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Despite widespread opposition, the government is pushing
through its long-gestated plan for identity cards. Up until
the last election it was argued that such cards would help
prevent terrorist attacks in this country. Mr Blair has now
expanded the cards brief to combat identity theft and
benet fraud. Is there anything else youd like to throw into
the mix, Tony? Not helping the situation is the fact that the
process for implementing the gargantuan scheme is in the
hands of an administration that has struggled with almost
all the computer-related projects that its implemented.
The new air trafc control system, the Child Support Agency, the Inland
Revenue, the centralised police computer database all have fallen foul of
technological pitfalls and bureaucratic ineptitude.
The ID card will not only hold all your personal information, but also scans
of your iris and your ngerprints. So, what happens if this information is
compromised in some way? You cant change your ngerprints and your iris in
the same way as you can change a password. Furthermore, the tax payer will
be the one footing the bill. The London School of Economics put the cost of
each card at 300.
Does the government really think that ID thieves, benet fraudsters and
terrorists are going to provide such sensitive information about themselves?
Or does it just want to scare the law-abiding majority of this country into
thinking that we need such measures? After all, no one mentioned ID cards
when IRA activity was at its height in the 1980s.
Welcome to
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Technical help and solutions to your problems
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Practical projects and tutorials for you to try
The best software on our cover CDs
Editor Simon Pickstock
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Online Editor Chris Lloyd
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Software Copyright Sarah Williams
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Editorial contributors
Mike Abolins, Graham Barlow, Al Bickham,
Nick Billingham, Joe Cassels, Richard Cobbett, Alan
Dexter, Dan DiNicolo, Dan Grabham, Christian Harris,
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Richards, Paul Townsend, Mike Williams, Mark Wilson
Art contributors
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Vincent Fraser, Simon Goddard, Sarah Robson.

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Disclaimer All tips in this magazine are used at your own risk. We can accept
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Future Publishing Ltd 2005
ABC January-December 2004: 28,330
)
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Deputy editor
Inside this issue
CONTENTS
20 25 Tips
OpenOffices
hidden treasures
24 Project 1
Genealogy
database
32 Complete Guide
40 Project 2
Do more with
photos
46 Linux
Skin your distro
48 Internet Security
Free anti-virus
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Everything you need
to know to get the
very best from your
PCs hardware
PAGE 72
FIX HARDWARE
PROBLEMS
in just one hour
AUGUST 2005
D
O
N
T
TRY
T
H
I
S
A
T
HO
M
E
!
54 Performance
tweaks
Memory
upgrades
56 XP Admin Tools
Slipstream
XP patches
61 Firefox tweaking
Speed up the fox
62 How Windows
Works
What inf files do
64 Hardware
Project
Build a PC-based
firewall
68 How to Upgrade
Graphics cards
70 Dont Try
This At Home
PC in a G5
>
HACK IT
Maximum power, minimum effort p53
>
SOLUTIONS
Tips, tricks and projects p19
>
REVIEWS

QUICK
GUIDE
Your at-a-glance guide
to whats in this issue
CONTENTS
5 Editors intro
8 News
10 Inbox
12 Technofile
19 Solutions
53 Hack it
72 Cover feature
94 Reviews
104 Support
117 Competition
119 Subscriptions
137 CD Pages
143 Classified Ads
146 Next Month
>
SUPPORT
Expert help for your problems p104 Spend your cash on these upgrades p83
PLUS
Security toolkit, PCAnswers essential software,
Wireless networking toolkit, Linux live distro
>
ON YOUR CDs
All the best free software available!
84 Cool Gadgets
Must-have kit
86 Hardware
Group Test
ADSL wireless
routers
94 Reviews
We test the
latest hardware
and software
for your PC
138 Redbox Organizer V6 OEM
Never miss an appointment, forget a
birthday or anniversary ever again with this
fully featured organiser package
105 Scam of
the Month
GreenZap
106 Stamp out
spyware
BHOs
108 Ask the Experts
116 5-Minute Guide
Drive caching
120 The Clinic
Shuttle
problems
122 Hardware
Helpdesk
130 How It Works
Chipsets
explained
132 Network
TCP/IP
136 Patches &
Updates

W
I
N
!

A
U
S
B
H
A
R
D

D
I
S
K
P
A
G
E
1
1
7
141 Acronis
Migrate Easy PE
Speed up the process of moving
data from one PC to another
142 Roxio RecordNow
Deluxe LE
Back up all your files or create
audio CDs with this top app
Anti-Spyware
Toolkit
Make your PC safer with
our collection of tools
140 Shop Factory 5
Build yourself an online shop or just make an existing
one even better
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
8
NEWS
Just when you thought it was safe to go back online
I
f like many of us, the thought of
your PC succumbing to an insidious
piece of spyware scares you to
death, then perhaps you shouldnt read
on. Actually, forget that you should.
