALBUMS

a bit, but it’s still a great way to Click on this icon to
store and share your photos” view existing
albums, to edit them
or to create a new
At a glance
T
he relationship between
Google Photos, the photo album for putting
Skill level… storage service, and Google photos into.
Anyone can do it Drive, the cloud storage service,
Straightforward hasn’t always been obvious – so
Google’s decided to tidy things up.
Tricky in parts Since July, automatic syncing SHARING SETTINGS
between the two services has This enables you
Suitable for… stopped. That means photos you add to create a new,
Windows 10 to Google Drive are no longer shareable album
automatically added to your Google that you can invite
Windows 8.1 Photos, even if you stick them in the others to come
Windows 7 Photos folder in your Google Drive. and see.
The change doesn’t affect any
images you’ve already got stored in
either service, but it does mean that
in future there’s no confusion over
what’s gone where. It also means you
can’t accidentally delete something
from Google Photos by deleting an
image from your Google Drive and
vice-versa.
So how does Google Photos get
images now, and what else can it do?
We’re glad you asked.

Step-by-step Find your way around Google Photos

Images : Microsoft, Google, Carrie Marshall

1 Choose your image source

If you’ve already been using Google Photos, this should look
familiar: Google shows you the most recent ones when you log in,
as shown here. To add more images, look at the icons towards the
top right of the window and select the Upload one. This gives you
two options: you can upload images from your computer, or you
can add photographs stored in your Google Drive.
2 Access your Google Drive
Google Drive and Google Photos no longer automatically
sync with each other, so images you add to Google Drive won’t
appear in Google Photos unless you specifically add them. To do
that, choose the Google Drive upload option. As you can see
there are four tabs here: recent images, your Google Drive, images
that have been shared with you, and images that you’ve starred.

24 | | October 2019
 Explore
What’s new with Google Photos

Jargon buster!
Colour adjustment
This changes how a
photo looks by
making it brighter,
adjusting the
difference between
the brightest and
darkest bits or
boosting colours or
CREATE ICON UPLOAD BUTTON colour ranges.
Not just for creating Adds photos to your
a new album. You Google Photos Cropping
can make photos Cropping is when
library. We’ll look you chop off the
into animations, at how the upload unwanted edges of a
collages and even feature works in photograph to make
movies too. this tutorial. the subject more
prominent.

Filtering
A filter is a collection
of adjustments that
changes how a
photo looks. It might
make the photo
warmer, or turn a
colour photo into
PHOTO TIMELINE black and white.
Appears when you
hover the mouse
over the right of the
window, and
provides quick
navigation.

ȉ$5ƺ,(›6%NJ67ƼǏ3
'ʝɚ›ɢȾɰʙɨʝɚʝɻʙʖȸɏVWʝUDȰɏ
WɛʠURɀHFɢ\ʝʦɠʖʢȾʑɿODȪHɪɬȵɏ
ʠLFʤʦȾHɡ0ɪȴɏʣʦȾɏ\ʝɤKʋɃɏ
RIɲʙʖȸɏEDɭʘʦSɡWRɛ

3 Get the photos from your PC

If you choose to upload from your computer, you’ll see the
familiar File Open dialog box where you can choose one, some or
all pictures from a folder. If you aren’t short of space, don’t remove
the images from your hard disk or SSD when you’re finished
uploading: it’s always good to have a local copy of anything
valuable that you store online. It’s a lot easier to backup too.
4 Upload your images
If you’ve got a slow connection and lots of photographs,
this is a good time to make a cup of tea: Google will upload your
selected photos, with a progress bar appearing in the bottom left
corner of the window to show what image is being uploaded and
how many more there are to go. When it’s finished you can close
this pop-up, or click on Add To Album or Shared Album.

October 2019 | | 25
 5 Create a new album
It’s a very, very good idea to sort every upload into an
album unless you’re planning to store a tiny number of photos
online. You’ll be glad you did when you’ve got 40,000 pictures and
you’re trying to find that one of Karen’s wedding. When you click
on Add To Album you’ll see a pop-up that gives access to existing
albums or enables you to create a new one. Let’s make one.
7 Add your location
Many images include location information that will appear
automatically, and you can add that on a per-photo basis if your
camera or camera app doesn’t include it (perhaps because you
haven’t enabled location services on your phone). You can also
add a location to your entire album by clicking the map pin icon.
It’s the second of the four icons at the top right of the window.
9 Improve your images
One of the biggest selling points of Google Photos is its
extensive photo improvement features. When you’ve finished
creating your album, click on the tick at the top left of the screen
and then find an image you’d like to tweak. Tap on the sliders icon
and you’ll be taken to a range of photo filters. The icons at the top
right give you access to colour adjustment, cropping and rotating.
26 | | October 2019
6 Edit your album
First, we’ve given our new album a meaningful title (what,
where and when are always worth including); and second, we’ve
dragged the images around into an order we like better. In the
screenshot above, the thin line between images two and three is
where we’re about to drop the first image. You’ll see that Google
has automatically added the date range below the album’s title.
8 Add a map
We love this feature. You can also specify ‘from’ and ‘to’
locations, so if your photos were taken while travelling from New
York to Los Angeles, John O’Groats to Land’s End or just on the 77
bus across town you can get Google Photos to generate a map
showing where you’ve been. It’s a really nice touch when you’re
creating albums to remember holidays or other interesting trips.
10 Put your photos to work
When you’re happy, you can tap on the ‘more’ icon – the
three vertical dots at the top right – to bring up a quick access
menu. From here you can go into slideshow mode, download the
image to your PC, add it to an album or shared album or use it as
the cover for the album it’s from. You can also remove it from the
album, which won’t delete it, or move it to the bin, which will. Q
 Explore
Photoshop Elements Layer Styles

/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
Style up layers in PS Elements
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ,ʋɚ(ɃʑQȫʑɚVʋ\ɡ
“Pep up text and shapes with these stylish,
and simple to apply, enhancements”

P
hotoshop’s Layer Styles are
methods of manipulating the
pixels in a layer. You can change
the way light appears to fall on them,
bevel any edges, add drop shadows and
both inner and outer glows... the list is a
long one. It’s a very manual process, but is
capable of hugely enriching your images,
and is especially good if applied to text.
Photoshop Elements also contains Layer
Styles, though with more automation.
While the app has a Layer Styles window
just like its bigger brother, it’s stripped
back in comparison. The vast majority of
Styles live on their own side palette, where
they take on a one-shot character rather
than being manually editable.
We’re using version 2019 of the software
here, (get a free trial from http://bit.ly/
PSE19trial) but the steps are applicable to
any version released in the past five years.

Step-by-step Add some style

1 Find the Styles

In Photoshop CC and its forebears, a simple double-click on
a layer is enough to open the Styles palette. In Elements, you
either go to Layer > Layer Style > Style Settings, or click the Styles
button at the bottom right of the app window. These open
different things: the former is the more hands-on, manual
approach, the latter the one-shot filter approach.
2 Style Settings
Styles work on a floating layer. The Background one
generated when you first open an image will not do. One of the
best uses for Layer Styles is to jazz up text, so first create some
using the Type tool. The type layer goes on top of the Background
layer. Select it. Next, head up to Layer > Layer Style > Style
Settings. Make sure there’s a tick in the Preview box too.

3 Drop Shadow
First on the Layer Styles list is Drop Shadow. Put a tick in the
box, and drop down the triangle to get some sliders. Set Size to 1,
Opacity to 100, and gradually increase the Distance slider – you
should see a copy of your type emerge from behind the original.
Increase Size and lower Opacity to get a soft shadow. The Lighting
Angle control changes the shadow’s direction.
4 Glow
Not Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, but a light shining from
the edges of your layer. Put a tick in the Glow box, then decide
whether you want an Inner or Outer glow, or both. The Size and
Opacity sliders work the same way as in Drop Shadow, but you
can choose the colour of your effect by clicking on the coloured
square. Your glows can be different colours.

October 2019 | | 27
 LAYER MENU
Find the Style
Settings option
here, along with
all the menu
commands used
in this tutorial.

5 Bevel
In Photoshop Elements, Bevel stands alone without its
long-time partner Emboss, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still
useful for a subtle 3D look to your lettering. There’s just one slider,
plus boxes to choose between an upward or downward effect.
With text, a smaller Size is often a better look than a larger one,
but experiment with the slider to see what looks good to you.

ƮDŽ1›6%NJ67ƼǏ3
6 Stroke
A stroke is a line, as in the stroke of a brush. You control the 6ʤʉȵHɡʋXWʝPDʤLFɪɸʙɨʦSGDɀɏ
colour, size, position and opacity of it. Size is the line thickness, Lɑ\ʝɤɭKʋQȰɏɈOʋɆʑɠ,ɑ\ʝɤ
measured in points. A little will enhance your text, too much will ɪOɀʑɠVʝȷɏɀʑ[ɢʋʜɨ6ʤʉȵHɡ
swamp it. Position places your line on the inside or outside of the ʋʠɿʙȲHɍʨɵɸɗɭKʋQȰɏʨLʃɓLɢ
layer’s edge, or centred on it. Opacity controls whether the line is
opaque or translucent 0% will make it disappear completely.
Images : Adobe, Yuri Manei on Pexels

7 Style options
There are a couple of extra options from the Layer menu.
Layer Styles > Hide All Effects does just that, bringing them back
on a second click. Copy and Paste let you move effects between
layers, and Clear gets rid of them. Scale effects allows you to
shrink or grow the Layer Styles you’ve set by a percentage, and is
useful if you just want to make the effect bigger.
8 Styles palette
From the bottom right comes the Styles palette, which
completely covers the Layers palette by default – so make sure
you’ve got the right layer selected before you open it. Use the
dropdown menu to Show All – they’re a mixture of outlines and
fills. Every time you click on a Style icon it’s added to your layer.
Keep the History palette handy so you can go back.

28 | | October 2019

STYLES
The complete list of
one-shot Styles. Use
the dropdown menu
to split them into
EXPERT drop shadows,
We’re in Elements’ glows etc.
Expert mode here.
The app is split into
three, and Expert is
the most powerful
but least friendly.
STYLE SETTINGS
The main window
for editing Styles.
Can also be accessed
by clicking the FX
icon on any layer
with a Style applied.
MORE
Find Favourites and
History here, along
with the app’s ready-
made graphics. Click
Layers to get the
Layers palette back.
9 Simplify Styles
There are a lot of Styles in the palette, so it’s good to be able
to narrow them down a bit. The dropdown menu should be your
first choice, as this separates the Styles into Drop Shadows, Inner
Glows, Patterns etc. You can also add a Style to your Favourites,
which is a palette of its own, accessible from the More menu that
also hides History.
Explore
Photoshop Elements Layer Styles
Jargon buster!
Layer
Slices of your image
that can be edited
independently of
one another. They
combine to create
the whole
composition.
Style
Graphical effects
applied to layers,
shapes or text. Can
be edited as many
times as you like.
Palette
Parts of the PSE
interface that contain
information on
creating a particular
effect, rather than a
floating window.
At a glance
STYLES Skill level…
Opens the Styles Anyone can do it
palette. The buttons Straightforward
here at the bottom
right hide many of Tricky in parts
the app’s most
powerful features. Suitable for…
Windows 10
Windows 8.1
Windows 7
10 Edit settings
The cogwheel icon at the top of the Styles palette opens the
Layer Styles window we saw earlier, but this time it shows you the
combination of shadows, glows and bevels that were used to
create the effect you’ve got selected. This doesn’t hold true for
pattern fills, which fill the layer with their pattern, but means you
can edit almost all of the preset styles in the Styles palette. Q
October 2019 | | 29
/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
Take a screenshot
in Windows 10 <ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ0ʋʁɖ:\ʎL϶ʙɵɖ:ɵOVʝɚVʋ\ɡ
“Discover all the tips and tricks you need to
take perfect screenshots in Windows 10 using
both the built in tools and free software”

S
At a glance o, you want to take a picture
of what’s on your screen?
Skill level… There’s no need to grab a
Anyone can do it camera, as you can take a screenshot
Straightforward of your entire screen, or just a portion
of it, using tools that are built into
Tricky in parts Windows 10. In fact, there are
numerous methods you can use in
Suitable for… Windows, and if you turn to a
Windows 10 third-party tool, you’ll find that there
are a range of new options available.
Windows 8.1 Why might you want to take a
Windows 7 screenshot? You might be working
on a project where you need to
make reference to something on
screen, or you might just want to
quickly capture an error message
that flashes up before it disappears,
document a website or grab a still Ƴ$Ǜ.›6 %NJ67 ƼǏ3
from a movie you’re watching. 3ȾHVʣʖQɒ >:ʖɚ@ ʋQɍ >3Uɢ6ɋ@
Whatever you’re looking to achieve, ȷHʋQɡ \ʝʦɠ VʎȾȭʑQʂKRɢ Lɡ
there are various ways to take
screenshots, each suitable for VʋɃHɍ ʖɚ ʃȱɏ 6ʎȾȭʑQʂKRWɡ
different circumstances and ʣʅEIɼOȫʑɠ Rɑ 3LFʤʦȾHɡ
different needs.

Step-by-step The best ways to take screenshots in Windows

Images : Microsoft

1 Print Screen
By far the simplest way to take screenshots is to just hit the
[Print Screen] key on your keyboard – although you may find that
it is labelled Prt Sc, Prt Scr or something similar. Don’t be surprised
when you press the key and nothing happens. All that pressing
Print Screen does is to copy an image of what is currently on your
screen to the clipboard.
2 Importing screenshots
To make use of screenshots captured via [Print Screen],
you’ll need to import them into an image editor. This can be
anything from Pain, included with Windows 10, all the way up to
Adobe Photoshop – the process is the same. Having pressed Print
Screen, fire up your favourite image editor, open a new file and
either press [Ctrl] + [V] or select Paste from the Edit menu.

30 | | October 2019

3 Capturing individual windows
When you press [Print Screen], it captures the entire
desktop. You might well only want the contents of a particular
window. Of course there is nothing to stop you from using your
image editor to crop in on a window, but a quicker and easier
alternative is to simply use [Alt] + [Print Screen]. This will capture
the active window and copy it to the clipboard for you.
5 Basic snip ‘n’ sketching
To take a screenshot, you can either click the New button
within Snip & Sketch, or press [Win] + [Shift] + [S]. Your screen will
dim, and you can click and drag to draw a rectangle around the
area of your screen you’d like to capture. You can also use a small
toolbar at the top of the screen to grab different types of
screenshot, such as an individual window or the entire screen.
7 Working with screenshots
If you take a screenshot from with Snip & Sketch, it will be
loaded into the app straight away – but if you use the keyboard
shortcut, you will need to click a popup notification to load it
ready to work with. You can then use the pen, highlighter and
cropping tools in Snip & Sketch to tweak the image as required,
before clicking the save button to the upper right.
Explore
Screenshots in Windows 10
4 Screen capture with Snip & Sketch
While [Print Screen] is an easy way to grab a screenshot,
Windows 10 includes a dedicated screen grabbing utility called
Snip & Sketch that gives you further options – this used to be
known as the Snipping Tool, and you’ll need to ensure you are
updated to the latest version of Windows 10 to gain access to it.
You will find Snip & Sketch in the Start menu.
6 Delayed capturing
Using the method described previously lets you take a
screenshot immediately, but there may be times when you need a
short delay to arrange windows or wait for a menu to appear.
Within Snip & Sketch, click the small arrow to the right of the New
button. You can delay screen capture by three or 10 seconds, and
choose your type of screenshot as before.
8 Advanced capturing with Greenshot
[Print Screen] or Snip & Sketch are usually enough for most
circumstances, but to take things to the next level you can try the
free tool Greenshot (https://getgreenshot.org). This screenshot
tool not only takes over [Print Screen] for grabbing a region of the
screen, but also includes other shortcuts. Pleasingly, Greenshot
also captures the mouse cursor in screenshots! Q
October 2019 | | 31
/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
Restore
Windows 10 <ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ0ʋʁɖ:\ʎL϶ʙɵɖ:ɵOVʝɚVʋ\ɡ
START-UP REPAIR
A quick, automated
way to have
Windows seek out
and repair problems
“When something goes wrong that may interfere
with your PC.
with Windows, there are many
recovery and repair options.”
At a glance
I
f you’re lucky, you will have a START-UP SETTINGS
trouble-free experience with Here you can access
Skill level… Windows 10 but, realistically, Safe Mode, as well
Anyone can do it it is quite likely that something will go as other boot modes
Straightforward wrong at some point. You may be such as a low-
experiencing a lot of crashes or error resolution version
Tricky in parts messages, or you might even find of Windows.
that Windows will not boot. If you
Suitable for… can’t even start your computer, how
Windows 10 are you supposed to fix things?
Thankfully, there are a number
Windows 8.1 of methods of recovery built into
Windows 7 Windows 10 that should help you
to get back up and running with a
minimum of fuss.
While it is natural to panic a little
COMMAND
when Windows goes awry, the PROMPT
various recovery tools and options The Command
that exist should mean that you’ll be Prompt is a text-
able to fix the problem without based mode which
putting your valuable data at risk. can be used to issue
Even if you have to reinstall Windows special commands.
because of a more serious problem, it
should still be possible to safeguard
your files.

Step-by-step Repairing your broken Windows

1 Advanced Startup Options

The first step to fixing Windows is to access Advanced
Startup Options. In Windows, you can open Settings, go to the
Update & Security section and click Recovery followed by the
‘Restart now’ button under ‘Advanced startup’. If Windows is not
starting up, you can press F11 during the boot process. Select
Troubleshoot followed by Advanced options from the blue menu.
2 Start-up Repair
You will be presented with six options, the first of which is
Start-up Repair. Use the arrow keys to select this and press Enter.
When your computer restarts, select your user account from the
menu, enter your password and click Continue. Windows will then
try to find and fix any startup problems. If no problems are found,
click ‘Advanced options’ to return to the main menu.

32 | | October 2019
 Explore
Windows 10 recovery

Jargon buster!
System restore
A feature of
Windows that keeps
a backup of the state
of your computer
and important
system files, and
UNINSTALL lets you can roll
UPDATES back to a previous
If a recent update time if something
has caused the goes wrong.
problem, you can Safe mode
uninstall it to get A very basic,
things working. stripped-back mode
of Windows that
starts your computer
SYSTEM RESTORE with only the
absolute basics
Roll back to a running. This gives
previous System you the option of
Restore point. changing settings
Windows 10 creates and removing
them itself, or you software that might
can make your own. be causing problems.

Startup repair
A special
troubleshooting
mode of Windows
10 that will attempt
to automatically
fix startup
problems with your
computer without
you having to
SYSTEM IMAGE change any settings.
RECOVERY
Recovering to a
system image
lets you roll back Ƴ$Ǜ.›6%NJ67ƼǏ3
Windows to an
+ɼOʏʖQɒ>6ʕLIɢ@ʇʕɵȵɏ
earlier time.
ɭʙLɭʘʖQɒ5HVWʋUɢʖɚʃȱɏ6WʋUɢ
ʨɵɸɗDFȪHVɡʃȱɏ$ʏYʋQȪHɍ
6WʋUʤʦɞ2SʤLʝQɡWRɛ

3 Start-up Settings
Even if Start-up Repair doesn’t find any problems, you can
still use Start-up Settings to enter Safe Mode. After selecting the
option, click the Restart button and you’ll see another menu. If
your graphics card might be the problem, press 3 to enter a
low-resolution mode that to tweak settings. Options 4 or 5 will
boot you into Safe Mode either without or with network access.
4 Using Safe Mode
Safe Mode only loads the essential components of Windows
10. You should be able to start your PC in it, as anything that could
cause a problem should be bypassed. Things may look a little ugly
as only basic graphics are used, but it gives you the opportunity
to head to Settings and uninstall any problematic software, or
Device Manager to roll back to an older version of a device driver.

October 2019 | | 33
 5 Uninstall updates
Updates for Windows are supposed to either fix problems or
introduce new features – but things can go wrong. If you have
installed an update only to to find it causes issues, select Uninstall
Updates from the Advanced Options menu. You can choose to
uninstall the most recent ‘quality update’, or go for the latest
‘feature update’ (the big updates that come once or twice a year).
7 System Restore when Windows won’t boot
If you are not able to boot into Windows, , all is not lost. You
can access System Restore from the Advanced Options boot
menu. Having selected System Restore, select your user account
when your computer restarts, enter your password and click
Continue. You can then use System Restore in the same way
described in the previous step.
9 System Image Recovery
The final option on the Advanced Options menu is System
Image Recovery. This enables you to restore Windows 10 from a
backup. This could be one you have created yourself, or it could
be an image that was included with your PC by the manufacturer.
You simply need to select the image you want to work with, and
you will be guided through the rest of the process.
34 | | October 2019
6 System Restore from within Windows
System Restore automatically backs up the registry and key
system files in case anything goes wrong. You can also set your
own. Find System Restore by clicking the Start button and
searching for it. If there are restore points available, select the
one you’d like to use and click Next again. Click Finish and the
restoration process will continue.
8 Resetting Windows 10
Another way you can effectively rid your PC of problems is
by performing a reset. If you have loaded the Advanced Options
menu, click the back button then choose ‘Reset this PC’. This will
reinstall Windows 10 for you, but first you are given the choice of
keeping your personal files, or wiping them out. Click one of these
options followed by Reset and then sit back and wait.
10 Reinstall Windows 10
Sometimes you may have no choice but to reinstall
Windows from scratch. If you have a Windows 10 installation disc,
you can boot your PC from it and run through the reinstallation,
but if not you will have to use the Microsoft Media Creation tool
(www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10) on
another PC to download Windows 10 and burn it to a DVD. Q
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/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
How to manage your
apps in Windows 10
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ0ʋʁɖ:\ʎL϶ʙɵɖ:ɵOVʝɚVʋ\ɡ
´'LVFRYHU KRZ WR ÀQG LQVWDOO XSGDWH DQG PDQDJH
DSSV LQ :LQGRZV  VR \RX FDQ PDNH WKH PRVW RI
\RXU FRPSXWHU DQG HYHU\WKLQJ LW KDV WR RIIHUµ

A
At a glance pps – short for applications
– are at the heart of your
6NLOOOHYHO« computer usage. Although
Anyone can do it the word used to be most readily
Straightforward associated with mobile phones, these
days it also refers to software on a PC.
Tricky in parts Without them, you would be left with
just Windows itself, and you’d not get
6XLWDEOHIRU« very much done with the limited
Windows 10 number of apps it includes.
Apps come in a huge range of
Windows 8.1 different types, and the chances are
Windows 7 you will use quite a few in the course
of your daily computing. Whatever
the types of app you use, and no
matter how many you use, you need
to know how to manage them. This
means finding and installing the,
creating shortcuts in helpful places to Ƴ$Ǜ.›6%NJ67ƼǏ3
make them easy to launch, getting 8SGDɀɏʋʠSɡʍɨɭʙLɭʘʖQɒʃȱɏ
rid of those you no longer need, and ʍXɀWʝɚDɢʃȱɏWʝɞʢLɳKɢRɑʃȱɏ
more. And this is precisely what we’re ǔ66WʝȾɏ ʃȱʑɚ'ʝʨɻORDGɡ
going to take a look at here in this ʋQɍʦSGDɀHɡ!*HɢʦSGDɀHɡ
essential guide to app management
in Windows 10.

Step-by-step (YHU\WKLQJ\RXQHHGWRNQRZDERXWDSSPDQDJHPHQW

1 Finding apps to download

When you want to find apps, you need to head to the
Microsoft Store. You’ll find shortcuts to the Store in your taskbar
and in the Start menu – its icon is a shopping bag with the
Microsoft logo. Click the Apps link, and you can browse through
the categories and look through lists of the most popular apps.
There’s a search option to the upper right of the window too.
2 Installing apps from the Microsoft Store
Click the name of an app you like the sound of so you can
visit its page and read more about it. To install a free app, click the
Get button followed by Install and it will be downloaded and
installed. When it comes to paid apps, there are usually free trials
you can install in the same way, but if you want to buy something
outright, just click the Buy button and follow the instructions.

36 | | October 2019

3 Managing apps in the Start menu
When you install an app, a shortcut is automatically added
to the Start menu. You can click the Start button and just browse
through for the shortcut – they are arranged alphabetically for
ease – but you’ll also find that immediately after installation, app
shortcuts appear at the very top of the Start menu in the
“Recently added” section to save you having to hunt around.
5 Pinning shortcuts to the Start menu
There are likely to be some apps you use more frequently
than others, and it makes sense to make them easier to access.
The first way of doing this is to pin a shortcut to the right-hand
side of the Start menu so it is instantly accessible. Just right click
the Start menu shortcut for an app and select the Pin to Start
option. This option is also listed when you search for an app.
7 App switching and split-screen mode
You can switch between running apps by either clicking
their buttons in the taskbar, or by using the [Alt] + [Tab] keyboard
shortcut. To view two apps side by side, drag the first to the very
edge of the screen using its title bar and it will ‘snap’ into place.
On the other side, you’ll see a list of other running apps and you
can select one to occupy the second half of your display.
Explore
Manage your apps
4 Searching and launching apps
When you have a large number of apps installed, it can be a
bit of a pain having to navigate through the Start menu. This is
where the search option comes in handy. Either click the Start
button or press the Windows key on your keyboard, and start
typing the name of the app you’re looking for. You type, apps that
match will start to be listed.
6 Taskbar shortcuts
Pinning shortcuts to the top of the Start menu is useful, but
it still requires you to click the Start button. You can make apps
even easier to access by adding shortcuts to the taskbar. Right
click on a shortcut in the Start menu and select More followed by
Pin to taskbar. This option is also visible in the right-hand side of
the Start menu when you search for an app.
8 Uninstalling apps
There will inevitably come a time when you decide you no
longer need a particular app . You can uninstall any app you don’t
want any more by right clicking its shortcut in the Start menu and
select the Uninstall option. You can also visit the Apps section of
Settings in Windows 10 where you’ll find a list of everything you
have installed, making it easier to uninstall multiple apps. Q
October 2019 | | 37
/HʋʢɚKʝɦWɛ
What to do if
Windows Update fails
<ʝʦɠʔʦLȫɏ&ʋUʢȲɏ0ʋUʂKɪɸɗVʋ\ɡ
“Windows Update helps keep your system safe,
but sometimes it doesn’t quite do what we’d like it
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W
At a glance indows Update is a very
useful thing. While you get
Skill level… on with the important
Anyone can do it business of doing things on your PC,
Straightforward it keeps an eye out for security and
software updates you need to stay
Tricky in parts safe and secure. Those updates are
downloaded in the background, or
Suitable for… at least they’re supposed to be. But
Windows 10 what happens if Windows Update
stops working?
Windows 8.1 Windows Update lives in System
Windows 7 and Security. It’ll tell you when it last
checked for updates, what it’s going
to install next and what it’s currently
installing, as well as if any updates
failed. If it’s constantly stuck at
“checking for updates” or something
seems to have been stuck for a long
time, it’s time to go looking for a
solution. If there’s an error code, ȉ$5ƺ,(›6%NJ67ƼǏ3
search for it on support.microsoft. &ȱHɭɖʃȱɏEDʣLFɡʓʖUVɢ,ɡ\ʝʦɠ
com for the solution; if there isn’t, KʋUɍʏLʂɖVɛʓʅɸɗ:ʖQGʝZɡ
these steps can help find and fix 8SGDɀɏFʋɚ›ɢZʝʁɖ",ɡ\ʝʦɠ
the problem. ʖQɀʑʢȸHɢFʝʜȸHFʤLʝɚVʤɵɸɗǖ."

Step-by-step Get Windows Update working

1 Restart then troubleshoot

The first thing to try when Windows Update doesn’t work is
our old friend, the restart. If that doesn’t work, the next step is to
run the Windows Update troubleshooter. On Windows 10, you can
find that by typing “troubleshoot” into the search box, and the
first result will take you to this screen. Scroll down until you see
Windows Update and select it.
2 Download the troubleshooter
The troubleshooter is included in Windows 10, but if you
have Windows 7 or 8 you’ll need to download it directly. If you use
the Edge browser, searching for ‘Windows Update Troubleshooter’
will provide direct download links as shown here with the Help
From Microsoft logo. On other browsers, use a search engine and
make sure you’re looking at results from microsoft.com.

38 | | October 2019

3 Install the troubleshooter
When you click on the link, the browser should display a
download pop-up like the one shown here. It tells us the filename,
in this case wu10.diagcab for the Windows 10 troubleshooter, and
the file’s location: download.microsoft.com. If the file isn’t from
microsoft.com it may not be safe to install. If in doubt, go directly
to microsoft.com and search for the troubleshooter.
5 Try it as the administrator
If you aren’t logged in as the administrator of the PC you’re
using, for example because you’ve got multiple accounts on the
same computer, you may see this message when you try to run
the troubleshooter. It needs administrator privileges in order to
fully check out your system. Click ‘Try Troubleshooting As An
Administrator’ so that the scan can continue.
7 Pause Windows Update for a bit
We’ve had success with pausing Windows Update,
restarting our PC, and turning updates on again. To do that you’ll
need to go into Windows Update in the System and Security
window – typing “Windows Update” in the search box is the
fastest way – and scroll down until you see the Pause Updates
link. Pause, restart, and then un-pause Windows Update.
Explore
Windows Update fixes
4 Go looking for trouble
When you run the troubleshooter you’ll see three options:
Windows Update itself, services that enable Windows’ background
downloads, and networking diagnostics. To run any test, it’s just a
matter of clicking on the appropriate one and then on the Next
button. As you’d expect, in this case we’re going to click on the
Windows Update option first to see if it can fix our problem.
6 Reboot your PC when you’re asked to
Windows installs a lot of updates when you aren’t using
your computer, but some of those updates require your system to
be restarted once they’ve been installed. The Windows Update
troubleshooter will notice if there are any updates waiting for a
reboot; if there are, you’ll need to restart your system. Try
Windows Update again when your PC has restarted.
8 Update the servicing stack
The servicing stack is the bit of Windows that installs
updates, and you can ensure you’ve got the right version by
downloading it directly from support.microsoft.com (search for
“Fix Windows Update errors”). For Windows 10 there are multiple
updates, so you’ll need to know the specific version you have
from Start > Settings > System > About. Q
October 2019 | | 39
Encode video faster and
at higher quality
YOU’LL NEED THIS
HANDBRAKE
Download the open-source video
transcoder from
http://handbrake.fr.
According to its website, “Handbrake is a tool for converting video from nearly any format to a selection
of modern, widely supported codecs.” Although it’s certainly worth exploring, we should state that
Handbrake is not easy to understand if you’re a novice – the program is clearly designed with the power
user in mind. Nevertheless, with some tutorial scenarios, we can hopefully break it down into
something more easily digestible, and make the interface less intimidating.
Handbrake’s interface is slightly unconventional and can be confusing at first, but stick with it, as
some parts function beautifully and really make Handbrake stand out from the pack. We don’t have
space to cover the entire program, but hopefully we can take you through enough of the interface for
you to be able to start encoding your own videos comfortably and confidently.

A it. From here, we won’t change any other

Into the GUI
To break things down into something
more easily digestible, we’ll run through
some simple scenarios to get a feel for the
Handbrake GUI. We’ll start with single-file
scenarios of low complexity, then move
on to multiple files in a queue, after which
we’ll add more advanced options to
achieve some genuinely high-quality rips.
Let’s start by turning something big into
something little.
H.265 is set to become the new
standard in online video, as it produces
drastically reduced file sizes compared
with its H.264 predecessor. Therefore, it
seems fitting to shrink an H.264 video
down into a much smaller H.265 video.
So please get a big H.264 file ready (these
are usually .mkv (Matroska) files), and we’ll
make it mini. Good sources include
www.4kmedia.org, and NASA.
If your computer is sufficiently beefy
to handle H.265, please follow along,
otherwise try substituting these codecs
with your own example of an older source
being compressed with a newer codec.
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menu, choose the H.265 codec. If H.265
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output options.
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The GUI, codecs, and file formatting
may take some explaining. Start by
clicking the big Source button at the
top-left, and pick your large H.264 source
file. Next, choose the destination for the
encoded video. By default, Handbrake
outputs any files into the Videos folder of
your home directory. If you would prefer
another output folder, you can change
that by accessing the drop-down box
under the Destination heading.
You now have to choose your format,
which is also under the Destination
heading. There’s a choice of MPEG-4 or
Matroska: If your video is for something
like social media, choose MPEG-4, but
if your video is a full-length movie,
choose Matroska. Different software and
different audiences expect one format
or the other, so choose the one that’s
most suitable for the task.
To choose the video codec, click the
Video tab below. From the Video Encoder
as 1080p?
isn’t available in this menu, the codec may
back to the Video tab, and changed Video
case, you need to find it online, and install
options – we’ll just leave the defaults
alone and examine the output. To get the
ripping started, just click that big green
Start button. Your estimated time appears
below – brace yourself, as this may take a
while. After the rip is completed, check
out the resulting file that’s been saved
into the destination folder.
Using the default settings, we shrunk
a 16.6GB H.264 video into a 2.3GB
H.265 video with excellent image
quality. But before you get too excited,
there was still some inevitable picture
degradation, and the audio is down-
mixed from DTS surround into stereo.
Those are still pleasing results for
casual viewing, but we’ll re-explore
these issues later.
We’ve shrunk something down for a
better file size, but what about reversing
the process? That might sound crazy, but
H.265 is very processor-intensive and may
be simply too much for older machines to
play properly. Though relatively beefy for
its time, our test machine is a few years
old now, and when we tried to play an
LG 4K tech demo in H.265, it almost
brought the machine to a halt.
By using an older codec like H.264 you
can guarantee more compatibility with
older machines and any number of
set-top boxes, phones and tablets. So,
what if we converted the 4K video into
H.264 – would it play?
Following the same steps as before,
we chose some 4K footage from NASA as
our source, and Matroska as the format,
but this time under the Video tab we used
H.264 – the system default. And how did
it run? Perfectly [Image A].
H.265 may not have worked properly in
4K, but 4K is already a big ask of any
system more than a couple of years old.
It’s just a lot of pixels to push around
many times a second. What about H.265
in a resolution that’s more realistic, such
With the 4K demo loaded, we went
Encoder to H.265, but to change

40 | | October 2019

resolution, you must open the
Dimensions tab. The controls under Size
adjust width and height.
When you hear someone speak about
1080p, 720p, or 480p, they’re referring to
the height. So, to scale up or down, just
adjust the height control, and the width
adjusts with it. For reference’s sake, in 16:9
format, 1080p is 1920x1080, 720p is
1280x720, and 480p is 854x480.
How did the machine perform in 1080p
instead of 4K? It was great [Image B].

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Which begs the question: Do consumers
really need 4K? Or is it a marketing
wheeze rustled up by TV manufacturers?
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Now, this is where Handbrake really
comes into its own. The Queue feature
enables you to complete a list of jobs
instead of just one, which is perfect for
running a bunch of encoding jobs
while you’re away from the computer
– especially overnight.
Once you get used to which button
does what, the process for multiple files
is pretty easy:
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jobs; click the Edit button (the icon
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any changes.
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If you find that all your settings have
disappeared, and you want to make
changes, the GUI is still in Queue mode
– just hit the button again. We particularly
like that each queued video has its own
Explore
Faster and better video encoding
CODECS IN A NUTSHELL
Video codecs are the formats that compress raw video into something smaller and
easier to handle. Although many kinds have existed, it all really started with MPEG
(Moving Picture Experts Group) back in 1988. Advances in processing power meant
video compression algorithms became more sophisticated, so you could squeeze
more video quality into a smaller file size. DVD’s MPEG-2 was a big step up over
MPEG-1, and video file sharing really kicked off in the early 2000s when DiVX/
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hardware MPEG-4 decoding was built into basic consumer devices, such as DVD
players and even car stereos. Likewise, it took some time for the hardware to catch
up with the H.264 codec that’s mainly in use these days, but even something as
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into a fruity smelling sweat.
The next big thing is H.265, which needs anything from 3 to 10 times the
processing power as H.264, but with the benefit of outputting at approximately
half the file size. Once mainstream consumer hardware catches up with this new
standard, H.265 promises to deliver genuine high-definition video streaming over
even modest Internet connections.
settings, and changes made to one video The first place to try is bitrate. Open the
don’t apply to another. Video tab, and you’ll see a slider, a
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when you hit the big red Stop button: Quality option uses the slider: the further
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$POUJOVF &ODPEJOH *U NJHIU CF B TNBMM right it is, the smaller the file, but the
lower the quality. That’s the easy way to
save you hours of lost work. do it. If you prefer more control, use the
Bitrate (kbps) option. The default is set to
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This is what sorts the new users from the squeezing it down to 1,000kb/s. With a
veterans – where you really get down to combination of the lower bitrate, a
the nitty-gritty of video encoding. While lowered resolution of 720p, and stereo
our previous rips have all been sound, we managed a file that had shrunk
substantially smaller than their source, from 16.6GB to just over 1GB.
they’re all still relatively large, being at Obviously, it was nowhere near the
least several gigabytes each. What if you quality of the original, and image
want to make the rips smaller still? degradation from the compression was
October 2019 | | 41

starting to show, but for a casual viewer,
the quality would have been acceptable.
Things needn’t stop there, though. As the
bitrate comes down, the ugly visual
artefacts really start to show up, but
Handbrake has a few tricks up its sleeve.