This is because spyware is becoming
worse than ever. If keyloggers and
spam bot nets werent bad enough,
were now beginning to see a new
variant of spyware.
The browser hijacker
CoolWebSearch has been around for
some time now and is one of the
hardest bits of spyware or BHO
(browser helper objects) to remove.
However, just when it looked as
though one tool had got it licked, like a
superbug in a hospital, the hijacker is
changing and evolving. According to
research by security firm ClearSwift,
CoolWebSearch is developing in a way
thats becoming a worrying trend.
It now attaches itself to exe files
so that even when you think you have
removed it, when you click the exe file
again it infects your system once more.
In fact, the boundary between spyware
and viruses is now becoming more and
more blurred, said Pete Simpson, the
Threat Lab manager at ClearSwift.
One way to see what spyware you
have on your PC is to use Hijack This.
However, Pete Simpson says that even
this isnt the best tool to use: the
diagnostic results it produces are
difficult to understand, unless youre
particularly technically minded.
So does this mean that spyware is
out of control? Not necessarily,
according to Pete Simpson: If you
discount adware then the sheer
volume of spyware isnt that great, but
that doesnt mean that it isnt an issue.
The way spyware is now operating is
changing though.
Key loggers still a threat
The biggest concern surrounding
spyware is a key logger infiltrating your
PC. This could then give hackers easy
access to your passwords. Pete
Simpson feels that although this
scenario is fairly rare, it shouldnt be
discounted altogether. Many people
underestimate key loggers. We are
starting to see viruses such as Bagel
incorporating them as well as a
backdoor, in the same way that Sober
had a backdoor that enabled it to send
out large amounts of spam. With the
likes of Bagel, when you consider the
sheer number of homes on broadband
then you will have hundreds of
thousands of potential PCs harbouring
the virus which also comes with a
key logger.
If that wasnt scary enough,
phishing scams are becoming more
devious. Previously, emails were
randomly sent purporting to come
from a bank. Now, con men are using
much more personalised information in
an attempt to fool their victim. Instead
of receiving an email that says Dear Sir/
Madam for instance, the new emails
are addressed to the target personally
and contain accurate information
about their account. As a result the
victims suspicions wont be aroused
and theyll then go to the fake Web site
in the link, handing over their log-in
details in the same way as with older
phishing scams.
To fool key logging software many
online banks use drop-down menus for
you to input your pass phrase so that
you arent actually typing anything in.
You may feel safe from all spyware by
logging into your bank in this way, but
not always. Spyware writers have ways
around this, with tools that enable
them to take screenshots of your
screen or monitor your mouse clicks
and movements whenever you log in
to any online banks.
Furthermore, theres nothing the
banks can do about it. When Pete
Simpson was approached by the
financial sector to help with security,
he realised that the problem lies with
Windows: it just isnt secure enough.
Its not a problem you can throw
money and technology at, he said.
Another source close to the banks
added that spyware has evolved and in
some forms is now almost unstoppable.
One further threat is software that
installs itself on a PC and stays dormant
until the user goes online.Then, when
the user is performing some legitimate
transactions an invisible window opens
up through which the hacker performs
transactions of their own.When this
extra activity is picked up say, on a bank
statement it appears to have occurred
at the same time the user was online.
Unfortunately, Pete Simpson
doesnt have a magic cure for these
threats, only the advice that prevention
is better than cure.
BYTE SIZE
Snippets from
the realm of
computing
Spywares getting nastier
ITS NOT A PROBLEM YOU CAN THROW
MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY AT
NEWS
AUGUST 2005
9
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Sony and Microsoft reveal their next-generation gaming platforms
The expert crime
Being in the know about online crime
wont necessarily keep you safe. One
of the experts on such subjects
Andrew Goodwill, Managing Director
of Early Warning (UK) Ltd recently
became the victim of the very crime
that his company tries to prevent.
This shows that no-one is immune,
says Goodwill, after someone spent
$600 on one of his credit cards..
Console wars begin again
Mobile phones have always held an attraction for the yoof
of today. Virgins new Lobster phones builds on this idea:
the range is aimed at 1630 year olds and bears their
finances firmly in mind. 90 will buy an impressive camera
phone with decent colour screen. Can we have one, too?
Lobster of youth
Apple teams up with Intel
By 2007 all chips in Apples product
line will be made by Intel. Its dropped
rival processor manufacturer IBM
after the company failed to resolve
ongoing supply problems. Apart from
having to rewrite the OS for the x86
architecture, Apple could experience a
slow-down in sales as people wait for
the new Apple models with the more
powerful chips to become available.
iMop
IRobot, the company that so kindly
gave the world Roomba, the robotic
vacuum cleaner, has revealed its
newest creation Scooba, the robotic
mop. So if you spend too much time
on the computer to ever clean the
house, maybe you should think
about buying a robo-mop. Unlike a
regular mop, says CEO Colin Angle, it
doesnt redistribute dirty water. Wow!
A
fter months of
speculation Microsoft
and Sony have both
unveiled their next-generation
consoles thatll do battle over
the next few years. With the
games market now worth
millions of dollars, getting the
right hardware is essential.
Whereas Microsoft
started off on the back foot by
releasing the Xbox into a
market already dominated by
the PS2, this time it has stolen
a march on its Japanese arch-rival
and produced the new Xbox 360 first.
Many people still believe that consoles are only
for kids. This opinion is behind the times. Just as
PCs are making in-roads into the home
entertainment market, so are games consoles. Both
the PS2 and Xbox could play DVDs now theyre
capable of so much more.
The original Xbox was often referred to as just
a PC in a different-shaped box as it owed much of
its heritage and parts to the PC. Now, things are
quite different. Whereas the old model had a
300MHz Celeron, the Xbox 360 has a three-core
IBM PowerPC processor, clocked at 3.2GHz. This is
coupled with a 500MHz ATi chip that has 10MB of
memory onboard. This may not sound
like much compared to the 512MB were
seeing on PC graphics cards, but the
graphics chip also shares some of the
512MB of GDDR3 memory thats built
into the machine. None of this is
currently available to the PC user.
The device is liquid cooled and
the 20GB hard drive is now
removable. Whereas Microsoft
made a mistake with the
original controllers by making
them too big, this time
theyre more compact and
wireless. The Xbox 360 is
wireless ready and youll be able to connect any
MP3 player, apparently. The crossover trend
continues as the 360 will be able to connect to PCs
running Windows XP Media Center Edition.
How does the PS2 measure up?
The specs of the PS3 look rather familiar. It uses the
now well-documented Cell chip from IBM, which
will also run at 3.2GHz. Sony claims that this is
twice the speed of the Xbox 360s.
In true competitor style the graphics come
from ATis arch rival nVidia, which was behind the
original Xboxs graphics. This again shares access to
the main memory, which totals 512MB. This isnt in
one block though: 256MB is XDR memory which
the CPU uses and the other 256MB is again GDDR3
for the graphics.
Whereas the Xbox 360 will use a standard DVD
drive, the PS3 will make use of the new Blu-Ray disc
format that Sony has co-developed. This
means that game developers will be
able to fit more on to the discs
than is currently possible. The
drives will still be able to play
DVDs and CDs, though. If all
that isnt enough for you, the
PS3 also has a removable
hard drive and will have
wireless onboard.
So which console will
come out on top? Who knows.
There is a rumour within the
industry that Microsoft has a
business plan where it will
give away Xboxes if it needs to,
in order to gain market share.
If thats the case, Sony
had better watch out.
The Xbox 360 is due
towards the end
of this year and
the PS3 in the
spring of 2006.
Swarmy Linux
Researchers at the University of
Essex are using Linux and embedded
processors to build tiny robotic
helicopters. The copters are part of
an experiment in swarm intelligence
and wireless cluster computing.
The copters should be able
to communicate with
each other over
Bluetooth, too.
INBOX
Metric madness
I read with interest your reply to the
letter in issue 147 about feet and
inches. You sarky bugger! You
couldnt resist taking the mick,
could you? What do you call a
17-inch monitor then? Eh? Do you
weigh yourself in kilograms? What
about the French forcing their
terrible metric system on the rest
of the world? Last I looked the
world map wasnt coloured in blue.
I liked the have a pint bit. I think
you meant have a 568ml drink.
It is odd here in the UK, though.
You buy petrol in litres, but
measure car economy in miles per
gallon. This helps hide the fact that
petrol is now nearly 5 a gallon
(thats the UK one, not the American
one, of course).
Chris Lloyd
Thanks for your comments Chris it
only goes to show how mixed up
measurements are in the UK and that
maybe we should measure screen size
in centimetres from now on. My
screen is 48.26cm diagonally
Firefox foibles
Having read your magazine for the
last two issues I was glad to note
your bias towards security. So I
installed Firefox from the cover
disc. I liked it from the off among
other things I thought the tabbed
browsing was excellent. Then I
started to run into problems.
A severe critical security flaw
was well reported in the news.
Mozilla reacted swiftly by posting a
notification to users to turn Java
off (what a pain). In fairness to
Mozilla, an update was posted
within days, but, after installing
the critical 1.0.4 update (over my
existing version) and re-enabling
Java, Im still having problems!
Things dont seem to work. For
example, if I go to the BBC radio
player I cant skip five minutes or
adjust the volume and if I go to
Yahoo! LAUNCHcast I cant watch
videos. Dabs.tv doesnt work either
these are all sites Id trust. I have
a problem with the caching of
Internet files in Firefox as well
I dont know where theyre stored.
If I remove the stored cache from
Firefox, I sometimes find traces in
my temporary Internet file, which I
delete through IE options.
Im concerned, paranoid even,
about security, as Ive recently
started online banking and I was
alarmed when I read Lloyd Neales
letter in PCA145. While I want to be
as secure as possible, Id also like
functionality. Is this possible?