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While we’re still in the Video tab, if

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you use the manual Bitrate (kbps) option,
you can enable 2-Pass Encoding. This
rips the video twice, but uses the data
from the first rip to refine the picture
accuracy in the second rip. This takes
twice as long, though.
To refine the image, open the Picture
tab. At the bottom is the Filters section.
Starting with Deblock, this cleans up that
effect where lower-quality images
become blocky. Denoise takes away noisy
elements, such as film grain, that make
ripping more difficult, and can reduce file
size. Detelicine removes a combing effect
resulting from the process of converting

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film to video.
Lastly, we have Decomb and
Deinterlace. If you’ve ever seen something
shot on video that looks all liney, this is
interlacing. Deinterlacing fixes that, but
it’s such a common problem that there
are multiple methods for deinterlacing.
This means you’ll have to experiment with
each setting. While Deinterlace bluntly
applies the effect to the whole video,
Decomb attempts to detect any
interlacing first, and avoid needless
image degradation.
There is one big drawback to enabling
all of these options: while a basic rip may
be done in real time or less, a hardcore rip
takes longer. A lot longer. Test-ripping a

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Handbrake, audio configuration is where
42 | | October 2019
two-hour film with all the best features
enabled, it took something like 16 hours
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hours is one thing, and even ripping
overnight isn’t too bad, but 16 hours?
That adds a new level of impracticality,
and you’ll need to work out how
committed you are to a quality rip.
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Although it’s unintuitive at first, the
picture controls are excellent, particularly
when combined with the Preview window
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cropping or re-proportioned to the
correct aspect ratio, great. But if you have
one of those irritating files that needs
fixing in both areas, that’s even better.
Start by opening the Picture tab, and
we’ll go from there.
Other than removing those black
borders, cropping is handy because a lot
of file size can be wasted rendering black
space. If you’re going to do any cropping,
start with that first, because annoyingly
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enabled by default, which in most cases
detects and removes black borders
automatically. Interestingly, it crops out
border space from any video file, not just
those with differences in aspect ratio.
Nevertheless, always check the Preview
window to see that it’s worked properly.
Some files are so badly ripped that only a
human eye can figure them out.
Thankfully, you can adjust the crop
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button is particularly useful. Flick
through the preview slider to make
sure everything looks right through
the rest of the file before continuing.
You can also crop manually if you
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the Preview window. As you adjust the
cropping dimensions, the Preview
window updates in real time.
Moving on to resizing and aspect ratio,
the GUI is obscure here, and takes some
working out. If you look under Storage
Geometry, you’ll find it all lies with the
Anamorphic drop-down: Leave it in Loose
if you want to resize the video, but
maintain the aspect ratio; or put it in
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With Loose, you can adjust the width
and height, but both are locked within
the same numeric proportions. With
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the height, and the Preview window
grows or shrinks along with it.
If you want to know what aspect ratio
the video is now in, uncheck Keep Aspect
in the neighbouring Display Geometry
field, and the Display Aspect readout
reveals the aspect ratio. Keep resizing
until it says whichever ratio you want. The
geometry controls are powerful, but can
be a nightmare to use.
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We’ve primarily focused on video here,
but sound is half the equation, and can
significantly impact the file size. Although
you can do some great stuff in

the GUI lets itself down. For stereo output,
things are generally fine. In either the
Audio Defaults or the Audio List tab,
you’re bound to find settings that work in
your codec of choice, though the
Audio List tab is certainly easier to
comprehend [Image D].
However, if you want to keep the audio
in surround, that takes some more work.
We’ll cover DTS, DTS-HD, and Dolby

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Surround here. Given that DTS/DTS-HD is
the primary choice for surround sound on
Blu-ray, we’ll cover that first. Dolby
Surround rules the roost on DVD,
however, so we’ll do that after.
Starting with DTS and its HD cousin, we
found that it’s best to avoid the Audio
Defaults tab entirely, and just open the
Audio List tab instead. In the list below,
you’ll probably have a default output
listing, displaying something like English
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essentially the same controls as in
the Audio Defaults tab, but stripped
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Source Track list. Under the Encoder
heading, choose DTS-Passthru (or DTS-HD
Passthru if your file has that), at which
point the other options are greyed out.
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convert from DTS to Passthrough. There
are other ways of getting it to work, but
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we found this was the easiest, and it
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Explore
Faster and better video encoding
BUT WAIT, THERE’S
MORE COOL STUFF!
HandBrake doesn’t just rip from single video files; it also supports DVDs. You can
find an inserted disc if you look around in the Source window, or choose your disc
drive under the File menu. Of course, we respect copyright here, and assume you
have legal rights over anything you rip in your locality.
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own chapters to give your file that extra professional touch.
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is perfect for adding some moodiness to your movies or helping young film
students be pretentious.
To quote the website’s feature list: “Get started with Handbrake in seconds by
choosing a profile optimised for your device, or choose a universal profile for
standard or high-quality conversions. Simple, easy, fast. For those that want more
choice, tweak many basic and advanced options to improve your encodes.”
We didn’t know that encode was a noun, but there you go. Apparently,
Handbrake has presets for all kinds of devices, such as iPhones, Android tablets,
the PlayStation 3 (could do with an update there), and even Apple TV.
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detected as Dolby Surround on our ZPVMM QSPCBCMZ KVTU HFU TUFSFP 3FTJTU UIF
amplifier and worked. Ironically, when we urge to kick a piece of furniture.
choose Dolby Surround from the Mix list, While using passthrough for the
it only came out as stereo. audio is easier and results in the best
With that, let’s move on to keeping a quality, be aware that it substantially
Dolby Surround source. If your source increases your final file size. Our
audio is surround, in the list below you’ll example rip earlier was only 2.3GB in
probably have a default output listing stereo, but with surround sound it
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Logic II)(48kHz)’. If you’re serious about keeping
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choose your Source Track. This time from small file size, we recommend that you
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at which point the other options are you find a solution that works for you.
greyed out.
This is the best and easiest way if you WHLJKLQJ WKLQJV XS
want the surround sound to stay intact. Ultimately, ripping is all about balance
However, if you want to change options and compromise: size versus quality,
such as the bitrate or gain, you can keep compression versus compatibility,
UIF %PMCZ 4VSSPVOE CZ DIPPTJOH "$ meticulousness versus practicality.
What can it run on? Is it beautifully
D compressed, but only runs on new
hardware, or are you willing to sacrifice
some sophistication so anyone can play
it? It’s about deciding what you can live
without, because there’s always a
trade-off somewhere.
Furthermore, there are practical
considerations to take into account.
Will people be counting on you to
churn out new videos quickly and
regularly, or can you take your time
and produce something of high quality
with a small file size? And if you’re
planning on ripping videos regularly,
should you invest in another computer
that’s dedicated to the task?
These factors will all determine what
kind of ripper you are, and Handbrake
tends to cater to the more dedicated user.
Although some of its GUI controls are
infuriating, others are genuinely brilliant,
and provide functionality that makes the
program indispensable to any serious
video encoder.
October 2019 | | 43
 LONG-TERM

MEMORY
Desktop PC RAM is becoming more affordable.
Christian Guyton examines what that could mean for you

AM is a core component of any computer.
R
With DDR4 now well and truly entrenched in
the memory market and DDR5 on the
horizon, manufacturers are looking out in
different directions: massive 64GB and
128GB sets running across eight channels,
and faster speeds than ever seen before. Frequencies only
continue to rise, with companies such as HyperX and Corsair
pushing commercially available sticks at well over 4,000MHz.
But it ain’t cheap. RAM price-per-GB skyrocketed between
2016 and 2018, although recent trends have shown that
DDR4 kits have slowly lowered in price from the latter half of
2018. RAM offering 3,000MHz and above remains expensive,
with a seemingly endless list of brands and product lines to
Technolog
What’s the best RAM
choose from. It’s daunting. The vast majority of modern
memory comes packaged with integrated heatsinks, with
many sporting multicoloured/('VWRERRW6RPHEHHÀHU
packs even come with their own coolers, mounting
awkwardly above the DIMM sockets. With an open mind
and an even more open wallet, it’s easy to spend a silly
amount of money.
Choosing RAM in this day and age can be a laborious
process, but fear not – as always, we’ve got your back.
Over the next few pages, we’re going to break down the
technology and nuances behind random-access memory,
and discuss which kits are best for which builds. A discerning
eye is important when buying RAM. What you pay for is not
always what you get.
Size matters
When looking at memory kits, there are three key
elements to consider: capacity, speed and latency. We’re
going to take a look at capacity first, as it tends to be the
biggest deciding factor when choosing your RAM. Industry
regulation from standardisation body JEDEC (more on that
later) means that memory only comes in certain multiples:
2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and so on, doubling each time.
For consumer use, the standard maximum capacity of
DDR4 chips is 1GB, due to limitations in transistor size,
although a theoretical 2GB per chip is possible, so the
largest commonly available capacity per DIMM slot is
32GB. 64GB sticks are available, but not for general
consumer use – they’re more likely to be found in server
farms. Depending on motherboard support, the current
maximum available for desktop systems is 128GB.
Of course, 128GB is far more than the average PC will
ever need today. RAM should be chosen based on the
requirements of the system, as it can be one of the more
expensive components of a fresh build, and it’s easy to
overspend on capacity that isn’t required. With that in
mind, here’s our guide to how much RAM your system
should need.

4GB 8GB 16GB

Consider this a bare minimum. If you’re
building on a seriously tight budget, or
MXVWORRNLQJIRUDEDVLF3&IRURIÀFH
work (think word processing, not giant
spreadsheets), 4GB of basic DDR4 will
do. As memory frequency has less of an
impact on Intel processors than AMD
ones, we recommend opting for slower
RAM, such as DDR4-2133, paired with a
cheap Intel Core CPU. This memory
won’t cost much – a 4GB stick of RAM
shouldn’t run you much more than £20
right now. Dual-module kits are also an
option, using two 2GB sticks to improve
performance, but these can cost more,
and the difference is likely to be minimal.
Rigs such as this also make for affordable
home theatre PCs or cryptocurrency
mining units, although some cryptos can
be CPU-intensive, so a slightly better
processor is a good idea.
If you’re looking for a standard PC, 8GB
of RAM is the way to go. Capable of
KDQGOLQJDQ\RIÀFHZRUNDQGORZHQG
gaming, 8GB of dual-channel memory
will serve any basic build well. It’s worth
bearing in mind that if your GPU doesn’t
have much VRAM, some games attempt
WRFDFKHODUJHWH[WXUHÀOHVWRWKHV\VWHP
RAM. If you’re running an older graphics
card with less than 4GB of video
memory, 16GB of memory could be a
better call. This only applies to more
graphically demanding games, though; if
your poison is lightweight indie gaming,
8GB is plenty. Older triple-A titles ought
WREHÀQHWRRLI\RX·YHJRWDQ
appropriate GPU to back you up. Make
sure you go for dual-channel; a single
stick of 8GB DDR4 will work, but the
performance difference will be more
noticeable in games.
For mid-range gaming supported by a
decent GPU, 16GB of DDR4 is a necessity.
Games are becoming increasingly
demanding when it comes to RAM; if
you’re looking to play at anything higher
than 1080p, 16GB may not always be
enough. The uptick in multiplatform
games being ported to PC has resulted in
a lot of poorly optimised triple-A titles
hitting our screens, too, which have a
tendency to gobble up RAM. 16GB should
be able to cope with other tasks, though;
image manipulation and intermediate
video-editing work shouldn’t be an issue.
You’ll likely have two options: 4x 4GB or
2x 8GB. Doing your research is
worthwhile; one kit might appear better
value for its performance, but if your CPU
and mobo are only going to support
dual-channel memory, you won’t be able
WRUHDSWKHEHQHÀWVRIDTXDGFKDQQHONLW

46 | | October 2019

32GB
SRPH5$0NLWVKDYHJRWVLJQLÀFDQWO\
cheaper over the past year. In early 2018,
32GB of DDR4 could set you back £500
or more, but prices have dropped by
around half since then. At the moment,
a kit of four 8GB sticks should only set
you back £150-£200, even at higher
© THOMAS NGUYEN HTTPS://COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG/WIKI/
speeds, such as 3,600MT/s. With this new
affordability in mind, 32GB (or more)
becomes a more distinct option. If
you’re looking to edit 4K video, use 3D
rendering programs, or play high-end
games at maximum graphical settings,
you’ll want at least this much memory to
play with. For gaming purposes, 32GB
will be overkill for most modern games,
but also serves to future-proof your
system. Again, if you’re rocking four 8GB
modules, as opposed to two 16GB ones,
make sure that you’ve got support for
quad-channel memory.
64GB+
It wasn’t that long ago that the notion of
putting 64GB in a desktop PC was faintly
ridiculous, in terms of both cost and
necessity. Today, though, 64GB of
high-speed RAM (over 3,000MT/s) can
cost as little as £350, making it feasible
in a high-end system for gaming or
editing tasks. While 32GB modules are
available, we recommend a quad-
channel kit of four 16GB sticks; dual-
channel runs the risk of RAM
bottlenecks. 64GB will give any system
serious oomph, and if you have money
to burn, 128GB is an option too. It’s hard
to see where this would be required –
advanced high-res videography, perhaps
– but the option exists. DDR5 promises
to up that maximum to 256GB, which
will likely only serve a niche role for
heavy data analysis tasks and video
processing in 8K and beyond.
October 2019 |
Technolog
What’s the best RAM
Stepping back
through time
The concept of random-access memory
has been around since the 1940s,
although it didn’t exist in its current form
until 1968. When we talk about RAM
here, we mean DRAM – dynamic RAM
– the kind of memory you’re probably
familiar with: sticks that plug into
your motherboard and use binary
capacitors and transistors to
temporarily store readable data. Early
RAM worked differently, using
electrically charged spots on cathode
ray tubes or networks of magnetised
metal rings. The core principles remain
the same, though – the points of positive
or negative data could be read in any
order, therefore denoting them as
“random access.”
The current model of RAM, using
transistors to store data as combinations
of charges, came into commercial use in
1970 with the Intel 1103 chip. This
memory requires a constant supply of
electricity, with the minuscule charges on
the thousands of transistors needing to
be refreshed hundreds of times per
second. Unlike PC storage (traditional
hard drives and SSDs), RAM is volatile
– once the computer is powered off, the
charges dissipate, and any data is lost.
While non-volatile RAM does exist, it
tends to be too slow for normal memory
needs, and can suffer from other issues.
Modern DRAM uses solid-state
memory on silicon circuitry, unlike
the ceramic and magnetic components
of the Intel 1103. It functions in much the
same way, though, losing data once the
power is turned off. Nowadays, RAM is
used for a wide variety of computing
functions, most commonly for graphical
tasks, be that rendering 3D objects in
real time in a game, or editing video
footage. DRAM is found in more than
just the heatsink-equipped silicon sticks
you can buy in varying sizes and kits; it
operates inside modern graphics cards,
games consoles, even calculators.
Say hello, Grandpa…
This is the Intel 1103
chip, the precursor
to modern DRAM
as we know it.
| 47
 Consult the motherboard
manual if you’re not sure
which slots to prioritise.
Speed racers
Memory speed can be complicated. Speed and frequency
are often treated as interchangeable statistics, because
they are directly tied to each other. RAM, like many other
components, operates at a specific frequency. This
frequency represents the number of times per second
an individual transistor gate can open and close. With
memory operating at, say, 1,000MHz, these transistors can
cycle at a fairly nippy 1,000 million times per second.
If you’re the memory-savvy type, though, you might be
more familiar with the MT/s figure than MHz. Shorthand for
megatransfers per second, MT/s was introduced as a metric
for memory speed when DDR (double data rate) was first
produced, because the newer format of memory was able
to process data at twice the speed by registering a data
transfer on both the rise and fall of the clock cycle.
Frustratingly, many manufacturers chose to ignore this
standard, meaning that current-generation memory quotes
frequency figures that are double their true operating
frequency. If you examine memory speed using system
status analysis software, such as CPU-Z, you’ll find that
your 3,000MHz memory is actually running at around
1,500MHz. MT/s is technically the more accurate figure, but
MHz is more widely used.
Obviously, more speed is better. Commercially available
memory speeds have been rising steadily over the last few
years, with the current DDR4 standard reaching as high as
4,800MHz (or MT/s, to be more precise). Higher speeds
reduce your real-world memory latency, and enable the
transfer of more data within a set period of time. This
enables superior performance in rendering functions and
other tasks, although not all processors are affected
equally. If you’re rocking an Intel CPU, you’ll find that
increasing your memory speed will have a far smaller
impact than on an AMD processor. For now, then, capacity
remains more important than frequency.
Memory speed does affect another important feature
of your RAM, however. The channel bandwidth of any
memory kit is determined by memory speed; for those not
in the know, the bandwidth is the maximum amount of
data that can be transferred between the memory and CPU
48 | | October 2019
within a set period of time. This is calculated by
multiplying the transfer speed (in T/s), the system
memory bus (in bits), and the number of channels the
memory is capable of accessing simultaneously. So, for
a set of dual-channel DDR4-3000 memory running with
a CPU using a 64-bit bus, the channel bandwidth would
be 3,000,000,000 x 64 x 2, which is 384,000,000,000 bits
per second. A gigabyte per second equals to 8 billion
bits per second, so we end up with the far more palatable
figure of 48GB/s. This is the absolute maximum data rate
that this system could achieve; attempts to do anything
demanding faster transfers than this would result in
memory bottlenecking.
Assuming that you’re not going to meddle too much
with your CPU, that means that data transfer is determined d
by more than just memory speed. When choosing which
RAM to put in your system, consider the advantages of a
quad-channel kit over dual-channel (provided your CPU
supports it of course – most mainstream CPUs are
resolutely dual-channel). To be fair, dual-channel memory
support represents a good standard for the average
system, but quad-channel support effectively doubles
your channel bandwidth, so if you’re using your system
for tasks that demand massive data transfers (such as 4K+
video editing, or large-scale texture production), four can
be the golden number.
Channel support is tied to your motherboard, too. Many
high-end boards support quad-channel memory, but if
you’re considering a memory upgrade for a slightly older
system, do bear in mind that your motherboard might onl y
support dual-channel. Four DIMM slots is no guarantee of
quad-channel support; many four-slot boards have two
primary slots (which logically should be A1 and B1, but are
sometimes A1 and A2 or A2 and B2, depending on the
manufacturer), which provide full dual-channel speeds.
This works both ways: Plug in only one stick of dual-
channel memory and you’ll get half the channel
bandwidth. Smaller motherboards, such as the ITX
format, have only two slots with dual-channel support,
due to their layout specifications, even on X299.
 Technology
What’s the best RAM?

Quality control
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) is
the body responsible for maintaining industry standards
when it comes to numerous solid-state components,
including RAM. With over 300 members, including
Microsoft, Intel, and Apple, JEDEC pools resources to push
hardware development forward.
Its most important contribution to RAM standards is the
adoption of a unified connection format for
motherboards (the DIMM slot) to ensure compatibility,
but that’s not all. Standards for data transfer rates and
latencies are determined by JEDEC, so consumers choose
between speeds such as DDR4-3000 and DDR4-3200,
instead of 3060, 3111, 3187, and so on. It’s simple enough
in principle, but these constraints ensure memory is easily
put into straightforward brackets for our convenience.
JEDEC’s members are also responsible for producing
new hardware within the RAM universe. The up and
coming memory standard is DDR5, which was ratified in
March 2017 (not to be confused with GDDR5, a memory
standard for GPUs). Some manufacturers (such as SK
Hynix) have confirmed that their DDR5 memory is
complete, and desktop DRAM modules should be
available later this year. This next-gen memory will be
able to reach higher speeds than any units from DDR4,
and draw less power per module, thanks to integrated
voltage regulators.
While it might sound like a minor improvement,
this shift in standards has implications beyond RAM
design. With voltage controlled on the memory sticks,
motherboards will no longer require voltage regulators
for RAM, which will enable manufacturers to focus on
other features, but could cause compatibility issues in
the not-too-distant future. DDR5 will double the
bandwidth available, so 128GB may become more
mainstream, and 256GB builds will become a possibility
for high-end tweakers. Memory speeds will hit a
staggering new maximum at 6,400MT/s, the fastest
available within the DDR5 spec.

Latency and timings

Memory speed isn’t the
only thing that affects your
RAM. Latency and memory
timings encompass a huge
variety of key statistics
that affect memory
performance, and many
of those numbers will be
meaningless unless you’re
a die-hard hardware-head.
The one to look out for is
CAS (column address
strobe) latency, which is an
indicator of how quickly the
RAM stick responds to a
memory call.
Bear with us, because it’s
going to get mathematical.
CAS latency by itself isn’t
necessarily a helpful figure
– in order to get a genuinely
useful number, there’s a
formula you need to use.
Real-world latency = (2,000/
RAM speed) x CAS latency,
with speed measured in
Problems? Chances MT/s and latency measured
are it’s your RAM.
Try manually setting
in nanoseconds. So, if
the frequency and you’ve got a memory kit
timings in the BIOS. that runs at 3,000MT/s and
has a CAS latency of
16ns, the kit’s real latency
is 10.6ns.
However, faster memory
tends to come with greater
CAS latencies, so the actual
performance gains can be
minimal, even when you
seek out higher frequencies.
The ideal memory kit has
a high frequency and a
low CAS latency, and
overclocking is an option,
but there’s a lot of potential
messiness there. If you’re
running an Intel system,
variation in speed isn’t
going to make much
difference; real-world
latency in DDR4 and beyond
is starting to become
increasingly homogenised,
regardless of frequency, so
buying high-speed RAM can
become a waste of money.
The impact on some tasks is
more notable; gaming and
3D rendering is less affected
by memory speed than
large-scale data analysis.