Dave McNaughton
Here at PCAnswers, we take PC
security very seriously, as it seems
rarely does a day go by without some
new threat to PCs. By using Firefox,
youre increasing the security of your
PC and youve noted that the Mozilla
community is much quicker with
updates to problems than Microsoft.
Unfortunately, Firefox isnt foolproof
and not all Web sites are designed to
work with it yet another downside
to Microsofts domination of the
browser market. Hopefully, as other
browsers gain acceptance, fewer and
fewer sites that only work with IE will
exist. Heres hoping, anyway.
Building bugbears
In the Build your perfect PC step-
by-step guide (PCA146), certain
steps are hardly recommendable.
Your advice to first mount the
motherboard in the case (step five),
then the CPU (step seven) and
heatsink (step eight) and then the
RAM (step ten) is awkward, to say
the least. It should really be: keep
the motherboard on its static bag
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
10
Inbox
Seen something in this magazine
thats helped you, or made you
angry? Let us know! Your thoughts
are worth money!
I have this serious problem
with my wife. She keeps spending
all our money on essentials:
things like food, clothing,
household items, council tax and
so on. We end up with nothing
left for interesting things like
electronic gadgets and computer
peripherals. I mean, you can
walk out of the supermarket
100 poorer, or put 40 in the car
every time you fill up, and it all
goes within days! But she thinks
a USB hard drive 80GB no less,
such as Ive just bought on eBay
for 42 is extravagant! Never
mind that itll last years with a bit
of luck, and with the
Acronis Drive Image
from a previous cover
disc, Ive already made
my data, programs and
setup secure, so that
a fatal crash can be
followed by miraculous
resurrection, thus
saving hundreds of
pounds needed to get a new
computer (I explained).
No. Im only joking. Shes very
good about it really, and I do
make a few pounds writing songs
for a Web site, which covers any
new stuff I buy. What Im really
saying is that amazing value
exists today. The computing
power and range of devices
available to us for not very much
money is simply astounding.
Not only that, but software
either free, or given out with
magazines covers almost
anything youd wish to do.
I only needed to buy one or
two specialised music-recording
programs, and the rest came
courtesy of your good selves, or
with hardware I bought.
Thanks for all the software,
the knowledge, and for what is
still the best and most useful
magazine available. Theres
something every single month
that Ive used, installed, or
learned. Keep up the good work!
John Dickinson
Thank you for your kind words. Its
nice to know that
you like what we do
each month.
Yes, its amazing
what you can get for
your money these
days. My first PC cost
me over 1,200
pounds just under 10
years ago and when I
think of the hardware it had its
really quite laughable. I think the
processor was around 100MHz, and
it had something like 32MB of
memory and a 2GB hard disk. I think
you can get mobile phones more
powerful than that now!
Were glad you like the
software on the cover disc its
something that were always trying
to improve. As for having some
extra cash for those gadgets you
like, the Maplin voucher should help
you out somewhat.

5
0
STAR
LETTER
VALUE FOR MONEY
WRITE IN AND WIN!
Let us know your views on the magazine, the computing
world, or anything else you want to get off your chest.
The author of every letter published will receive a
10 Maplin voucher, while the best will receive 50,
so get typing! Email us at pca.inbox@futurenet.co.uk
Maplin has a range of
computing components
at www.maplin.co.uk
INBOX INBOX
on a flat surface. Then mount the
CPU and apply thermal paste. A
number of heatsinks need extra
support, which must be mounted on
the motherboard, and for that youll
need access to the bottom of the
motherboard. So put that heatsink
in while the motherboard is still out.
Next put in the RAM. That way youll
prevent bending the motherboard
and perhaps cracking its circuitry, if
heavy-handed people press them
in too hard. This way youll have
ample space to work your way
around that motherboard. Some
cases have a connector between
the small cables from the cases
front panel to the motherboard (for
HD-led, power, reset, speaker etc.).
Its much easier to put these on
with the motherboard out, rather
than fiddle with tiny cables in a tight
space at the edge of that
motherboard. When all this is done,
put that motherboard in.
Another gripe I have is the way
you brush aside the power supply.
This is one of the most important
and overlooked items in your PC!
The PSUs that come with a case are
generally of extremely poor quality
and nearly always too weak. PC
builders should go online as there
are many tools that can help you
calculate the amount of power you
need then add a safety margin of
30 per cent to that. That should tell
you which size PSU to get, and you
should only buy from established
PSU-manufacturers, such as
Enermax, Antec and Fortron not
at your local computer fair! Nearly
all PSU problems stem from too
weak and poor-quality units.
In all fairness, over the years
Ive learned a lot from your great
PCAnswers, the only magazine to
which I have a subscription. Its just
that I dont always agree with all of
your advice. Keep up the good work!
Dominic Bijl
The way you suggest to construct a
PC is valid, as are your reasons, though
we feel the risks you mention are
fairly slim. Weve built many a PC at
PCAnswers and have never suffered
the problems you mention. Wed add,
though, that its nigh on impossible to
connect the front panel connectors
before you install your motherboard.
As for power supplies, youre correct in
stating that theyre important, but for
many PC users the PSUs provided in
cases are adequate, more often than
not. If you have several hard drives in
a RAID array and a power-demanding
graphics card then you will need a
PSU with more oompf.
Password suggestion
Password Agent, as detailed in your
June cover feature, is a great little
program. I would suggest, however,
that anyone setting up a password
file does so in an independent
location, such as a floppy disc or USB
memory stick. These can be inserted
when the file is needed and removed
afterwards, so no file is left available
to anyone getting into your PC.
Clive Chambers
Thats a very sensible solution, Clive.
Its never a good idea to have your
passwords stored in the same place
its like writing your PIN on your
cashpoint card otherwise.
Linux labours
I have to agree 100 per cent with
Peter Clarke (issue 146). This
started off as an excellent project
and I rushed out and got a copy of
Linux. I was eagerly waiting for the
next step, which I thought would be
the install process, followed with a
step by step guide on the desktop
and using the Operating System.
Instead, it all got all technical and I
also assume the man from Microsoft
had got to the PCAnswers editor. So
how about starting it over again?
There are tutorials about every six
months on installing Windows.
David Hope
David, let us put your mind at rest
Microsoft hasnt got at Simon! As
for the Linux pages, were in the
process of making them more
accessible again, so dont worry. We
fully intend to fill in the gaps, such as
how to install Linux.
THATS A SENSIBLE SOLUTION
ITS NEVER A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE
PASSWORDS STORED IN THE SAME PLACE
XXXXXXXXXXX TECHNOFILE TECHNOFILE NEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
12
SIZE MATTERS
Were reaching the limits of our current hard drive technology, but who cares?
As Mike Williams explains, theres a mini-storage revolution around the corner
W
ith bloated applications,
bulky downloads and your
digital photo collection to
store, hard drive space has never
been in such high demand as it is
today. Manufacturers have done
their best to help by roughly
doubling drive capacities every two
years, but can this go on? Maybe not,
especially with the current technology.
The problem lies deep inside
your hard drive, where youll find a
central spindle holding a number of
glass discs, called platters. Theyre
coated in a substance that contains
tiny, magnetically-sensitive grains,
which your drive head flips into one
of two states to represent a binary
one or zero.
Up until now the key to
increasing capacity has been to
reduce the size of each magnetic
grain, then cramming more onto
each platter, but this trick cant be
used forever. The closer each grain
becomes to the others, the more
likely its magnetic charge will
influence them. Worse still, they
need so little energy to be magnetised
that the drive operating temperature
might flip bits on its own.
This issue is called the
superparamagnetic effect, and its
effectively going to put an end to
current hard drive recording
methods. No need to panic, though
the industry already has the answer,
and you might find that youve used
it before.
Perpendicular recording
Anyone whos been using PCs from
the days of DOS may remember
the non-standard floppy
technologies that appeared back in
the early 1990s. IBM had a 2.8MB
floppy, for instance, while 1992 saw
Toshiba coming up with a 4MB disc.
They never really caught on (you
couldnt read the high-density discs
in a normal drive), but the
perpendicular recording technology,
was interesting. Its just what we
need to save us from the
superparamagnetic effect.
The basic idea is a simple one.
Instead of the current method,
where grains are laid out flat on the
MANUFACTURERS HAVE DONE THEIR
BEST TO HELP BY ROUGHLY DOUBLING
DRIVE CAPACITIES EVERY TWO YEARS
The mini-storage revolution were all so
eagerly awaiting means that mobile phones
will probably get even smaller
XXXXXXXXXXX TECHNOFILE TECHNOFILE NEWS
AUGUST 2005
13
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
> OPINION
surface of each platter, perpendicular
recording sees them stood on end,
with a soft underlay layer used as a
coating and a magnetic material
selected for its resistance to
changing direction.
Simply changing the grain
orientation enables manufacturers
to cram more of them onto a platter,
even with existing technologies.
However, it turns out the process
also improves the coercivity of each
grain its ability to accept and retain
a magnetic charge which will allow
grain size to be reduced while
packing density increases even more.
As a result, we could see an
immediate doubling of capacities
when the first perpendicular drives
appear, soon after you read this. By
2007, tiny products such as the
Hitachi Microdrive will hold 20GB
and well see the first terabyte (1,000
GB) desktop drive soon afterwards.
Higher data densities will also
translate into improved performance,
as the drive head has less distance to
move to pick up a given amount of
data. So, will your system see the full
benefit? Thats another question.
Goodbye to IDE
Well certainly see perpendicular
recording used in regular IDE drives
this year and thatll help provide
extra capacity, of course, but
performance? Probably not the ATA
interface simply cant deliver much
more speed. Its already close to
maximum and even if it wasnt,
high-bandwidth technologies such
as Gigabit Ethernet are swallowing
up any available PCI bus bandwidth.