October 2019 | | 49
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 Technolo
What’s the best RA

CPU manufacturer The bottleneck

differences
We’ve mentioned that memory specs
have different impacts on Intel and
AMD processors. In broad terms,
memory speed hasn’t historically
made much difference to processor
performance, but with AMD’s Ryzen
series of CPUs, that norm changed
in a big way. Due to their conventional
processor architecture, Intel CPUs
(currently the Core series) only see
minimal gains from memory speed; a
couple of percent at best in the vast
majority of benchmark functions.
With Ryzen, though, AMD did
something different: The interface
that connects the processor cores
together – called the Infinity Fabric,
if you subscribe to funky hardware
marketing jargon – is controlled from
the integrated memory controller on
the chip. What this means is that
when supported by faster RAM, the
In the early years of commercial RAM,
before the turn of the century, there was
a serious disparity between CPUs and
memory. Referred to as the ‘memory
wall,’ a problem arose where CPUs were
developing faster than RAM technology,
with RAM speed only increasing by
10 percent in the 14 years leading up to
2000, while CPU speeds increased by
approximately 55 percent. For a long
time, it looked like memory speed
limitations mLJKW FDXVH D VLJQLÀFDQW
bottleneck in the improvement of
computer performance.
Since then, CPU speed increases
have slowed, due in part to physical
design barriers around heat
dissipation and die size in new chip
memory controller can run faster, designs. With the improvement of
and transfer data between the cores caching tech to speed up key
at higher speeds, improving overall processes and bridge the gap between
processor performance. CPU and RAM speed, it looks like the
This was a stumbling block for ‘memory wall’ might be a fallacy.
Ryzen in the early days, because
when the processor line first became
available in 2017, memory was
significantly more expensive. The
effects of memory speed on Ryzen
chips works both ways: Slower RAM
can result in poor performance
compared to similar Intel Core CPUs.
As memory has become cheaper,
though, Team Red looks more and
more attractive. A few hundred
additional MT/s can make a difference
in processor performance of 10 percent
or more, which can be pumped up
even higher when combined with CPU
overclocking to produce some very
impressive numbers.

What else can my RAM do?

RAM does more than simply boost your PC’s processing
power. If you’re particularly software-savvy, you may
be familiar with the concept of a RAM disk: a block of
RAM that is used by your system as a temporary
secondary storage drive. Using specific software
(such as DataRAM RAMDisk), it’s possible to partition
a segment of memory to be used as a drive. These
virtual drives can be incredibly fast – far faster than
conventional SSDs or HDDs – and theoretically have
no limits on read/write times.
The main drawback of virtual RAM disks is that they
lose all stored data when powered down, making them
particularly vulnerable in the event of system crashes
or power failure. They’re also an expensive way of
producing storage space to work on files – RAM is
simply more costly than physical drives. However,
there are other advantages. RAM disks can be ideal
for working with decrypted versions of encrypted
files, and you can set up regular backups of your data
to a physical drive to get around the risk of data loss
on crashes. It’s possible to keep data stored on a
persistent storage drive, set to recreate it on the
RAM disk when the system boots. Most interestingly,
RAM drives can be used to access compressed files
without having to decompress them first, using systems
such as cRAMfs on Linux. With memory capacity ever
increasing, RAM disks may become more relevant in the
not-too-distant future.
Other mechanics of RAM have been slowly integrated
into modern operating systems for ease of use. Virtual
memory, for example, involves the partitioning of hard
drive space as a ‘paging file,’ which is then used for
storing excess data when the physical RAM is operating
at capacity. Windows does this automatically, using the
paging file as additional memory space to prevent
program crashes. This function can be disabled in
Windows 10 to free up disk space, although it’s not
recommended if you’re running anything less than
32GB, and does put you at greater risk of system
instability. Modern BIOSes also incorporate ‘shadow
RAM,’ where ROM functions use DRAM locations to
speed up access times. The benefits of doing this
manually are minimal, though, particularly with
modern ROM chips.

October 2019 | | 51
RAM choices HIGH-END WORKSTATION

for your system HyperX Predator 64GB

Whatever PC platform you’re looking to build, the memory
(4x 16GB) @ 3,000MT/s £335
is going to be an integral part of it. We’re going to break To be honest, there are no just 10ns, but if you’ve got
down the different potential purposes of new system wrong answers here. If you’re the cash to splash, consider
builds, and assign the best RAM for the job in each hankering after a PC for faster or even larger
scenario. RAM might have become cheaper over the last seriously demanding digital modules. Corsair’s Dominator
year, but it’s still all too easy to splurge when you don’t creative work – whether Platinum series provides
really need to. Bear in mind that these are only loose that’s large-scale 3D some excellent 64GB and
recommendations; follow the specs as a guideline, rather modelling or 4K video 128GB kits, for example.
than the manufacturer. As always, though, we advise you editing – the sky’s the limit Make sure your CPU and
to stick with recognised brands, such as Corsair, Crucial, G. when it comes to memory motherboard support
Skill, and HyperX. Unknown brands may offer better prices, capacity. We’ve gone for a quad-channel memory
but as with off-brand hard drives, tread carefully. mid-range 64GB kit here, bandwidth, as is the case with
Prices shown were correct as we went to press. with a real-world latency of any four-module RAM kit.

OFFICE WORK BASIC WORKSTATION

Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x
4GB) @ 2,400MT/s £45
If you’re just keeping it simple,
this is all you need – 8GB of
RAM will comfortably handle
OLJKW RIÀFH ZRUN EH LW
spreadsheets or slideshows,
and is more than capable of
supporting your usual array of
web-browsing activities. We
would be a little wary of
loading up on Chrome tabs,
however, with only eight gigs
behind you, but this should be
able to carry you through
everyday tasks. We
contemplated going for
Team’s slightly faster
2,666MT/s model in the
T-Force Vulcan line instead,
but the price difference was
minimal, and for baseline
performance, 2,400MT/s is
more than enough.
Team T-Force Vulcan 32GB (2x
16GB) @ 3,000MT/s £170
Even with low to mid-level
photo and video-editing work,
32GB of memory is the way
to go right now. It won’t
necessarily be cheap, but
the affordability of higher-
capacity DDR4 kits has
improved no end over
the past year, perhaps due
to the looming release of
DDR5. This much memory will
run rendering tasks well,
and equip your system for
KLJKGHÀQLWLRQYLGHRJUDSK\
If you’re looking for a fast
system to run tools such as
Photoshop or After Effects,
look no further. 2,400MT/s will
be plenty for Intel systems; if
you’re on an AMD machine, it
may be worth splashing out
for a little more.

52 | | October 2019

BASIC AMD GAMING
Ballistix Tactical 16GB
(4x 4GB) @ 3,000MT/s £195
The Ballistix Tactical memory
isn’t particularly exciting to
look at (perhaps check out
Corsair’s Dominator line if
you’re looking for some more
eye-candy-worthy modules),
but it provides excellent
performance for a sensible
price. With a high frequency
and a CAS latency of 16, this
kit will pair nicely with a
mid-range GPU for some
BASIC INTEL GAMING
Ballistix Sport LT 16GB
(2x 8GB) @ 2,400MT/s £70
There’s nothing much to write
home about here, but this
Ballistix kit will do the job and
do it well. Memory speed is
less of a factor when you’re
looking at RAM for Intel
systems, so you can save
yourself a few dollars by
opting for a slightly more
conservative frequency. The
Ballistix Sport series is
straightforward 1080p or even
1440p gaming. It won’t
necessarily be able to hit
maximum settings in every
game you play, but well-
optimised titles will give you
no problems. Should you
decide to upgrade your GPU,
a memory upgrade is
worthwhile too, and
theTactical or Elite series are
good ones to stick with.
Crucial’s more affordable
memory, but that doesn’t
make it any less effective. It
also runs at just 1.2 volts,
meaning it has some of the
lowest power draws found
within the DDR4 standard. It
also has a CAS latency of 16,
which means it keeps your
real memory latency
at 13.3ns.
What’s the best RAM?
HIGH-END AMD GAMING
Corsair Dominator Platinum
RGB 32GB (4x 8GB)
@ 3,600MT/s £345
This is where it starts to get
expensive. We’re cranking
up the speed to make sure
your AMD system’s latency
stays low, and paying the
extra price for 32GB ensures
your build is future-proofed.
Most games don’t use 32GB
– 16GB is usually
recommended – but with
GPU improvements, that
HIGH-END INTEL GAMING
G.Skill Trident Z RGB 32GB (2x
16GB) @ 3,000MT/s £225
Once again, we don’t need to
push the boat out too much
when it comes to memory
speed in an Intel machine.
Unlike the Dominator Platinum
RGB kit, this set comes with
two 16GB modules instead of
4x 8GB ones, so if you’re
running a system with more
than two DIMM slots, make
sure you’re using the
October 2019 |
Technology
could change. With this
much capacity, there won’t
be any danger of running
low on available memory,
even when you’re bashing
your system with ultra 4K
graphics. The Dominator
Platinum RGB is a lovely
looking kit, too, with
fully addressable LEDs
on every module.
prioritised connectors for
maximum speed. This is G.
Skill’s own RGB offering, and
they’re pretty sweet to look at.
A CAS latency of 16 means this
might not be the fastest RAM
around, but it’s an extremely
good price for 32GB. The extra
capacity can come in handy
for streaming memory-
intensive games.
| 53
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 Technology
5G beginner’s guide

What’s it like to live with a 5G phone?

Now that the first networks are live,
we’ve been testing a real handset to
see if it’s worth the costly upgrade
Words: Aaron Brown, Matt Bolton

October 2019 | | 55
L
ast month, EE rolled out the
UK’s first 5G network, covering
areas of London, Edinburgh,
Belfast, Birmingham,
Manchester and Cardiff. It just
beat rival network Vodafone to the
punch, with the red team launching its
network on July 3rd. It means that we’ve
finally been able to test 5G in the real
world. So after years of promises of
blisteringly fast speeds, low latency and
the potential to revolutionise everything
from medical treatment to automated
vehicles, and smart traffic lights to VR…
what is 5G like to use?
To find out, we spent a week or so
wandering around the bustling streets
with a shiny new OnePlus 7 Pro 5G,
the very first 5G-enabled handset to
launch in the UK. Although the
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the LG V50
ThinQ 5G and Oppo Reno 5G have since
launched to join it, with the Xiaomi Mi
Mix 3 close behind.
If that list sounds like it’s missing a
major manufacturer, that’s because it
is. Plans to bring the Huawei Mate 20 X
5G and folding Mate X to EE have been
put on ice, following the revocation of
Huawei’s Android licence by Google, as
part of the trade battle between the
US Government and China. Hopefully
we’ll see a return for them in the
future (especially the Mate X, which
looks cool). Oh, and that other major
56 | | October 2019
manufacturer? Apple isn’t doing 5G yet,
and we don’t expect to see it in this
year’s iPhone, either. Apple tends to
approach these things cautiously.
What you need to know
It’s useful to understand that 5G doesn’t
outright replace 4G. Instead, it works in
conjunction with the existing mobile
network. In the busiest areas of the city
during its most congested times, 5G
devices should still be able to achieve
much faster speeds because of the extra
headroom. Think of it like a clogged-up
motorway on a sunny bank holiday
weekend, with nothing but bumper-to-
boot traffic for miles – 5G is like an extra
motorway lane only you can drive in.
Well, you and any other early adopters
who have taken the plunge on a brand
spanking-new 5G handset.
Unfortunately, that metaphorical 5G
motorway lane isn’t available
everywhere. Even in London, where the
5G network is now available, there are
streets, stations and parks where there
is absolutely no 5G coverage to be
found. So, as such – and if we can
stretch our clunky metaphor to breaking
point – don’t expect to always be able
to rely on your 5G super-highway being
there – there’ll likely be swathes of your
morning commute where you’ll be stuck
in traffic just like everyone else.
Helpfully, EE has provided an
incredibly detailed map of each of the
six cities where its 5G network is now
available (head over to www.ee.co.uk
and choose ‘Coverage Checker’ at the
top). Before taking the plunge, it’s
well worth scouring the map and
checking that at least some of your
most frequently visited spots are
included in the 5G-touting zone. EE
will continually update the map as its
network expands. But if your home
and office aren’t in the right location, it
might be worth giving it a miss and
sticking with good ol’ 4G for now.
Annoyingly, our offices are slap-bang
in the middle of one such black hole,
relegating our cutting-edge OnePlus 7
Pro 5G to ye olde 4G network of yore at
our desks. Fortunately, it didn’t take
much of a walk before we were able to
pick-up a strong 5G signal, and the
difference is immediate. When you’re
on 5G, it’s brilliant. The speeds can be
ludicrously fast. Hilariously fast, in fact.
But more often than not, they’re just
consistently great.
EE expects its customers to
experience a boost in speeds of around
100-150Mbps in the busiest areas. That
gives you speeds that are within the
theoretical top of the range of what can
IMAGE SOURCE: EE
be achieved on 4G, but you never
actually manage it (even most home
broadband is nowhere near that). But
with 5G we’re hitting them almost >>

How does 5G work?
The tech that makes super-speeds happen
Just like 4G before it, 5G requires whole new
masts and technology inside the phones to
get it working. It’s a very different beast to 4G,
and this might make its roll-out across the
country even more complex.
5G is based on shorter-range antennas that
blast data at higher frequencies. Those high
frequencies mean more information
Technolog
5G beginner’s guid
antennas at once, downloading streams of
data from all corners. On your home Wi-Fi,
MIMO doesn’t always reach its potential,
since your actual internet connection may
bottleneck the speeds your network is
technologically capable of. But the 5G
antennas will be directly connected to giant
ÀEUHODQHVVRWKHVSHHGVFDQEHPDVVLYH
WUDQVPLWWHGSHUVHFRQGIDVWHUVSHHGVEXWWKH
signal peters out much more quickly. So a 5G
network means more, smaller, antennas set up
in an area to provide coverage, which isn’t too
hard in cities, but will make the highest-speed
5G coverage in more rural areas a lot harder.
That’s the downside. The upside is that
That’s why 5G connections even from the
VWDUWZLOOEHOLNHKDYLQJDÀEUHFRQQHFWLRQ
at home. And, theoretically, 5G tech can go
much, much higher – in a test chamber that
simulates the real world, EE has achieved
2.8Gbps (10 times faster than a 280Mbps
home broadband connection, which is
having more densely packed antennas offers
up a new option: MIMO. ‘Multiple input,
multiple output’ tech is already standard in
Wi-Fi, and it basically means using multiple
antennas in both the router and your phone
or computer to send data in multiple streams
all at once, massively improving the total
transfer speed. So in the context of 5G, this
means your phone can be talking to multiple
DOUHDG\SUHWW\WRSWLHU
5G also massively reduces latency,
which makes what you’re doing online
feel faster too, because the network
responds to your requests much quicker.
Big data connections can still seem slow
if latency is poor, much like a big car engine
that takes time to rev up. Things are a lot
snappier on 5G.

WHAT YOU’LL PAY FOR 5G

Because EE was WKH ÀUVW month, £10 up front, with Vodafone’s 5G budget to press, though Three’s
company out of the gate with 120GB of data, which even a option (as much as anything history of aggressive pricing
5G, it’s been setting the tone
for 5G pricing. And you can
expect that tone to be pretty
FRVWO\ IRU WKH ÀUVW JHQHUDWLRQ
of 5G adopters. It’s not that
you’ll be charged anything as
*FRQQHFWLRQZLOOÀQGKDUG
to chew through in 30 days.
Heading to the top of the
range, the Samsung S10 5G
starts from £69 per month,
with a cost of £130 up front,
LVEXGJHWLQ*LVWKH;LDRPL
Mi Mix 3 5G, and that will
start from £50 per month, £99
upfront, with a measly 5GB of
data. The £54 per month, £49
up front, 15GB option is much
makes us think it won’t be
any more expensive than
what we’re seeing from the
other networks. That said, it’s
also promising to have the
fastest 5G network of all (at
crude as an extra fee for
getting the full 5G speed
experience, it’s just that all of
the initial 5G phones are
top-of-the-line, so it’ll only be
the higher-end contract that
includes 5G support (along
and 10GB of data. It maxes
out at £89 per month, with
£10 up front, and 120GB of
data once again.
You can go SIM-only on
EE as well, starting from £32
per month with 20GB of
more appealing, but there are
lots more expensive options.
Vodafone also has the
Samsung S10 5G, and that
starts from £58 per month,
with £149 up front, and 5GB
of data. You can pay £4 more
OHDVWDWODXQFKVRZH
wouldn’t expect prices to be
bargain basement either.
O2 is also a mystery, partly
because it’s the network
furthest away from launch.
Given O2’s focus on building
ZLWK DOO WKH RWKHU EHQHÀWV
The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G will
set you back from £59 per
month at EE, with £170 up
front, for 10GB of data. The
max contract is £79 per
data. This is about a tenner
more than a 4G equivalent
contract, but EE then also
WKURZVLQH[WUDEHQHÀWVVXFK
as BT Sport or roaming with
5G contracts.
per month and £50 less up
front to upgrade to 15GB of
data, or choose options
beyond that.
We didn’t have any pricing
for Three at the time of going
your perfect contract from
lots of modular options, we
wouldn’t be surprised to see
5G as an extra you can add on
for a monthly cost – but
there’s no word on that yet.

October 2019 | | 57
 Scotland
Now Soon 2020

5G IN 2019 Aberdeen

Edinburgh

Where and when Glasgow

the 5G network is rolling

out across the UK

Northern Ireland
Now Soon 2020
Belfast

North West
Now Soon 2020
Birkenhead

Blackpool

Bolton

Liverpool

Manchester

Warrington

West Midlands
Now Soon 2020
Birmingham

Coventry

Stoke-on-Trent

W’hampton South West

Worcester Now Soon 2020

B’mouth

Bristol
Wales
Now Soon 2020 Gloucester

Cardiff Plymouth Vodafone

 Technology
5G beginner’s guide
North East
Now Soon 2020
M’brough

Newcastle

Sunderland

Yorkshire/Humber
Now Soon 2020
Bradford

Hull

Leeds

Rotherham

Sheffield

East Midlands

IMAGE SOURCE: ONEPLUS

Now Soon 2020
Derby

Leicester

Nottingham
>>
P’borough
constantly. Just reaching those
speeds in the busiest areas is
hugely impressive.
Instant impact
London Connecting to a 5G signal means
you’ll be able to instantly refresh
Now Soon 2020 your social media feeds, plan a
route on Google Maps, or nip to
London the front of the queue in that
all-important Ticketmaster pre-sale,
all while around you people with
4G handsets are gawping at
endless loading animations while
South East their apps grind to a halt, cutting
off their videos in the middle of
Now Soon 2020 someone’s sentence.
Brighton
Of course, it’s not just about
consistency. If you’re in the right
Cambridge place at the right time, 5G handsets
can blast past the upper limit of
Guildford what can be achieved on 4G, which
tops out at a (very) theoretical limit
Portsmouth around 300Mbps. We were seeing
speeds that put home fibre
Milton connections to shame, but that
fluctuates as you move between
Newbury phone towers.
In our time with 5G, the OnePlus
Reading 7 Pro 5G sped past 400Mbps on
occasions. That’s fast! In fact, it’s so
fast that app creators will need to
Slough
update their software to take
S’hampton advantage of these new speeds
– we noticed a few quirks with
October 2019 |
some Android apps that were
clearly dumbfounded by the
internet speeds suddenly available
to them.
For example, if you scrub forward
in a YouTube video – well past what
has already buffered – there’s no
pause as the phone catches up and
loads the next part of the clip. It
just plays immediately. However,
since Android apps are so used to
making people wait to buffer,
there’s a grey filter applied on top
of the video – which is usually used
to indicate that it’s loading – even
though the clip is already playing.
Likewise, by default, the YouTube
app only loads two dozen or so
search results, so you’ll find
yourself hitting the bottom of the
list and having to refresh quite
often. This is a (sensible) decision
from the app maker, because >>
5G HANDSETS CAN
BLAST PAST THE
UPPER LIMIT OF
WHAT CAN BE
ACHIEVED ON 4G
| 59

>>
defaulting to loading up 100 or so
video results every time you search for
something on YouTube would cause any
device on typical 4G to spit feathers.
It may take a while for app creators to
start tweaking their apps to take full
advantage of the seriously impressive
new speeds available to some handsets,
since it will only be a small number of
excited early adopters for a while – but
hopefully Google can get the big names
working on it.
Like any new technology, there will
be a teething period while apps are
updated and settings are tweaked…
so if you’re thinking of becoming one
60 | | October 2019
ONCE YOU’VE TRIED
5G, REVERTING EVEN
TO 4G FEELS LIKE A
CLEAR STEP BACK
of the early adopters of 5G, it’s
something you’ll need to get used to. It
doesn’t feel like a huge setback, but it’s
a small bump in a smoother experience.
At least one thing you won’t have to
get used to is poor battery life –
something that people were terrified
would be the case with the new network
technology ahead of its launch. In our
time with the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, it didn’t
get uncomfortably warm, and didn’t
burn through battery as it hit 5G speeds
any worse than we’d expect to see when
doing the same things on 4G.
That pretty much sums up 5G in the
UK right now. It can be preposterously
fast, while other times it can just be
enough that your phone doesn’t grind
to a halt along with everyone else’s
when you’re in a busy train station. 5G
is available in the busiest areas, but it
might not be available in your home,
your office, or your favourite local coffee
shop even if your city is covered
generally. So, as we mentioned earlier,
IMAGE SOURCE: ONEPLUS
it’s definitely worth checking all of
these out before you cough up anything
just yet.
If you’re always tethering your phone
to work remotely on your laptop, these
speeds could drastically boost your
workflow. After all, and location
permitting, you’ll basically have a fibre
broadband connection in your pocket
at any time. Complex web apps, file
downloads, server access… basically all
of those things we tend to dread doing
on the current 4G networks, feel totally
fine on 5G. If the map works for you, 5G
is a worthy upgrade for mobile
productivity right now.
Similarly, if you just want to ensure
that there’s never any stutter as you flit
between Spotify tracks, or want a
mobile connection that enables you to
download a movie in the last few
seconds before you board a long-haul
flight, as opposed to pre-planning and
doing it all at home the night before, 5G
is ready if you’re in the right spot.
For most people, buying into the
UK’s first 5G networks is, admittedly, a
bit of a luxury, but who doesn’t love a
bit of luxury? It’s definitely something
that, once you’ve tried it, reverting
even to 4G feels like a clear step
backwards. And what could be a
better sign that 5G is in fact a big
and worthwhile update than that?