Itll take Serial ATA to get the
most out of the new drives, then,
and preferably an implementation
that isnt tied in to the PCI bus. Youll
gain further performance benefits if
you obtain a system that includes a
Serial ATA II controller, as this offers
some useful improvements.
On a busy PC, for instance, the
system may be trying to load files
that are dotted all over your hard
drive. SATA II addresses this with
Native Command Queuing, which
enables the drive to reorder its
various read and write
operations, and
so reduce the
amount of head
movement
required.
SATA II also
brings more dubious
benefits, like Port
Multipliers, connecting
up to 15 drives to one SATA
port. Hmm, isnt that the
type of confusion that led to
Serial ATA appearing in the first
place? You dont have to use them,
though, and on balance SATA will
likely see us through the next ten
years or so.
Perpendicular recording is a
smart way to extend the life of
modern hard drive technology, but
its only a temporary reprieve. Well
still run into the superparamagnetic
effect eventually, unless drive
manufacturers can come up with
something thats entirely new.
Consequently, theyre all working on
their own research products, because
theres big money for whichever
company can come up with the next
generation of drives.
One particularly interesting new
technology created at North Carolina
State University involves dots of
nickel measuring around 5
nanometres (5 billionths of a
metre) in diameter. Laser
pulses are then
used to
heat
the
nickel,
which
forms blobs
of plasma,
and then deposit uniform dots
across a substrate.
Concept to consumer
This technology could theoretically
deliver an astonishing leap in data
density, with a terabyte of
information held in something
the size of a postage stamp. So
thats every MP3 file, digital photo
or document youll ever download
or create, all in a single handheld
device. Furthermore, the creators,
Ashutosh Tiwari and Jagdish
Narayan, suggest we could see
this implemented within five years.
Whether we will or not is
another matter and theres always
a considerable distance between
an initial proof of concept and
a finished consumer product.
Still, someones going to achieve
this sooner than we think and then
PC data storage will never be the
same again. Q
FORMAT
WARS
DVD technology will soon
be obsolete, but whats
going to replace it?
Having a 1,000GB drive
sounds great, until you think
about what happens if it
breaks down. In
addition, how exactly
are you supposed
to back up all
that data?
DVD
really
isnt
up to
the task, even
dual-layer, but there are
better solutions on the way.
Blu-ray promises 50GB discs
right away and perhaps up to
200GB in the future, which
sounds good to us. With big
names like Sony, Philips and
Panasonic behind it, the
technology has a good chance
at success.
However, there might be
obstacles in its way. Toshiba
and NEC lead a rival group
pushing their own standard:
HD DVD. Capacity is lower at
30GB (for dual layer), but the
discs will be backwardly
compatible with regular DVD
players, which is potentially a
very big advantage.
So which format gets to be
VHS, and whos Betamax?
Right now wed pick Blu-ray as
the winner for its bigger
following and higher capacity,
but its a tough call. Lets see
what happens when the first
players appear later this year. By changing from longitudinal to perpendicular recording, we could well see the first
1TB desktop drive fairly soon
I
ts a fundamental law of PC
development that CPU speeds will
roughly double every 18 months.
Programmers know this means they
can add fancy new features to their
applications, as new hardware will
have the muscle to run it. PC
manufacturers know the new
software will persuade more people
to buy new systems. You know that
every time you shell out for a new PC,
youll end up with something thats
significantly faster than the last one.
Weve become so used to this rule
that almost everyones grown to
accept it and think itll carry on forever.
You may think that eventually well
have PCs that can accurately predict
the weather, say, and possess true
artificial intelligence its just a
matter of waiting until theres enough
computing power on the desktop.
Theres only one problem with
this rosy picture of our future it isnt
actually true. The past two years have
seen Intel ramp up the Pentium 4
from 3.0 to 3.8GHz, for instance not
enough of a speed increase to even be
noticeable for most people. Last
November, the company said it was
abandoning the endless cycle of clock
speed increases to concentrate on
multi-core technology and AMD is
following the same path.
Size matters
The first PC was powered by an Intel
8088 processor, containing over 25
thousand transistors. It was a lot for
the time, but the latest CPUs now use
more than 230 million and all those
extra transistors need a lot of power.
The humble 8088 required only a
minimal 5W, for instance, but that
rose to 21W for the Pentium III, and
then to over 100W for the Pentium 4.
AMD arent far behind, with 89W
required for the Athlon 64 FX.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
14
THE VIRTUAL MACHINE
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Heres one way to use dual-core CPUs
Many applications wont benefit significantly from a dual-core
processor, but Intel thinks its Virtualisation Technology might persuade
you to buy one. You may have come across Virtual Machines in products
such as VMWare Workstation. They enable you to create an
environment inside a window that acts just like a regular PC. You
can install an Operating System on it, then any program you want,
and run it just as though it were on a separate PC. A Virtual Machine
makes it possible for you to install and run Linux, say, but as a window
within Windows XP. Or you could create a sandbox Virtual PC.
If something importants deleted, or the software turns out to be
infected by spyware, you can click Revert and the Virtual PC switches
back to its original disk image. Confidential files and apps could be
stored on their own virtual system, where only you can access them.
Current Virtual-Machine software has performance issues, as the
Virtual PC must share CPU time with the host. Thats much less of a
problem in the multi-core world, though, and upcoming dual-core
CPUs from both Intel and AMD will offer new support for Virtual PCs.
CORE WARS
FEATURE MULTI-CORE CPU
This new technology should deliver the most powerful CPUs ever, but
Mike Williams wonders what benefits youll see from multi-core processors
MAY 2005
15
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
The extra power requirements
and faster speeds also mean that a
typical CPU generates a lot of heat.
Thats why a massive heatsink is
required to stop it from being fried.
Theres another problem, based
around the transistors themselves.
Although a transistor is just a switch
that can be either on or off, its never
quite as off as youd think. Even a
switched-off transistor still has some
power flowing through it, a
phenomenon called leakage current.
The more transistors you have on
a CPU, the more power will be wasted,
but thats not the only issue. Smaller
transistors also tend to leak more, and
leakage increases as temperature
rises, so Intel and AMD are beginning
to run into a development wall. Its
looking as if weve pushed silicon CPU
technology to its limits.
Pipelining
Theres more to improving CPU
performance than simply ramping up
clock speeds, of course. If you cant
make the processor physically faster,
then making it smarter is a useful
alternative. A typical CPU processes
program instructions in four basic
stages, for instance: grab an
instruction from memory, decode it to
find out what must be done, process
the instruction, then store the results.
The first CPUs followed exactly this
pattern, step by laborious step.
Then someone had a clever idea.
As each step was carried out by a
separate part of the processor, why
not let them all work at the same
time? Itd start as before, with one
instruction being fetched from
memory. Then, while that was being
decoded, itd also be fetching the
second one. Furthermore, while the
first was being processed, itd be
decoding the second, and grabbing
the third, and so on. Now every part of
the CPU is working simultaneously
and four times more work is being
done than before. The concept was
named pipelining, and it can make a
significant difference, although there
are some complications. In particular,
programs arent always linear, they
jump around between instructions,
and its not always obvious which one
the pipeline should process next.
Guess incorrectly and the pipeline
must be flushed, throwing away its
recent work altogether.
This effect can be reduced by
adding branch predictor logic that
tries to figure out what the program
will do next, or including more
memory on the chip (the L1 cache) for
speedier RAM access. Of course that
takes more transistors, which need
more power and generate more heat
the very problem were trying to avoid.
Clock speeds have reached their
limits, then, and stand-alone
processors are as smart as theyre
going to get, but the CPU world says
we shouldnt worry just yet. Theres a
new idea thats going to give us the
fastest processors ever. If we can no
longer increase the speed of an
individual CPU, then the next best
thing is to embed two cores into one
processor. Each one can then work
independently of the other, creating
you twice as much processing power.
In the future, maybe we can have four
cores, or eight, delivering far better
performance than we can see right
now. Thats the promise of multi-core
technology. We dont need to guess
whether or not this promise can really
be delivered, because as we write,
Intels first dual-core desktop CPU, the
Pentium D, has just been released.
However, it shows there are plenty of
problems to be solved before multi-
core becomes a must have for most.
The top clock speed of the first
dual-core Pentium Ds, for instance, is
3.2GHz, which doesnt look that
attractive against a regular 3.8GHz
Pentium 4. Intel cant run the CPU
significantly faster, at least yet,
because it would require too much
power and generate excessive
amounts of heat. L2 cache is another
problem area, with each core in a
Pentium D restricted to 1MB only
half what you can see on a Pentium
Extreme Edition. There just isnt the
die space to hold any more.
Share problems
Its also worth remembering that
although you have two cores, they
must share access to your RAM and
the system bus. This introduces all
kinds of potentials for delay and
ensures a dual-core PC will never be as
fast as a true dual CPU system. So will
you see any benefit from the new
technology? That depends on another
factor altogether.
Although everyone talks about a
program running, that doesnt make
Read more about dual-core CPU design and performance at www.anandtech.com
STING IN THE TAIL
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Why multi-core could cost you more
Having two cores per system sounds like all-round good news, but
that might not be true if youre a big corporation. Companies like
IBM, Oracle or Sybase usually licence enterprise software for a
fixed amount per CPU, and if a dual-core system counts as two
processors, then suddenly the bill will be doubled, even though
youre not getting twice the performance.
How will dual-core be treated for software licences? The picture
seems mixed. Microsoft, Red Hat and Sun Microsystems have said
theyll treat dual-core CPUs as one product, while Oracle
announced itll treat them as two processors. IBM seems to be
treading a middle route, treating dual-core x86 CPUs as a single
chip, but charging per core on its own Power5 processor.