ONEPLUS 7 PRO 5G
From £79/month, www.oneplus.com
The 7 Pro is OnePlus’ most technically-
advanced phone ever, and that was
before OnePlus made one with 5G.
The company decided to try its hand
at making a high-end handset (rather
than bringing high-end features to the
Technology
5G beginner’s guide
There’s a triple rear camera that
offers standard wide-angle, ultra-wide
and 3x optical zoom lenses. A
good-size battery and Snapdragon
855 processor make the entire affair
run incredibly fast and last well. The
IMAGE SOURCE: ONEPLUS
6$0681* *$/$;< 6 *
From £68/month, www.samsung.com/uk
Unlike the OnePlus 7 Pro above,
this isn’t just a version of the regular
S10 with a 5G chip inside. It’s a
subtly different phone that sits at
PLGUDQJH VHFWRU DQG LW·V D VHULRXVO\
good spec list.
Leading the technological charge is
the huge 6.67-inch OLED screen, which
not only includes HDR10+ support for
TV-level movie viewing, but also has a
+] VFUHHQ 7KLV LV WKH ÀUVW WLPH DQ\
OLED phone has had a screen faster
than 60Hz, and it makes using the
phone look incredibly slick as you’re
scrolling and switching around.
BHKLQG WKH VFUHHQ LV D ÀQJHUSULQW
scanner, and there’s no visible front
camera either: it pops up when you
want to take a shot, or when you use
face unlocking.
is the only S10 to feature Live focus
video at all, let alone on both the
front and back of the phone.
There’s an ultrasonic (and highly
very light tweaks that OnePlus applies
to Android help here – it feels like
you’re getting the pure Google
experience, even though there are a
few handy extras. That said, it is
missing some small features that you
get from the likes of Samsung.
REASONS TO BUY Buttery smooth
screen; seriously top-end
performance; great design and
colour options.
REASONS TO AVOID 1R RIÀFLDOO\
UDWHG ZDWHUSURRÀQJ QR ZLUHOHVV
charging; no expandable storage.
the top of the S10 range, above DFFXUDWHÀQJHUSULQWVFDQQHUKLGGHQ
even the elite Samsung S10+. It in the screen, and a huge 4,500mAh
has the biggest screen of Samsung’s battery built behind it. Oddly, there’s
current range, with a 6.7-inch no microSD card slot here (unlike all
OLED display (compared to 6.4 RWKHU6PRGHOVEXWWKHUHLVWKH
LQFKHVRQWKH6DQGD
resolution of 3040x1440, plus
HDR10+ video support.
Embedded in the display is
Samsung’s most advanced forward-
facing camera yet, including one
lens for taking the image, and an
extra dual camera for 3D sensing
that enables the ‘Live photo’ portrait
mode blur not only in photos, but
IMAGE SOURCE: SAMSUNG
also video.
OQWKHEDFN\RX·OOÀQGDTXDG
system, with a 2x telephoto, a
wide-angle, ultra-wide and another
3D sensor for Live focus video – this
option of 512GB of storage.
It’s all run by Samsung’s new One
UI Android overlay, which we’re big
fans of: it’s sleek, modern, easy to
use, and doesn’t feel like it’s
weighing the phone down.
REASONS TO BUY Unique Live
focus video option; highest-end
Samsung model around; great One
UI software; really premium feel.
REASONS TO AVOID No microSD
card slot; the most expensive
option so far.
October 2019 | | 61
 OPPO RENO 5G
From £49/month, www.oppo.com
The absence of Huawei from the
initial 5G race provides a big opening
to its Chinese rival Oppo, especially
given the similarities between the
camera systems on the Reno and
recent Huawei phones.
Those who have been looking at
WKH33URZLOOÀQGWKH[K\EULG
lossless zoom here familiar – it’s
pretty much exactly the same
system. A 5x telephoto lens
combines beautifully with a 48MP
that actually looks kind of cool. The
screen itself is a 6.6-inch OLED affair,
and Oppo doesn’t list any HDR
support currently. Oppo has its own
ColorOS overlay for Android, which
we have only had limited time with so
far, but we haven’t been as impressed
with it as operating systems from
Samsung or OnePlus.
The 4,000mAh battery is average
for this generation of 5G phones,
and there’s 256GB of storage (plus a
main wide-angle lens to take shots
with a 10x zoom that look just as if
you had a real 10x lens. But without a
massive tube sticking out of your
phone. There’s also an 8MP ultra-
wide camera.
Once again, here you have an
LQVFUHHQÀQJHUSULQWUHDGHUDQGOLNH
with the OnePlus, there’s no notch or
hole for the front camera: it pops out
the top in a hinged, triangular unit
PLFUR6'FDUGVORW,W·VDOLWWOHWKicker
than some rivals, too.
REASONS TO BUY Lower-priced but
great specs; those 10x zoom cameras
are a real game-changer; microSD
card slot.
REASONS TO AVOID No waterproof
rating; no HDR rating on screen;
software not yet proven in our eyes.

LG V50 THINQ 5G
From £64/month, www.lg.com

LG hasn’t exactly been leading the The Snapdragon 855 processor is

phone market recently, but 5G could
present a clean slate for the company
to get back into people’s pockets.
Okay, the fact that this has a notch
while all the other phones have
moved past this isn’t exactly a great
start, but the notch does contain dual
cameras (a standard lens and a
plenty powerful for its Android 9 OS,
but so are the others here. The
storage of 128MB is a bit more
meagre, but it has a microSD card
slot, so no worries. There’s a
4,000mAh battery, while the rear
camera setup is the now-standard
wide-angle, 2x telephoto and
ZLGHDQJOHIRUJURXSVHOÀHVDQGLW
sits over an especially great screen.
The latter should be no surprise given
LG’s TV expertise.
The 6.4-inch, 3120x1440 OLED
display is the sharpest of all four here,
and is rated for HDR10 and Dolby
9LVLRQ+'5VRLW·VWKHPRVWÁH[LEOH
of all for all that movie watching
you’ll be doing on your 5G
connection. It’s a seriously
beautiful display.
Elsewhere, it looks like a solid
phone that still struggles to excite us.
62 | | October 2019
ultra-wide lens trio.
It records HDR10 video, though,
which is a nice touch for watching
back on your TV later, and is still
uncommon in phones. Oh, and it
does have a 3.5mm jack.
REASONS TO BUY Really stunning
screen; HDR video recording; good
set of specs and hardware features.
REASONS TO AVOID Old-fashioned
design elements, including notch and
UHDUPRXQWHGÀQJHUSULQWVFDQQHU
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ȒȇǼǣȇƺ Ȓǔǔƺȸ ȵƏǕƺِ çȒɖ ƬƏȇ ɯȸǣɎƺ ɎȒ ɖɀ Ȓȸ ƬƏǼǼ ɖɀ ɎȒ ƬƏȇƬƺǼ ɵȒɖȸ ɀɖƫɀƬȸǣȵɎǣȒȇ ɯǣɎǝǣȇ ‫ ג׏‬ƳƏɵɀ Ȓǔ ȵɖȸƬǝƏɀƺِ ¨ƏɵȅƺȇɎ ǣɀ ȇȒȇ‫ٮ‬ȸƺǔɖȇƳƏƫǼƺ ƏǔɎƺȸ Ɏǝƺ ‫ ג׏‬ƳƏɵ ƬƏȇƬƺǼǼƏɎǣȒȇ ȵƺȸǣȒƳ ɖȇǼƺɀɀ
ƺɴƬƺȵɎǣȒȇƏǼ ƬǣȸƬɖȅɀɎƏȇƬƺɀ ƏȵȵǼɵِ çȒɖȸ ɀɎƏɎɖɎȒȸɵ ȸǣǕǝɎɀ Əȸƺ ȇȒɎ ƏǔǔƺƬɎƺƳِ ¨ȸǣƬƺɀ ƬȒȸȸƺƬɎ ƏɎ ȵȒǣȇɎ Ȓǔ ȵȸǣȇɎ ƏȇƳ ɀɖƫǴƺƬɎ ɎȒ ƬǝƏȇǕƺِ IɖǼǼ ƳƺɎƏǣǼɀ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ (ǣȸƺƬɎ (ƺƫǣɎ ǕɖƏȸƏȇɎƺƺ Əȸƺ
ƏɮƏǣǼƏƫǼƺ ɖȵȒȇ ȸƺȷɖƺɀɎِ Èk ƬƏǼǼɀ ɯǣǼǼ ƬȒɀɎ Ɏǝƺ ɀƏȅƺ Əɀ ȒɎǝƺȸ ɀɎƏȇƳƏȸƳ ˡɴƺƳ Ǽǣȇƺ ȇɖȅƫƺȸɀ ٢ɀɎƏȸɎǣȇǕ ‫ ׏׎‬Ȓȸ ‫א׎‬٣ Ȓȸ Əȸƺ ǣȇƬǼɖƳƺƳ Əɀ ȵƏȸɎ Ȓǔ Əȇɵ ǣȇƬǼɖɀǣɮƺ Ȓȸ ǔȸƺƺ ȅǣȇɖɎƺɀ
ƏǼǼȒɯƏȇƬƺɀ ٢ǣǔ ȒǔǔƺȸƺƳ ƫɵ ɵȒɖȸ ȵǝȒȇƺ ɎƏȸǣǔǔ٣ِ IȒȸ ǔɖǼǼ Ɏƺȸȅɀ ƏȇƳ ƬȒȇƳǣɎǣȒȇɀ ȵǼƺƏɀƺ ɮǣɀǣɎ‫ ي‬ƫǣɎِǼɵٖȅƏǕɎƏȇƳƬِ …ǔǔƺȸ ƺȇƳɀ ‫׏׏‬Ɏǝ …ƬɎȒƫƺȸ ‫ِח׏׎א‬
 WINDOWS HELP HARDWARE FIXES SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS INTERNET TIPS

Windows Ian’s solution Similarly, the option for creating

LOCAL ACCOUNTS IN
WINDOWS 10
Do you have a Q With the recently released
PC problem? 1903 update, I decided to
Get in touch… reinstall Windows from scratch.
Email full details of your During the setup process I was
problem to the only given the option to create
support team and we’ll a Microsoft Account using an
do our best to help email address. Has the option to
windowsmagazine@ create a local account on a PC
futurenet.com been scrapped?
Jay Derbyshire
The local option is still
present in the 1903
update, and in fact is
slightly easier to find now – when
prompted to create an account,
click ‘Offline account’ followed by
‘No’. Some PC manufacturers have
hidden the option during the setup
process – if you can’t find it, restart
the setup process while
disconnected from the internet to
hopefully force it into view.
new local user accounts in
Windows itself is buried deep: head
to ‘Settings > Accounts > Family &
other users’, opt to create another
account and then click ‘I don’t have
this person’s sign-in information’
followed by ‘Add a user without a
Microsoft account’.
It’s also worth remembering that
attempting to sign into certain
Microsoft services – such as
downloading apps from the App
Store – can lead to local accounts
being converted to Microsoft ones.
If this happens, you can try
converting it back again via
Settings > Accounts > Your info –
click ‘Sign in with a local account
instead’ and follow the prompts.
We recommend taking a drive
image before you attempt to
convert it back – just in case
something goes wrong.

Data loss

LOCAL ACCOUNTS
RECOVER FILES FROM
You can still create
DELETED USER ACCOUNT
local accounts in Q After creating a new user
Windows 10. account to fix a problem, I

64 | | October 2019
 FIND THE SOLUTION! Troubleshoot blue-screen errors
Support
Visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/14238 for a comprehensive
guide to diagnosing and fixing major system crashes. Technical help
PAUSE UPDATES
Windows 10 Quickfire questions
allows you
to pause or
delay updates. What’s the quickest way to add
some kind of dividing line to
my Word documents?
Carlita Smyth
Type three dashes and press
Enter to create a solid line, or
three asterisks and hit Enter to
produce a dotted line instead.

Can you recommend an

application that can
resize windows to
specific measurements
or aspect ratios?
Jan Lewis
Our go-to app in these
circumstances is Sizer – go to
www.brianapps.net/sizer4/ to
download. Both installer (.msi)
and portable (.zip) versions
are available.

chose to delete my original user

account, selecting ‘Yes’ when
prompted to keep my files, being
told they would appear as a folder
on my desktop. My laptop then
froze – after 30 minutes I rebooted,
but the files weren’t on the desktop
and the original account has gone.
How do I recover my files?
Tom Hunter
Carrie’s solution
It’s never wise to delete
a user account without
having backed up its
files first – for the reason you’ve
just encountered. Your chances
of recovering all of your lost files
are slim, but you may be able to
get some back. Download the
portable version of Recuva from
www.ccleaner.com/recuva/builds
to anywhere but your system
drive (a USB drive will suffice) to
avoid writing to the system disk.
Run this and follow the wizard to
try and locate (and recover) the
missing files – perform a slower,
but more thorough, deep scan
to maximise your chances of
successful recovery.
Nick P’s solution
Shortly after Microsoft’s
July Cumulative Update
– KB4505903 – shipped,
people started reporting all kinds
of issues, including audio and video
stuttering, continued problems
with Windows Sandbox, apps
installed from the Microsoft Store
vanishing (including VLC and
Spotify) and even some blue-
screen-of-death messages related
to driver issues.
It seems Microsoft has once
again rush-released an update
without adequate testing. If you
can, remove the update via Settings
> Update & Security > Windows
Update (click ‘View update history’
followed by ‘Uninstall Updates’), or
if you back up regularly using a
“After the July Update
shipped, people started
reporting issues”
Jargon buster!
Local account
A traditional Windows user
account that stores all the
details of a person’s user
account on the computer.
Windows Sandbox
A feature exclusively in
ARCHIVE MAIL
Store webmail Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise
offline for future that allows users to run
access with untrusted applications in a
MailStore. sealed-off environment.

Windows
TROUBLE AFTER
INSTALLING UPDATE
Q Since Windows 10 foisted a
Cumulative Update on me in
July, my PC has started exhibiting
all kinds of strange behaviour: it
re-enabled my Wi-Fi adapter,
which I’d disabled as I use a wired
connection, and now sound has
stopped working. Should I roll
things back?
Vera Prince

October 2019 | | 65

Quickfire questions
I thought I’d changed an online
password using BitWarden, but
it won’t recognise my new
password. How do I get the
old password back?
Henry Lyons
Log into vault.bitwarden.com
in your browser, then click the
login item to access its main
page. Look for ‘Password
history’ at the bottom of the
window – click the number
to view your previously
saved passwords.
After saving a Paint.NET
multi-layered file in PNG
format, the original PDN file is
closed and replaced with the
PNG. How can I save having to
open the original file again?
Mike Brown
After saving, simply choose
Edit > Undo (or press Ctrl + Z)
– this will undo the flattening
process to leave you with your
multi-layered original image
again, ready for further editing.
Can I back up my File
History backup?
Polly Fairhurst
You should be able to use a file
sync or backup tool to create a
fail-safe backup of the File
History folder, which you’ll
find on the root directory of
whichever drive you back
up to, named after your
Windows username, to
any other location.
SHARE YOUR PC
STARTUP ROUTINE
WITH OTHERS
Q I believe a start-up item is
causing my PC problems.
How can I diagnose this with
someone else’s help?
Karen Fraser
Nick P’s solution
Autoruns is our go-to
tool for getting a
complete overview
of what’s starting with your PC.
You can also use it to compile
a report when asking for
assistance – see the step-by-
step guide for details.
66 | | October 2019
drive-imaging tool like Macrium,
roll back using that.
Return to the Windows Update
screen and click ‘Pause Updates’ to
prevent Windows reinstalling the
Cumulative Update immediately.
You’ll need to do this every seven
days up to a maximum of 35 days;
Windows 10 Pro users can also
click Advanced Options and
automatically delay so-called
‘quality updates’ for up to 30 days,
ensuring any future glitchy updates
are spotted before they make their
way onto your PC.
Email
ARCHIVE GMAIL OFFLINE
Q I’m running out of space in my
Google account and realise
I’ve got thousands of Gmail
messages clogging up the system.
Rather than deleting them all
manually, is there some way I can
back up them up offline and then
delete them to free up space?
Andrew Parkhurst
Cat’s solution
The solution lies in
downloading and
running MailStore Home
(www.mailstore.com), a portable
tool designed to archive email from
a variety of email clients and online
sources, including Gmail. After
opening it for the first time, choose
Archive E-mail and follow the
prompts depending on your
webmail address or email client.
We recommend choosing to
archive – and delete – all messages
before a certain date. After you’ve
run the task for the first time, you’ll
be able to browse and search your
archive for emails using the tools
supplied, plus restore them to
Gmail if the need arises. Be sure to
add the MailStore folder, which
contains your downloaded emails,
to your backup.
1 Obtain Autoruns
Download Autoruns from
https://bit.ly/autoruns. After downloading,
right-click Autoruns.zip and choose
Extract All > Extract. The Autoruns folder
will appear after the files are extracted.
Double-click Autoruns64.exe.
RESET SPOTLIGHT Windows
You’ll need
PowerShell
WINDOWS SPOTLIGHT
access to reset
SCREEN STUCK
the lock screen. Q My Windows 10 laptop used
to rotate the picture that
showed on the lock screen on an
occasional basis, but for the past
few weeks it’s been stuck on the
same screen. How do I fix this?
Lena Howard
Carrie’s solution
This could be down to
several things – first,
take a trip to Settings >
Privacy > Background apps and
confirm both Background Apps,
and more specifically Settings, are
both allowed to run in the
background. If this is the case, head
over to Personalisation > Lock
Screen and verify Windows
Spotlight is selected under the
Background drop-down menu.
Assuming it is, type “powershell”
into the Search box and click Run as
administrator. Now type the
following command – all on one
line – and hit Enter:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers
*ContentDeliveryManager* |
2 View results
Wait while Autoruns scans your system
– this can take up to a minute or so. Once
scanning is complete, switch to the Logon tab
to get an overview of what starts with your
PC. You can also disable or delete start-up
items from here.

foreach {Add-AppxPackage “$($_.
InstallLocation)\appxmanifest.xml”
-DisableDevelopmentMode
-register }
This will reset Windows Spotlight.
Restart and it should hopefully start
working again.
Hardware
USB MUSIC FOR THE CAR
WITHOUT A CD PLAYER
Q Most new vehicles no longer
have a CD player. My car has a
USB port into which I’m supposed
to plug in a media device,
controlling it with the media/music
app on the dash console.
I have dozens of CDs I wish to rip
to a thumb drive to play them in
my vehicle. I want to see the exact
same design, background and
playlist as though I were playing a
CD in VLC on my PC. I need each
CD to show up separately, so the
tracks aren’t jumbled together.
How can I do this?
Gerald Gibson
conversion tool (browse to the
parent folder, then select MusicBee
> Tools > Convert Format to
convert to MP3). Voice commands
also rely on music files being
correctly ‘tagged’ with metadata
– Windows Media Player and
MusicBee should add this while
ripping, but you can verify and
edit metadata using MP3Tag
(www.mp3tag.de/en/) if necessary.
Hardware
VIRTUAL MACHINE
HARDWARE UPGRADES
Q I’m looking to purchase or
upgrade my PC specifically
for the purposes of running a
couple of virtual machines so I can
continue to run older applications.
What sort of hardware spec should
I be looking for?
Pete Stuart
Support
Technical help
Mayank’s solution
There are three critical
components: processor,
RAM and storage. Look
for a processor offering at least six Do you have
cores, such as the latest AMD Ryzen a PC problem?
5 or Intel Core i5. If your budget Get in touch…
stretches to around £200, look at Email full details of
the AMD Ryzen 7 2700 chip, which your problem to the
offers eight cores – enough to run support team and we’ll
two dual-core virtual machines do our best to help:
windowsmagazine@
while retaining four cores for your
futurenet.com
main Windows installation.
When it comes to RAM, install as Or write to the support
much as you can afford: 16GB team and we’ll do
would give 4GB to each virtual our best to help:
Support Squad,
machine while reserving 8GB for
your main PC, but 32GB would Windows Help &
obviously double those figures. Advice magazine,
And finally, purchase SSD storage Future Publishing Ltd,
(512GB can be had for under £60) to Quay House, The
ensure your VMs can run at Ambury, Bath
BA1 1AU
maximum speed.

Nick P’s solution

Gerald and his wife
have two relatively
new 4x4s, both of
which have touchscreen displays
and accept voice commands.
With this in mind, the best
approach to take when preparing
music on a USB thumb drive is to
stick to some universal rules that
should work across these and other
similar vehicles. MP3 CONVERSION
MusicBee
For use in a car, format the USB can convert
thumb drive in FAT32 format, and existing music to
avoid using sticks that are larger other formats.
than 32GB – Windows doesn’t like
formatting larger drives to FAT32,
and the cars might not read them.
Second, check your owner’s manual
for compatible file formats. If in
“For use in a car, format the USB thumb
doubt, be sure to rip your CDs to
MP3 format. If your files are already
drive in FAT32 format, and avoid using
in another format, use MusicBee’s sticks that are larger than 32GB”

Jargon buster!
Virtual machine
A complete computer system
– including its hardware,
operating system and software
– that is emulated in software,
often for the purposes of
running older OSes for
compatibility purposes.

3 Export summary
If you need to share your start-up
entries – say with us at Support Squad
– then choose ‘File > Save’ to save a report
to your Documents folder. Again this can
take some time, so be patient. Once done,
close Autoruns.
4 Zip and send
The uncompressed file is rather
Processor core
An individual processor
large – locate it, right-click and choose within a multi-core CPU.
‘Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder’. The more cores a processor
Once done, open your email client and has, the more tasks it can
attach the zip file to your message asking process simultaneously.
for help.

October 2019 | | 67
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 :ɰOFʝȷɏ
ɏ Wɛ

WINDOWS 10 TIPS
Windows 10
FEATURES EXPLAINED NEW TIPS AND TRICKS

Welcome )HDʤʦʢʖQɒ
If you’re having 70 Repair your 72 A full, destructive 74 Other reinstall
problems with your Windows installation Windows install options for your PC
PC, many of them
can be solved by
performing a repair
or reinstall of the operating
system – whether you’re
running Windows 7, 8.1 or 10.
On page 70 we’ll show you
how to set about repairing your
existing Windows installation
– it will leave your existing apps,
files and settings in place, but
can work wonders if Windows
has got its knickers in a twist.
Our guide to a full, destructive
reinstall on page 72 is more
drastic, but can sometimes be
the best way to fix your PC.
And on page 74 we’ll reveal
some other reinstallation
options for you to try. FIX WINDOWS
UPDATE ERRORS
Matt Hanson – SEE PAGE 32
Associate Editor
www.facebook.com/windowsmag

Windows 10 tip of the month Bluetooth blues washed away

Fix the Bluetooth bug in May 2019 Update

Some PCs with built-in speakers are
showing some odd behaviour after
installing the May 2019 Windows 10
Image credits: Microsoft

update – they stop playing nicely with

external Bluetooth speakers. Here’s a
quick fix if you’re experiencing wireless
sound drops or crackles. You’ll need to
run the Command Prompt as an
Administrator, so may need an Admin
password. SFC, the System File Checker, RUN AS ADMIN In Search, type “CMD” for Command SCAN Type “sfc /scannow” to start an SFC scan. When
will scan and repair your system files. Prompt. Right-click and choose Run as Administrator. done, restart your PC, and try Bluetooth audio again.

October 2019 | | 69
Repair a Windows install
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EHVWURXWHWRJRGRZQ+HUH¶VZKDW\RXQHHGWRGR«
ot all reinstalls require a

N
complete wipe of your
hard drive. A repair or
refresh installation
leaves your programs,
settings and files in
place, and restricts itself to installing a
fresh copy of your Windows files over
the top of your existing copy. If your
problem is linked to a corrupt file or
Windows setting, the repair installation
can usually fix it.
All repair installs share one common
characteristic: you must launch them
from Windows itself. You can’t boot
from your install media and repair
Windows through that; you need to
boot into Windows, then start the repair
process from there. If you’re unable to
boot into Windows, therefore, you’ll
Windows 10 users can launch a repair install directly from the Media Creation Tool.
need to skip to page 72 and perform a
full destructive recovery instead.
similar non-destructive reinstall to the laborious task of first attempting
Start the repair Refresh/Reset with the added bonus to uninstall Service Pack 1 through
Starting a repair install varies depending that your apps – including those you’ve Windows Update (assuming that you’re
on your PC model and what version of installed outside of the Microsoft Store able to), then reinstalling Windows and
Windows you’re running. Windows 8.1 – will be preserved. To do so, you’ll need

All image credits: Microsoft

and 10 users should (at least initially)
avoid the Refresh/Reset options
provided under Settings > ‘Update &
recovery’. These options will preserve
your files and any apps you’ve installed
through the Microsoft Store, but any
desktop programs you’ve installed will
be wiped along with Windows itself.
Instead, you should ‘upgrade’ your
copy of Windows, which performs a
your Windows installation media – see
the step-by-step guide on the facing
page if you don’t have the latest version.
Why do you need the latest install
media? It’s because upgrade installs Both Windows
only work if the version of Windows on 8.1 and 10
your PC matches that on your install offer a similar
media, so if you’ve installed Service Pack way to repair
your Windows
1 in Windows 7, for example, you need installation.
up-to-date installation media to avoid

Post-repair steps
Start by stress-testing your
desktop to verify that
everything works as it should
– sometimes the repair can
introduce more problems than
it solves, in which case if you’re
running Windows 8.1 or 10 you
can undo the changes. Go to
Start > Settings > ‘Update &
recovery’ > Recovery and look
for an option to go back to
your previous version – click
‘Get started’ and then follow
the prompts.
If the repair doesn’t appear
WRÀ[\RXUXQGHUO\LQJSUREOHP
Windows 8.1 and 10 users can
take one more intermediate
step – the reset or repair. It will
see you waving goodbye to all
those desktop programs you’ve
LQVWDOOHGLQFOXGLQJ062IÀFH
and your third-party security
software), but it will preserve
\RXU0LFURVRIW6WRUHDSSVÀOHV
and Windows settings. Leave
your install media inserted,
then head over to the ‘Update
& recovery’ > Recovery section
under Settings. This time, click
the ‘Get started’ button under
the Refresh (Windows 8.1) or
Reset (Windows 10) option
and follow the prompts.
If this more drastic approach
doesn’t work, or you’re running
Windows 7, then to page 72 for
destructive reinstall options. Windows 8.1 and 10 users can perform a more drastic repair install via
the Reset or Refresh option – be warned, you’ll lose your desktop apps.

70 | | October 2019
 Basi
5HSDLUD:LQGRZVLQVW
then downloading and reinstalling
Service Pack 1, along with all of your
other updates.
Windows 10 users can also launch the
repair process directly from the Media
Creation Tool by choosing Upgrade
when prompted, but given the amount
of time it takes to download the files,
you might as well create your install
media instead – just in case the upgrade
install doesn’t work and you decide to
go down the path of a full-blown
destructive install.

Launch the repair process

The procedure from this point onwards
varies according to which version of
Windows that you have. If prompted to
download updates, do so to save time
post-install.
Windows 8.1 and 10 users will be
asked what they want to keep. Windows
8.1 users should find settings, personal
files and applications are selected by
default (click ‘Change settings’ if this Choose the Upgrade option when prompted to repair Windows 7.
isn’t the case), while it’s ‘Keep personal

“Start by seeing if the specific issue
has been solved, then check to see
that the rest of Windows still works”
files and apps’ in the case of Windows
10 (don’t worry, in this circumstance,
‘apps’ also applies to any desktop
programs that you have installed).
Windows 7 users need to pop in their
install media, double-click setup.exe
and follow the regular reinstall process.
When prompted, click ‘Go online to get
the latest updates for installation
(recommended)’ to download post-SP1
security fixes now, then accept the
licence agreement and choose
Upgrade when prompted.
The upgrade process can take up
to an hour on whichever version of
Windows you’re repairing, even on the
fastest machine, so be patient. Your PC
will reboot several times. If you’re
reinstalling Windows 7, you’ll be
prompted to enter your product key
again, so have it handy.
Windows 8.1 and 10 will relaunch with
the same setup wizard you’d see when
upgrading from an earlier version of
Windows. It’s all very straightforward,
but don’t skip through the Express
settings (if they appear); make sure you
review all settings to lock down privacy.
If all goes well, you should find
yourself at the desktop, ready to see if
your problem has been fixed – start by
seeing if the specific issue that you were
experiencing before has been solved,
then check to see that the rest of
Windows still works as it should – if it’s
not, follow the advice in the ‘Post-repair
steps’ box on the facing page. There’s
also a possibility – particularly with
Windows 7 – that the repair install will
result in a non-booting PC. If this
happens, dig out the rescue media you
created using Macrium Reflect Free (see
page 51 of issue 146 for how to do this)
and use it to restore the drive image you
took before embarking on the repair.
Then turn the page for more options.

Get the latest install media

1 Windows 10 2 Windows 8.1 3 Windows 7

Head to www.microsoft.com/
software-download/windows10 and
click ‘Download tool now’. Once
downloaded, open MediaCreationTool.
H[H :KHQ SURPSWHG VHOHFW ¶&UHDWH
installation media’ and follow the prompts
WR FUHDWH HLWKHU D 86% ÁDVK GULYH RU DQ ,62
Download the Media Creation
Tool from www.microsoft.com/
software-download/windows8 – input
your language, edition of Windows 8.1
and PC architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) and
WKHQ FOLFN 1H[W &KRRVH WR FUHDWH HLWKHU D
86% ÁDVK GULYH RU DQ ,62 ÀOH DQG WKHQ
Go to www.microsoft.com/
software-download/windows7 and
enter your product key – choose a
32-bit or 64-bit version as required.
2QFHGRZQORDGHGGRXEOHFOLFNWKHÀOH
WREXUQWR'9'RUXVHWKH:LQGRZV86%
Download Tool (https://wudt.codeplex.
ÀOH IRU EXUQLQJ WR '9' follow the prompts to the end. comWRFUHDWHD86%ÁDVKGULYH

October 2019 | | 71
A full, destructive reinstall
,I\RX¶UHORRNLQJWRZLSHWKHVODWHFOHDQRUQHHGWRUHFRYHUIURPPDMRU
LVVXHVWKHQXFOHDURSWLRQLVDOZD\VWKHEHVWRQH
einstalling Windows

R
from scratch – namely,
wiping your system drive
to install a fresh version
of Windows on to it – is
the ultimate choice for
anyone looking to revive a slow PC or
resolve a major, non-hardware issue.
Here we’ll step you through the entire
process – if you’re simply looking to
repair an existing Windows install, turn
to our guide on page 70.
Before you begin, make sure your PC
is fully backed up by following the ‘Back
up Windows 10’ tutorial on page 43 of
issue 148. A full reinstall really is
destructive – nothing left on your C
drive will exist once you’ve finished.
If you’d like to transfer selected
program settings from old installation to
Windows 10 users can launch a repair install directly from the Media Creation Tool.
new, download the portable CloneApp
tool (www.mirinsoft.com) to your
backup drive. Once complete launch the target version of Windows. This will START YOUR REINSTALL
tool by right-clicking CloneApp.exe and ensure a cleaner, more up-to-date A full destructive reinstall should
choosing ‘Run as administrator’ and go installation from the off. always be started by booting from your
through its list of 247 supported apps to It’s also worth sourcing networking installation media, be it a DVD or USB
see if yours are there. If any are, tick the and graphics drivers now rather than

All image credits: Microsoft

box beside each one you want to save
the settings for. If any apps aren’t
covered – or you want to back up
additional settings – then choose
Custom where you manually specify the
files, folders and Registry keys where
your program settings are stored. You
should also follow the step-by-step
guide on page 71 to ensure you have
the latest installation media for your
relying on Windows. Consult your PC or
motherboard manufacturer’s website for
these, or visit your Wi-Fi adapter or
graphics card manufacturer’s site –
download them to your backup drive. Windows 7 and 8.1
Uninstall any products that require users will find a
activation – this should deactivate the large number of
licences and allow you to use them with updates waiting
to be installed
your new install. Be sure to have product after reinstalling.
keys and program installers to hand.

Restore programs, settings and data

Once Windows is reinstalled,
open Windows Update to
bring Windows fully up to date
– don’t be surprised if there are
hundreds of updates still to
apply in the case of Windows 7
and 8.1. Once it’s fully up to
date, consider reinstalling
0DFULXP5HÁHFW)UHHDQG
WDNLQJ\RXUÀUVWGULYHLPDJH
– a vanilla backup you can
restore in future instead of
reinstalling Windows itself.
1H[WLW·VDFDVHRI
reinstalling your core apps.
Once in place, open CloneApp
from your data drive. If you
click the Restore button, every
single program setting you
backed up will be restored – if
there are any backup settings
you don’t want to restore,
select Options to locate the
backup folder, then open it and
move any program folders you
want to ignore out of the
folder temporarily before
clicking the Restore button.
Now, take your second
0DFULXP5HÁHFWEDFNXS²D
‘perfect’ snapshot, as it were.
)LQDOO\RSHQ)LOH+LVWRU\RU
the Windows Backup and
Restore tool and take steps to
restore any data you backed
up, then make sure the tool is
FRQÀJXUHGWRFDUU\RQEDFNLQJ
up going forward. Open File History, link it to your previous backup and then you can
restore all your data back to its original location with one click.

72 | | October 2019
 Basi
$IXOOGHVWUXFWLYHLQVW
flash drive. Check the step-by-step
guide on page 71 for some pointers.
The reinstall process doesn’t differ
much across Windows 7, 8.1 or 10.
You’ll be asked to verify your language,
location and keyboard are set correctly,
then it’s a case of clicking Install Now. If
prompted, enter your product key or
click Skip if you’re running Windows 10
on a PC you upgraded during the free
period. When asked what type of
installation you wish to perform,
choose the Custom option.
Next comes the trickiest part of the
process. A list of drives and partitions
will appear – you need to select the one
Windows is currently installed on. By
default, it should be detected and
selected, but verify it’s correct before
clicking Format (click the advanced
Drive Options button if it’s not visible).
Click ‘OK’, then once formatted, verify
the drive is still selected and click Next.
You’ll see a checklist of tasks to be
performed – sit back and wait. When Make sure you’ve got network and graphics drivers sourced.
Windows reboots, you may a ‘press any

“Next comes potentially the trickiest part of the process.

A list of drives and partitions will appear – you need to
select the one Windows is currently installed on”
key’ prompt to boot from CD or DVD. option. For now, confirm your location should you forget it at any point). You’ll
Ignore and let the installer continue. and keyboard, set up your network if then be asked to set up Cortana – this is
required and choose ‘personal use’ where Windows 10’s notorious privacy
SET UP POST-INSTALL when prompted. You can either sign in settings come into play, so review all of
The post-setup prompt begins with with your Microsoft account or click the options carefully, flicking the slider
Windows 7 users being prompted for ‘Offline account’ > ‘Maybe later’ if you to Off for any you don’t need or use.
their product key, then it’s a case of plan to stick with the old-style Windows That’s the end of the setup process
setting up a user account. Windows 8.1 7 local user account. If you opt for the – Windows will configure itself based on
users will get an Express Settings Microsoft account option now is a good your choices and you’ll see a series of
prompt – click the option to customise time to set up a PIN to speed up future messages appear on-screen. When all is
these and go through them carefully. logins (note: the PIN is tied specifically ready, you’ll find yourself back at the
Post-Creators Update, Windows 10 no to this PC, and you can always bypass it familiar Windows desktop screen of a
longer gives you an Express Settings using your regular account password fresher, faster, smoother-running PC.

Start the install process

1 Reboot for media 2 Tweak boot options 3 Windows 8.1/10

If you’re running Windows 7, or
KDYH )DVW %RRW GLVDEOHG LQVHUW \RXU ERRW
media and start your PC. Look for a ‘Press
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HYHQ LI \RX·YH ERRWHG IURP D 86% ÁDVK
If you boot back into Windows,
restart your PC again, but this time press
D NH\ VXFK DV >)@ ZKHQ SURPSWHG WR
open a boot menu. Do so, select your
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,I)DVW%RRWLVHQDEOHGRSHQ
Settings in Windows and navigate to
‘Update & recovery’ > Recovery, then click
‘Restart now’ under ‘Advanced start-up’.
When the boot options appear, choose
GULYH ² SUHVV WKH NH\ DQG \RX VKRXOG ÀQG appears) to boot; otherwise, enter Setup ¶8VHDGHYLFH·WRVHOHFW\RXU86%ÁDVK
the Windows install process starts. to change the boot device order. GULYHRU'9'IURPWKHOLVW

October 2019 | | 73
Other reinstall options
*HWWKHORZGRZQRQWKUHHIXUWKHUWHFKQLTXHVUHLQVWDOOIURPDUHFRYHU\
SDUWLWLRQGRZQJUDGH:LQGRZVDQGVHWXSDGXDOERRWV\VWHP
o far, we’ve covered

S
both traditional reinstall
techniques, but there
are other reasons –
and methods – for
reinstalling Windows.
First up is the recovery option. Most
pre-built PCs come with a built-in
manufacturer’s recovery partition that
enables you to restore Windows to its
factory shipped condition. The main
advantage of this method – aside from
being cheaper and easier for the
manufacturer, of course – is that your PC
is restored to a guaranteed working
state, with all the drivers it needs to
function. The downsides are that a lot
of extra unwanted software is usually
installed alongside Windows, you need
to exercise extreme caution not to lose Fetch the drivers for whichever
version of Windows you install.
everything on the drive, and that if the
recovery partition corrupts – typically
due to hardware failure – you’re left Windows, restoring that version should feature. Second, disable Secure Boot.
with no means of reinstalling Windows. be straightforward in the sense you can And finally, look for a CSM (Compatibility
If you’re planning to reinstall Windows use your manufacturer’s recovery Support Module) option and make sure
by this method, look for a prompt to partition if it still holds the original it’s enabled. All three settings need to
start recovery when you first boot version, or you can try installing from an be made to support Windows 7 – if you
Windows or look for the option under old, unused copy of Windows 7 or 8.1 can’t find them, consult with your PC or
the ‘Advanced start-up’ menu (see – just follow the guides to preparing motherboard manufacturer.
below) – consult your computer’s and reinstalling Windows earlier on in Once done, you should find you’re
documentation or manufacturer’s this feature. Do source the correct able to boot from your Windows 7
website for details. Remember that most drivers for your PC first, though, and installation media, enabling you to
recovery options are fully destructive, so verify that your new software is revert to the earlier copy of Windows.
be sure to have backed up your system backwards compatible (desktop apps
before you begin – and that includes should be, but Microsoft Store apps SET UP A DUAL-BOOT PC
creating a complete drive image. won’t work in Windows 7, and some may Our final scenario is one where you
not work in Windows 8.1 either). install two versions of Windows side-by-
DOWNGRADE WINDOWS
Another reason to reinstall Windows is “If you’re pining for Windows 7 or 8.1, Image credits (left to right), HP, AOMEI Software, ASRock, Microsoft
to revert to an earlier version. If you’re
pining for Windows 7 or 8.1, then it’s
usually possible to downgrade your
it’s usually possible to downgrade
copy of Windows – remember support
for Windows 7 ends in January 2020,
your copy of Windows”
and Windows 8.1 in January 2023. Before If your PC came with Windows 8.1 or side. This is a step for advanced users
reaching for your old Windows media, 10 preinstalled, then going back to only, and if you’re merely planning to
however, you need to do some Windows 7 will be trickier and possibly install an older version of Windows
homework first. even impossible. Before embarking on next to Windows 10 for compatibility
First, if you upgraded your PC to this, check the web to see if others have purposes, explore alternative options,
Windows 10 from an older version of had similar success. You’ll need to namely setting up a virtual Windows 7
source your own Windows 7 installation machine using a tool such as VirtualBox
media and valid licence, and you’ll (www.virtualbox.org), which runs inside
almost certainly need to have access to your main Windows installation.
your PC’s UEFI settings – if Fast Boot is If you are determined to dual-boot
enabled, open Settings > ‘Update & your setup, the step-by-step guide on
recovery’ and click ‘Restart now’ under the facing page covers the process of
‘Advanced start-up’. When prompted, installing an older version of Windows
select Troubleshoot > Advanced alongside your current one.
Options > UEFI Firmware Settings. Before you begin also make sure you
Once inside your PC’s UEFI settings take a fail-safe drive image using
Look under the ‘Advanced start-up’ you need to locate and change three Macrium Reflect Free and be sure to
menu for factory restore options.
settings. First, disable the Fast Boot create the rescue media, too.

74 | | October 2019
 Set up a dual-boot PC
1 Partition hard drive
You’ll need to partition your drive to free up space on
which to store your copy of Windows. The best tool for the job
is AOMEI Partition Assistant (www.aomeitech.com/aomei-
partition-assistant.html). Start by clicking Make Bootable
Media under Wizards to create rescue media.
3 Add new Windows partition
Now select the newly created Unallocated space to
2 Shrink main partition
Select your Windows drive (typically C:) and click Resize/
Move Partition under Partition Operations. Use the slider to free
up at least 30GB space to the right of the Windows partition. If
your drive is an SSD, click ‘Advanced>>’ and tick ‘Allow partition
alignment…’ Click ‘OK’.
4 TZHDN 8(), VHWWLQJV
If installing Windows 7 alongside Windows 8.1 or 10,
the right of drive C and click ‘Create Partition’ under Partition
2SHUDWLRQV9HULI\17)6LVWKHÀOHV\VWHPDQGFOLFN¶$GYDQFHG·
to give the partition a suitably descriptive label, such as Win7
before clicking OK. Click ‘Apply’ > Proceed and reboot.
5 Install new copy of Windows
Once the new partition has been created (check in
Windows), reboot using the installation media for your target
version of Windows. The install process is almost the same as for
a regular Windows installation, but be sure to choose the newly
created partition as your target during installation.
\RX PD\ QHHG WR UHERRW LQWR \RXU 8(), VHH WKH PDLQ WH[W WR
enable the Compatibility Support Module (CSM), plus disable
)DVW %RRW DQG 6HFXUH %RRW 2QFH GRQH \RX VKRXOG EH DEOH WR
boot successfully from your Windows 7 installation media.
6 Post-install steps
:KHQ :LQGRZV UHERRWV IRU WKH ÀUVW WLPH \RX·OO VHH D ERRW
menu appear listing the different versions of Windows you have
installed. If the 30-second delay is too long, or you want to
change the default, Click ‘Start’ > Run, type PVFRQÀJ and
SUHVV >(QWHU@ WKHQ PDNH FKDQJHV IURP WKH %RRW WDE Q
October 2 | 75
TERMS AND CONDITIONS Prices and savings quoted are compared to buying full priced UK print and digital
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 NEW HARDWARE ESSENTIAL ACCESSORIES LATEST GADGETS

Welcome This issue’s highlights

Laptops are
everywhere at
the moment. It
feels like you
can’t turn around
without being assailed by
new models from the
usual manufacturers.
But which is the best?
There’s more than one way
to find out, sadly, as the 78 Gigabyte Aorus 15-SA 80 LG gram 14 2-in-1
answer to that will depend A portable gaming machine that hits Whether in laptop or tablet mode, this
on your needs as a Windows hard and fast, as long as a plug is nearby untraportable 2-in-1 is sure to please
(or Chrome OS?) user.
This month we’ve got a lot
of laptops. There’s a fast,
powerful gaming model that
will eat any task you give it; a
lightweight 2-in-1 that brings
tablet simplicity to the table;
and a whole load of models
aimed at students. Whichever
you choose, enjoy your PC.
82 MSI Optix MPG341CQR 86 Best laptops for students
Nick Odantzis Deputy Editor Surely nobody needs a 34in curved Processing power and long battery life in
windowsmagazine@futurenet.com
w monitor… but what if you had one? machines that won’t break the bank

The Upgrade secttion is your key to finding out about the latest
T
products, all desig
p gned to help you get more from your PC

You can trust our reviews
Our reviewers are 100 per cent
independent, with years of
experience in the world of computing.
Our rigorous testing procedures mean
that only genuine, high-quality
products are awarded high star ratings.
If you see an item of hardware bearing
DKLJKVFRUH\RXFDQEHFRQÀGHQWWKDW
it is an excellent product.
We choose the best products
Thousands of new PC products
are released every year and
choosing between them can be an
impossible task. Our experts select only
the best hardware and software to
feature in this magazine. Even better,
our star rating system makes it simple
WRÀQGWKHEHVWSURGXFWVJLYLQJ\RX
a fast, trustworthy guide.
How we review
Our expert reviewers guarantee
to test every piece of hardware
rigorously and thoroughly, using
only acknowledged experts to
establish the worth of a product.
We always review from the viewpoint
of our readers; the day-to-day
practicality and quality of a product
is paramount.

RATING EXPLAINED Superb Very good Good Disappointing Poor

October 2019 | | 77
 Gigabyte Aorus 15-SA
From £1,400 | $1,500 www.gigabyte.com
This new gaming portable punches above its weight
W
hat’s the right recipe for a
great gaming laptop? It
starts with a fast GPU and
a solid CPU. Then you want a great
display. These days that means a
quality LCD panel, probably based
on IPS technology, with a triple-
digit refresh rate.
Then add plenty of fast RAM and
a quick SSD with enough space for
a decent games library. Oh, and if
it is all packaged up in a nice-
looking chassis with fairly portable
proportions and decent battery life,
that would be nice, too.
It’s a lot to ask. And when you get
the right answer, the price attached
to it is usually megabucks. But not
with the new Gigabyte Aorus 15. It’s
a 15.6-inch gaming portable with
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
graphics card, a six-core Intel CPU,
and a 144Hz panel.
So, it definitely ticks several of
those boxes – we’ll find out
momentarily if it can manage all of
them. It sneaks in under £1,500, still
78 | | October 2019
a fair wad of cash. But pretty sharp
when you consider how easy it is to
spec high-end gaming portables
up to double that money and far,
far beyond.
Our review model rocks in at
about £1,400 ($1,500), but spec it
up with an Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU
and keep the specs otherwise
identical, and you’ll need to cough
up another £300 ($350).
Trim it out with an RTX 2070 and
a 240Hz panel and you’re looking at
over £1,800. Ouch. Sub-£1,500, the
Auros 15 feels like decent value,
despite its plastic chassis. At over
£1,800, it’s a whole different story.
Design for life
As specified, the Gigabyte Aorus 15
cuts a reasonable design dash.
Given the specs including that
six-core Intel chip and speedy
Nvidia GPU, you can forgive the
all-plastic chassis.
It’s mostly a problem in terms of
ambience, rather than build, as it
feels reasonably robust with the
exception of the flimsy screen lid.
Style-wise, it’s obviously a gaming
laptop, with bevelled geometry
and an RGB-backlit keyboard. But it
doesn’t shove that down your
throat. It’s sober enough to not
look ridiculous in a professional
context, let’s put it that way.
At just a little under an inch thick
it’s in the moderately thin and light
notebook category, while the slim
bezels on three sides of the display
help keep the rest of the
proportions in check and also
ensure the Gigabyte Aorus 15 looks
up to date. Nothing dates a laptop
like fat bezels.
Features-wise, the Aorus 15 has it
pretty much nailed given the price
Images : Gigabyte
point. The most critical component
is the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
graphics chip. It’s the most
powerful non-RTX Nvidia chip, and
is well-matched to the 15.6-inch
LCD panel. Based on IPS
technology, it sports a 1080p

resolution that’s relatively modest
nowadays, but means you have a
decent shot at making the most of
the panel’s 144Hz refresh rate.
Well connected
Elsewhere, the Aorus 15 is pretty
well loaded. There’s an Intel Core-i7
9750H six-core CPU, which will
surely deliver all the processing
power you’ll ever need, 16GB of
DDR4 and a 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD,
a second M.2 slot available for
additional drives, and space for a
2.5-inch drive, too.
“The 15.6-inch screen is a bit of a zinger. Supplied
by LG, it’s bright and punchy with strong colours”
The Gigabyte has you well
covered for ports, too, with three
high-speed USB A sockets, a USB
Type-C port, plus DisplayPort, HDMI
and LAN. If you’re looking for
obvious omissions, well, the Aorus
does lack support for adaptive
refresh technology. It’s indicative of
the fact that this is a fairly price-
orientated laptop and shouldn’t be
a deal-breaker.
This isn’t the most powerful
gaming laptop on the market. In
fact, Nvidia offers fully three GPUs
in ascending order that are more
powerful than the Gigabyte’s GTX
1660 Ti 3D chip.
Likewise, the 1660 Ti isn’t quick
enough to simply crank the settings
to max in any game and still get
buttery-smooth framerates. What
Gigabyte Aorus 15-SA
we can confirm is that you’ll get
very playable framerates in
nearly all games with the settings
maxed out.
The 55fps it achieves in Total War:
Warhammer II at ultra settings, and
the 72fps it cranks out in Middle
Earth: Shadow of War, again set to
ultra, are indicative of that. Games
in which super-high framerates
are critical tend to be a little less
graphically demanding in any case.
But compromise on just a few
visual bells and whistles and the
Auros 15 will seriously fly. It’s worth
noting, however, that when the
Aorus is burning through a game’s
3D engine at a rate of knots, the
fans spool up pretty dramatically.
We had no issues with thermal
throttling, but the downside is a
lot of fan noise.
Six appeal
As for the rest of the rig’s
performance, you shouldn’t really
have any complaints. That Intel
six-core CPU offers a level of
performance that would have been
staggering just a few years ago. The
same goes for the 512GB NVMe
SSD. Truly, this is desktop-class
performance in a reasonably
portable package.
As an example of the impact of
cost savings, the Aorus does not
October 2019 |
Upgrade
KEY FEATURES
Gigabyte Aorus 15-SA
Supplier Gigabyte
Operating system Windows 10
Processor Intel Core-i7 9750H
Storage 2xM2, 1xSATA
RAM 16GB
Graphics Nvidia GTX 1660Ti
Connectivity Wi-Fi AC, Ethernet,
Bluetooth V5.0 + LE
Weight 4.14kg
Screen size 15.6-inch
Display resolution 1920x1080 144Hz
appear to support Nvidia’s Optimus
tech, so can’t switch to the Intel
CPU’s integrated graphics to save
power. You’re looking at about
three hours of video playback from
the battery.
For the record, the 15.6-inch
screen is a bit of a zinger. Supplied
by LG, it’s bright and punchy with
strong colours, good viewing and
decent response. Factor in the
144Hz refresh rate and few gamers
will have any complaints.
Inevitably, the Aorus’ battery life
is less than stellar. Not only is this a
performance-orientated machine,
it’s also competitively priced and
reasonably compact, all of which
tend to limit the size of the battery.
In our battery benchmark test,
where we loop a 1080p video with
the screen at 50% brightness, the
Aorus lasted just three hours. This is
a laptop that you’ll need to use
near a plug socket.
Proper gaming laptops don’t
come cheap. If that’s a well proven
universal truth, the Gigabyte Aorus
15-SA is about as close as you’ll get
to an exception. It boasts pretty
much the perfect specification mix
to keep the price in check while
delivering full-on gaming.
Likewise, costs have been limited
in areas like chassis materials
without compromising robustness
too much. The system’s cooling
gets the job done, too, albeit with a
fairly hefty associated din.
The Gigabyte Aorus 15-SA isn’t
perfect, but it does deliver on its
remits pretty effectively if you can
live with the limitations, including
fairly poor battery life.
Gigabyte’s new gaming portable
packs serious specs, but battery
life is poor and fans are noisy.
| 79
 LG Gram 14 2-in-1
£1,200 | $1,500 www.lg.com
So versatile, there’s little it can’t do in the home or the office
L
G’s Gram 14 2-in-1 looks and
works just like a standard
laptop. And with a quick
rotation of the display, it converts
into a tablet. Inside each box is a
stylus, driving home the point that
LG views the Gram 14 2-in-1 as an
ultraportable device that can bend
and fold to the will of its users.
The Gram 14 2-in-1 weighs very
little, has a respectable spec sheet,
and is reasonably priced. But, as
with any laptop, the big question is
whether the promised experience
of what’s on paper translates into a
proper experience in the real world.
That answer is a resounding yes.
The Gram 14 2-in-1 will set you
back £1,200 (about $1,500,
AU$2,136) for the configuration we
have here. That’s right in line with
what you should expect to pay for
a similarly equipped Lenovo C930
or HP Spectre x360 15T.
The standard Gram 14 packs an
Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and a
256GB SSD, with more expensive
80 | | October 2019
configurations pushing the total
price up.
The 2-in-1 model comes with a
Wacom AES 2.0 Pen and will
convert to a tablet when the screen
is rotated nearly 360 degrees. For
artists or those who want more
than a regular ol’ laptop, the 2-in-1
is where it’s at.
Inside the Gram 14 2-in-1 we
have for testing is an Intel Core
i7-8565 CPU, Intel HD Graphics 620,
16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.
That’s quite the impressive kit, and
the resulting performance is just as
impressive. The integrated graphics
chip isn’t going to lend itself to
being any sort of gaming machine,
but it’s good enough for an
occasional photo- and video-
editing session, and maybe some
casual gaming.
The Gram 14 2-in-1 feels snappy
and rarely, if ever, strained under
heavy loads of multiple Chrome
tabs, a YouTube video and Spotify
streaming. Similarly, there was little
lag when rotating the display
between the various modes and
switching to Windows 10’s tablet
mode. It was nearly instantaneous,
as we would hope.
Design and display
The outside of the Gram 14 2-in-1 is
somewhat boring. The dark silver
housing is plain, outside of the
silver Gram logo on the back of the
lid. After opening the lid, you’ll find
a 14-inch display, the keyboard with
a power button that doubles as a
fingerprint reader in the top-right
corner, and bright highlights that
note a key’s additional functionality.
The bezels around the display
aren’t the smallest we’ve seen, but
the slim design is noticeable.
The hinges rotate the Gram 14
2-in-1’s display back almost a full
360 degrees, allowing for a
Images : LG
dedicated tablet mode, stand
mode (for gorging on Netflix) and a
tent mode (more Netflix, of course).
The hinges are sturdy and don’t

move around without a light
amount of force. That’s good
– there’s little point in using
something like stand mode only
to have the laptop close itself.
One of the first things we noticed
upon picking it up is how light the
Gram 14 2-in-1 is, weighing 995g
and measuring 323 x 212 x 16.6mm;
W x D x H. It’s MacBook Air-light
and lends itself to portability more
than the Spectre x360 15T’s 4.81
pounds. It’s even half a pound
lighter than the Yoga C930’s 3.04
pounds. Some device makers have
“Most laptop keyboards are good, but not great.
The Gram 14 2-in1’s keyboard is exceptional”
taken to cutting out nearly all
useful ports from their slim devices,
opting instead for a couple of
USB-C ports and some dongles.
The Gram 14 2-in-1 only has one
USB-C port, but in addition has two
USB A ports, a microSD card reader
and an HDMI port. And of course
there’s a headphone jack.
The ports are evenly distributed,
with a USB port on each side, and
the left side also housing the
HDMI and USB-C ports. On the
right side is the headphone jack,
the other USB port and the microSD
card reader – possibly the single
most underappreciated port on
any computer.
The Gram 14 2-in-1’s display is
also a touchscreen. We’ve used all
sorts of gestures, taps, long-presses
and everything in between and the
screen has kept up with our every
demand. That shouldn’t be all that
surprising, given that it’s designed
to serve as a laptop and a tablet.
Pen and keyboard
The included Wacom AES 2.0 Pen
has two buttons and 4,096 levels of
pressure and purportedly lasts up
to 18 months from a single AAA
battery. We’re no artist, and our
handwriting is far from exceptional,
but writing and drawing on the
Gram 14 2-in-1’s display was
something we could see ourselves
using if we owned it.
The Gram’s keyboard is
deceiving. The keys look rigid and
loud, yet are the exact opposite.
The keys have a soft feel to them,
yet enough feedback to let you
know when a stroke is registered
with very little sound. We adjusted
to the keyboard in minutes and
enjoyed every letter typed.
Most laptop keyboards are good,
but not great. The Gram 14 2-in1’s
keyboard is exceptional.
The trackpad is centred with the
laptop’s housing and is smooth
when used for scrolling or gestures.
Where we get caught out is when it
comes time to press on the pad for
a click. The resistance by the
trackpad is uneven, with the top
October 2019 |
Upgrade
LG Gram 14 2-in-1
KEY FEATURES
LG Gram 14 2-in-1
Supplier www.lg.com
CPU 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-8565
GPU Intel HD Graphics 620
RAM 16GB
Storage 512GB SSD
Connectivity 802.11ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 5.0
Weight 995g
corners almost feeling stuck in
place, but the bottom corners
feeling like you’re about to press
through the bottom of the laptop.
If you stay in the middle of the
trackpad there’s a consistent
experience, however, that’s not
always possible as scrolling and
gestures lead to clicking all over
the trackpad.
Battery delight
Perhaps our favourite aspect of the
Gram 14 2-in-1 is its battery life.
With a 72Wh battery, LG claims a
potential battery life of up to 23
hours. We weren’t able to achieve
that number, which is almost
always the case, but we did reach
10 hours and 45 minutes in the
TechRadar movie test. In
comparison, the Lenovo C930’s
battery is even more impressive,
lasting 13 hours and 10 minutes in
the same test, while the HP X360
15T powered through 6 hours and
56 minutes.
Those results translate into
what’s likely a full day of use, and
more than enough power to get
through a long flight that requires a
few movies.
Outside of the speakers and the
trackpad, and depending on how
you feel about a mundane design,
there’s little to fault here. In fact,
we’re rather impressed by the
laptop’s battery life and
performance for its light weight.
As far as 2-in-1’s go, the Gram 14
is no slouch. It’s a solid performer
that can keep up with comparable
machines. The screen, keyboard
and battery life left us impressed
and confident in its capabilities,
and you should be, too.
The LG Gram 14 2-in-1 offers a
smooth keyboard, crisp display
and battery that goes on forever.
| 81
 £1,400 | $1,700 www.canon.co.uk
Affordable (ish), full-frame and mirrorless: what’s not to like?
T
he EOS RP is the second
full-frame mirrorless camera
from Canon. While the EOS R
was met with something of a
lukewarm reception, the EOS RP
aims to aggressively target sales of
other brands by launching at a very
attractive price. It will even come
bundled with an adapter to allow
you to use any existing Canon EF
lenses that you might already have
in your kit, too.
To that end, you can pick up the
EOS RP for around £1,399 body only
(with the adapter). If you want to
pick it up with a 24-105mm f/4 L
USM lens as well, it’ll set you back
around £2,300. Neither of these
figures are loose change, sure, but
it’s a reasonable price for a brand
new full-frame camera – and
crucially it’s cheaper than the Nikon
Z6 (around £1,700 body only RRP at
the time of writing – with no
adapter included).
While some will have been
disappointed not to see a high-end
82 | | October 2019
EOS R come to the market, from
Canon’s point of view, launching
something at the entry-level
probably makes a lot more sense. If
they can hook people in at the
beginning, or near the beginning,
of their camera journey, it’ll pay
dividends in the long run.
Canon already caters for those
new to full-frame with its 6D series
of DSLR cameras, with the latest
being the 6D Mark II. As mirrorless
becomes more mainstream, those
thinking about making the jump to
full-frame now have a mirrorless
option – with all the benefits that
brings – to consider as well.
Body and handling
Considering the EOS RP is housing
a full-frame sensor, Canon has done
a good job of keeping it on the
small side, especially given that it
has a fully-articulating screen on
the rear too. Weighing in at just
440g (body only), it’s smaller and
lighter than its sibling the EOS R. In
theory that might make it good as a
backup or travel camera, but it’s
important to bear in mind the
accompanying lenses – which are
still fairly large.
A reasonably chunky grip helps
to make the EOS RP nice and
comfortable to use, while the
button layout on the back is on the
whole sensible. On the top of the
camera there’s a mode dial with a
range of shooting modes, plus dual
control dials for adjusting different
parameters depending on the
mode you’re in. Use these mode
dials in conjunction with an M.Fn
button to change exactly what
you’re controlling, and it’s a pretty
nifty set-up. For more quick access,
tap the Q button on the back of the
Images : T3/Future
camera for direct access to a
number of different settings.
One change from the EOS R is the
lack of the touch-sensitive M-Fn bar
– it’s no great loss not to see it here
though – most didn’t find it all that
useful anyway. There’s also no

top-platee LCD for quickly checking
settings, either.
There’s a smaller and lower
resolutioon EVF (electronic
viewfind der) than you’ll find on the
standard d EOS R. The EOS RP has a
2.36-milllion-dot OLED 0.39-inch
d
device, which in isolation is actually
pretty decent and usable. If you
have never used the 0.5-inch,
3.69-million-dot EVF of the EOS R,
there’s every chance you won’t
appreciate the difference. If you’re
coming to the EOS RP from a DSLR
(full-frame or otherwise), it’ll be a
new experience not using an
optical viewfinder – but for our
money, a better one. You get the
bonus of seeing how settings will
be rendered as you make them, as
well as being able to zoom in to
check focus, or see images in
playback to make sure you’ve
nailed the shot.
The viewfinder is joined by a fully
articulating touch-sensitive screen.
This is great for composing from
awkward angles, as well as being
useful for shooting video. Tapping
around the screen changes the AF
point, and you can also use it to
make changes in either the quick
menu or the full main menu.
Overall, the EOS RP has some
good points, but we find the
handling of the Nikon Z6 to be
much more sensible, while the
smaller size of the latter’s
accompanying lenses making it a
better proposition for travel.
Features
At the heart of the EOS RP is a
26.2-megapixel full-frame sensor
– making it a few megapixels short
of the 30.3-megapixel sensor found
in the more expensive EOS R.
In terms of video, the EOS RP
offers 4K – but it is limited. First of
all, it’s subject to a crop which
means that shooting at a wide
angle is tricky. It’s also only possible
to record at up to 25p. It doesn’t
actually compare too badly to the
EOS R, which is also subject to a
crop but can offer up to 30p
framerates. Full HD is more flexible,
offering no crop and framerates up
to 60fps. There’s Dual Pixel CMOS
AF too, which is designed for both
speed and accuracy.
Performance
Images are bright and punchy
directly from the camera, with
good scope to make tweaks to the
raw format files to get exactly the
colour and detail you want should
you need it.
Exposures are well-balanced with
the all-purpose metering system
putting in a good performance in a
October 2019 |
Upgrade
Canon EOS RP
KEY FEATURES
Canon EOS RP
Supplier www.canon.co.uk
Sensor 26.2 megapixel
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
USB Type C
Screen 2.95” (7.50cm) Clear View LCD II,
approx 1.04 million dots
Processor DIGIC 8
Built-in flash None
wide range of different lighting
conditions. Automatic white
balance also copes well with several
different kinds of light to provide
accurate colours without the need
for too much tweaking either
in-camera or in post-production.
Focusing is also decent, with the
Dual-Pixel AF system snapping into
action easily and quickly. It’s
probably not the camera for those
who regularly shoot action, but it
does a semi-decent job when
photographing predictably moving
subjects – so long as you accept
that the results will be likely be
more luck than judgement.
In low light, noise is kept to a
minimum unless shooting at very
high ISO speeds. That said, if you’re
forced to use 12800, the results
aren’t too bad so long as you keep
your images on the small side (fine
for social media, for example).
You don’t get as much detail with
the 26.2 megapixel sensor as you
might do from something with
twice the resolution – but unless
you’re in the habit of printing your
images at massive sizes, then it
shouldn’t be a problem.
Overall it really does depend on
what you like to shoot, and what
you’re hoping to achieve from the
camera. If you shoot mainly static
subjects, and are not bothered by
video, you’ll likely be very pleased
with what the EOS RP is capable of.
There are better offerings
available, but not many that offer it
at such a low price – so that’s also
likely to be incredibly tempting,
too. If you’re already invested in the
Canon system, the EOS RP makes a
lot of sense. If not, it’s worth
investigating other brands before
you commit.
Captures lovely images using its
full-frame sensor, with a body
that’s small but pleasant to use.
| 83
 MSI Optix MPG341CQR
£869 | $799 www.msi.com
There’s VA, rather than IPS, tech in this hot new 34-inch gaming monitor
C
an a glorious 34-inch curved
LCD panel with support for
144Hz refresh, adaptive sync
and HDR stand out in the crowded
monitor market these days? The
new MSI Optix MPG341CQR offers
all that, plus some gamer-friendly
extras, and does it all at a price that
looks pretty punchy compared to
several key competitors.
For starters, MSI has gone for VA
rather than IPS screen tech. It has
also fitted the Optix up with some
snazzy RGB LED lighting.
But this panel will have to deliver
on its core proposition as a 34-inch
super-wide gaming monitor. While
the extras sweeten the deal, the
Optix MPG341CQR has a tough
fight on its hands versus the usual
suspects in this category.
In general terms, MSI has priced
this panel aggressively even if it’s
still a lot of money to invest in a
screen. The likes of Asus’s ROG
Swift PG349Q is several hundred
more expensive but can’t quite
84 | | October 2019
match the MSI’s 144Hz refresh. The
Asus PG348Q offers similar pricing
but only 100Hz refresh. LG’s
34GK950F can match the 144Hz,
but again will cost you several
hundred dollars or pounds more.
Design and features
The design is sophisticated and
feels expensive. The stand is robust
and widely adjustable for height,
tilt and swivel. The aesthetics are
pretty slick too, thanks in part to
slim bezels on three sides of the
panel. Looks-wise, the other
standout feature involves ‘Mystic
Light’ RGB LEDs in the lower bezel.
They add nothing to the
screen’s performance, but if you
like this kind of thing it’s a clever
implementation, fully
programmable and configurable
with neat transitions as the colours
flow smoothly along the individual
LED segments. It’s very slick.
More conventionally, the
MPG341CQR’s core feature set
begins with a 34-inch VA panel that
boasts both an 1800R curve and
144Hz refresh. That’s pretty nippy
for a VA panel, which raises
questions about this monitor’s pixel
response. It’s rated at 1ms, but pixel
response hasn’t always been a
strong point of VA screens.
Most of the competition in this
segment goes with IPS panel tech,
but VA does have one very clear
advantage: static contrast. This
monitor is rated at 3,000:1 for static
contrast, far better than any IPS
screen can achieve.
Resolution-wise, we’re talking
3,440 by 1,440 pixels, which is the
current norm for this class of 21:9
aspect monitor. There’s also
adaptive sync support from
FreeSync 2.
The final really significant feature
Images : MSI
from an image quality perspective
is HDR400 certification. It’s the very
lowest level of HDR support and
doesn’t include local dimming. It
also means the MSI Optix

MPG341CQR is capable of 400 nits
brightness, which is punchy by
conventional terms but nowhere
near the 600 or 1,000 nits produced
by true HDR displays. Elsewhere,
you get excellent connectivity in
the form of DisplayPort, HDMI and
USB-C interfaces.
The main advantage of the MSI’s
particular combo of specs is that it
allows for quite a bit of detail and
very fluid framerates in nearly all
games courtesy of graphics cards
that actually exist today. 4K at
144Hz is all very well. But good luck
“The aesthetics are pretty slick too, with slim bezels
on three sides and RGB LEDs in the lower bezel”
driving a game like, say, Metro
Exodus at 4K and full detail. You’ll
need one heck of a graphics card to
break 30fps, let alone 144fps.
MSI has also fitted the Optix
MPG341CQR with a camera in its
lower bezel.
When MSI showed this screen off
at trade shows earlier this year, that
camera was the basis of a number
of so-called AI features including
facial recognition for jumping
between OSD menu presets.
Most of those features aren’t now
mentioned on MSI’s website or in
the screen’s manual, so it’s unclear
whether they are due to be
enabled, perhaps in a future
firmware update. MSI also provides
a mount that fixes to the top
bezel. The idea is to attach a
MSI Optix MPG341CQR
webcam to the display for
streaming purposes. It’s a niche
feature, but could be handy for
gamers who like to stream.
Performance
The MSI Optix MPG341CQR looks
vivid and punchy straight out of the
box. Colours are very vibrant, while
black levels are outstanding. The
HDR400 certification is very much
poor man’s HDR, but this is still a
bright and dynamic display by
conventional standards. Think of it
as turbocharged SDR rather than
true HDR and you’ll get the right
idea, even if it is handy that this
display can process an HDR signal.
It means you’ll get the correct
colours when viewing HDR content,
be that video or games.
MSI also scores points with the
Optix MPG341CQR’s default
calibration. There’s little to no sign
of compression in either white or
black scales, which is pretty
impressive. The general image
quality is good, therefore. What
about gaming?
MSI offers three levels of pixel
response. The fastest is a little
too enthusiastic and results in
some overshoot and inverse
ghosting. But the middle setting
makes for very good response
with no noticeable downsides.
October 2019 |
Upgrade
KEY FEATURES
MSI Optix MPG341CQR
Supplier www.msi.com
Resolution 3440x1440, 21:9
Refresh rate 144Hz
Connectivity Displayport 1.4,
HDMI 2.0 (2x), USB-C
Weight 907g
Yes, there are LCD panels that
deliver slightly less motion blur.
But what MSI has achieved with
VA panel tech here is impressive.
There’s also a zero latency mode,
but we found little subjective
evidence of lag operating in
standard mode.
Of course, the 144Hz refresh
makes everything feel so smooth
and slick, provided you have
sufficient graphics firepower. It’s
also worth noting that the
MPG341CQR’s adaptive sync works
fine with both AMD and Nvidia
graphics cards. Nvidia’s control
panel recognises it as ‘G-Sync
compatible’ and enables adaptive
refresh automatically without any
need to force that functionality on.
One final plus point is USB
Type-C functionality. In our testing,
all of the MPG341CQR’s key features
ran nicely over USB-C. That means
you can hook up a gaming laptop
over USB-C and have 144Hz and
adaptive sync. For gamers that run
laptops but want a desktop display
for home, that makes the
MPG341CQR very appealing.
MSI has come up with a very nice
overall feature set here. The core
specifications, including the
superwide 1440p resolution and
144Hz refresh are right at the sweet
spot for high-end gaming right
now, while the extras including the
fancy RGB LED lighting and USB-C
connectivity may sweeten the deal
depending on your needs.
All that is delivered at a price that
may not be strictly cheap, but it is
highly competitive with similar
monitors. If you’re shopping in
this part of the market, we
recommend you put the MSI Optix
MPG341CQR at, or near, the top of
your shopping list.
Great specs, huge screen, fast and
contrasty. There’s a lot to like
here, but it comes at a price.
| 85
 STUDENT
Whether it’s school, sixth form, college, university or
home study, these are the best laptops for learning
1 Hauwei Matebook 13
£1,100, www.huawei.com/uk
Available for much less than its RRP
online, the MateBook 13 comes closer to
striking that perfect balance of price and
performance than anything else in 2019
so far. It’s light and compact, perfect for
stowing it in your backpack as you hurry
from class to class; and it’s fast and
affordable as well. Sure, you’ll need
to keep that charger on hand, as the
battery life is underwhelming, but
there’s still no doubt that the Huawei
Matebook 13 deserves its lofty spot
on this list.
86 | | October 2019
LAPTOPS
Winner!
2 Dell XPS 13
From £1,200, www.dell.com/uk
Dell’s flagship laptop has always been
rated as one of the best machines for
professionals and casual, everyday users.
The XPS 13 2019 brings back the
entry-level model, making it cheap
enough for college students once again.
Dell has also fixed our biggest issue with
the XPS lineup – the webcam, which has
finally been moved back above the
display where it belongs. This means that
your family and friends won’t have to
stare up into your nostrils when you’re
video chatting ever again.
3 Surface Laptop 2
From £881, www.microsoft.com
Microsoft’s original Surface Laptop was
held back by its below average
performance, a lack of ports and
Windows 10 in S Mode. The Surface
Laptop 2 significantly improves on this
– with the exception of the ports. It’s
now packed with 8th-generation Intel
Kaby Lake Refresh processors, full-fat
Windows 10 Home and a black colour
option. It omits USB-C and Thunderbolt
3, but that doesn’t change the fact that
you will get all your tasks done in style
with this laptop with little to no effort.

T
he top contenders for
the best student laptops
put value over having
the top-of-the-line
processors and graphics cards. And
yet, they still have enough juice to
get you through your demanding
4
4 Microsoft Surface Go
£379, www.microsoft.com
When you’re shopping for a laptop for
school that strikes a balance between
cost and performance, a bit of style can’t
hurt. The Microsoft Surface Go isn’t just
one of the best Windows tablets, but it’s
also one of the best student laptops,
especially from a value perspective.
Don’t be duped by the low-power
components, as Microsoft engineered
this tablet to take on all your general
schoolwork and more without breaking
a sweat. You’ll need to add the cost of a
keyboard to the price, though.
workload at school – as well as let
you partake in some post-school
entertainment like light gaming
and Netflix.
In fact, some of our picks for
the best laptops for students are
among the most wallet-friendly
6
5 Acer Swift 5
£950, www.acer.com/uk
For school you don’t need designer
catalogue looks, you need a device
that’s going to get the job done, and
going by that condition, the Acer Swift 5
should be near the top of anyone’s list.
This affordable ultrabook is packed with
the latest 8th-generation Intel
processors, not to mention enough
RAM and SSD storage, to take on
pretty much any homework or project.
It’s not the most amazing looking
laptop in the world, but with that price
and spec, looks hardly matter.
October 2019 |
Upgrade
Student laptops
devices on the market. But make
no mistake: just because they’re
very affordable, doesn’t mean
they look cheap. In fact, they also
exude style, tout power and offer
portability, all without breaking
the bank.
6 Dell Inspiron
Chromebook 11 2-in-1
£200, www.dell.com/uk
Most schoolwork can be done on a
Chromebook, which could save you
hundreds of pounds. If you want
something that will help you do all your
research, type up essays, and nothing
else, the Dell Inspiron Chromebook 11
2-in-1 might be the perfect fit. Being a
Chromebook, it won’t be able to handle
much heavy lifting, but at £200 it doesn’t
need to, and the convertible form factor
makes it pleasant to work with. Great for
students on a strict budget.
| 87
THE BEST FREE PDF EDITOR 2019
Create and edit PDF documents with these free tools
1 ApowerPDF
www.apowersoft.com
Here we’re recommending the
online version of ApowerPDF.
The developer, Apowersoft, also
makes a desktop PDF editor, but
this is a premium tool, whereas
2 PDF-XChange Editor
www.tracker-software.com
If you need to edit the text in a
PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal.
It lets you retype, delete, and
reformat text, and adapts well if
the document uses a font that
isn’t installed on your PC. You can
88 | | October 2019
the online version is free to use,
but before you can use the online
PDF editor, you’ll need to click
‘Launch online’ and download
Apowersoft’s launcher – a browser
also attach comments, split PDFs,
and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s
best features is the ability to use
OCR to recognise text in scanned
documents – ideal if you only
Winner!
add-on. This take a little extra
time, but the effort is well worth it.
Edit PDFs from The PDF editor will open
scratch in your outside your current browser
web browser. window. You can edit text –
very unusual for a free PDF
editor, and very handy. Text
won’t always flow the way you’d
like it to, so you may need to
spend some time tweaking
alignment and text box size,
but it’s very impressive for a
free PDF editor, and especially
one that runs as a plugin.
Your exported PDFs won’t
be watermarked either.
We’re converted.
RATING
have a printout rather than the
original file (a handout from a
Beware using
image credits: Apowersoft, Tracker Software, Sejda, Red Software
lecture, for example).
premium features
without paying
Some of the features visible in
– your PDF will the menus and toolbars are only
be watermarked. available in the premium version
of the software, PDF-XChange
Editor Plus, but you can easily
hover your mouse pointer over an
icon to find out if it’s included.
The paid-for downloads,
PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50
(£35) for the normal version, but
for additional features such as
form creation and use you will
need to buy PDF-XChange Editor
Plus, which costs $54.50 (£45).
RATING

3 Sejda
www.sejda.com
This fee online PDF editor offers
an excellent range of tools, with
an added layer of security: all files
are deleted from its servers after
five hours. You can add text,
4 PDFescape
www.PDFescape.com
There are two versions of the
PDFescape PDF editor: a free web
app and a premium desktop
program. Here we’re using the
images and links, sign documents,
add annotations, and insert
shapes. There’s also a ‘whiteout’
option, though this simply draws a
white rectangle – it doesn’t
online editor; if you download the
desktop software, you’ll only
receive a trial of the premium
edition. It’s suitable for Chrome,
Software Test
Best free PDF editor
remove any data. There’s no OCR
either, so you won’t be able to
A good range of
edit text in scanned PDFs.
tools, but the free When you’ve finished, click
service is limited. ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able
to download the document, send
it to Dropbox or Google Drive,
delete it, or access a shareable link
that will expire after seven days.
There are limits on the free
service: every hour, you can
process no more than 200 pages
or 50MB data (whichever comes
first) and perform no more than
three tasks. That’s pretty
generous, but if you need more,
there are weekly, monthly and
annual p
price.
RATING
Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer,
The free online
editor is good,
Opera and Safari.
but lacks a few The online editor lets you create
premium features. new text boxes on the page, but
unless you upgrade to the full
desktop version there’s no way
to edit existing text. You you can
create simple geometric shapes
and – as with Sedja, above – add
white rectangles to obscure parts
of the document when it’s printed.
PDFescape lets you select a
picture from your PC, then drag
a rectangle to insert it. You can
insert text fields too, enabling you
to create simple forms – a rare and
welcome feature for a free app.
RATING
October 2019 | | 89
 In the next issue...
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Contributors
2019
Matt Bolton, Aaron Brown, Alex Cox, Jason Cipriani, Amy Davies, Cat Ellis,
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Photography
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