This may not be an issue left entirely to businesses, either. If the
Virtualisation Technology (see The Virtual Machine boxout) takes
off then were likely to see support for Virtual PCs in Windows. Will
Microsoft then charge extra for the software you install on a
virtual system? Watch this space.
AUGUST 2005
15
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
THE CPU WORLD SAYS WE SHOULDNT
WORRY YET. THERES AN IDEA THAT WILL
GIVE US THE FASTEST PROCESSORS EVER
FEATURE MULTI-CORE CPU
sense in Windows terms. The
Operating System creates something
called a thread when your application
starts and this is the object that
actually runs program code. The
distinction is important because an
application can launch more than one
thread if it likes. A spreadsheet could
have one thread that performs its
math, for instance, while another
handles your keypresses and mouse
clicks. That way it can run through a
lengthy set of calculations while still
quickly responding to your button and
menu selections.
Any application written to be
multi-threaded like this will benefit
from a dual-core CPU, as two threads
can run at the same time. But what
performance increase will you see? In
this example, we can expect the
calculation thread to be handling
95 per cent of the work, as displaying
menus and dialogs isnt very CPU-
intensive and so running the user
interface thread on a separate core
wont make much difference. If the
program is written to spread the work
more evenly between its threads,
though, you can expect to see
significant improvements. Video
rendering, DVD and audio encoding
programs are often good examples,
and you might see anything from a 10
to 90 per cent gain in speed.
The problem for dual-core is
that many programs (including
CPU-intensive 3D games) are single-
threaded and wont see any benefit
from the new processor technology.
Splitting an application into multiple
threads makes it more difficult to
write and debug, so many
programmers wont be in a hurry to
change how they work. There will be
improvements over time, but its
going to be a gradual process.
Any speed gains you see in the
meantime will be patchy, but at least
dual-core will help out with Windows
multi-tasking. If youre running a
single-threaded spreadsheet thats
engaged in a lengthy calculation, for
instance, then on a regular processor
youd be best leaving it alone. Yet with
a dual-core CPU you can launch
another CPU-intensive application,
such as a game, and not see any
significant delay in either program.
This alone will help dual-core build a
following in the server market, where
systems run many processor-heavy
tasks, even if the desktop benefits are
less well defined.
Dual-core Opterons
Still interested in testing out the dual-
core world? Intels new Pentium
designs arent the only options on
offer. AMD released a dual-core
Opteron at almost the same time, so
we can begin to compare the two
new technologies. Just as with Intel,
cramming two CPUs onto a single die
has resulted in some clock speed
compromises, and the first three
models will be rated at 1.8, 2.0 and
2.2GHz. The new Opterons have been
engineered to keep power and heat
requirements to a minimum, though,
and this is where AMD win their first
significant victory. While Intels dual-
core solutions will only work on a new
Many CPU-intensive games are single-threaded and wont benefit from the new technology
05
Intel release Montecito, a
dual-core Itanium with 1.7
billion transistors and a
24MB cache
AMD expect three dual-
core Opterons to arrive,
code-named Egypt, Italy
and Denmark
AMD release the first
Athlon 64 FX-based
dual-core CPU,
code-named Toledo
06
Yonah, the first Intel
mobile dual-core 65nm
processor, enters
volume production
Two optimised Intel Xeon
dual-core processors to
be released
Spring sees Sony release
the Cell-powered
PlayStation 3
IBM reveals the first Cell
workstation some time in
the autumn
Intel predicts a Dual-Core
65nm desktop CPU is
released later in the year
07
Intels Tukwila Itanium
CPU likely to be released,
probably with 4 cores on a
single die
AMD believe theyll
produce engineering
samples of quadcore CPUs
this year
> MULTI-CORE TIMELINE
HARD CELL
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Could this CPU beat both Intel and AMD?
Earlier this year IBM, Sony and Toshiba announced
the Cell chip and, if you believe everything you
read, it could be the processor to change everything.
Its got eight cores, with local memory, and managed
by a central core based around IBMs PowerPC CPU.
Its claimed Cell can reach speeds of 4.8GHz, and
outperform single-core Intel and AMD processors
by a factor of ten. Distributed processing is
apparently another benefit. If you have a network
of Cell systems, then any busy processors will share
their workload around, and so use their resources
as efficiently as possible. Which is handy, as the
PlayStation 3 will be powered by Cell. However, there
are reasons to doubt some of these details. The
PlayStation 2 used a Sony and Toshiba CPU the
Emotion Engine that was supposed to outperform
everything else. It never happened. Furthermore,
the Cells eight cores are simplified vector CPUs,
fine for some math tasks, but not for running
applications. It may run selected synthetic benchmarks
ten times faster than a Pentium, but real world
tests wont see anything close to that. Factor in
distributed processing, cost and power consumption,
and the problems begin to look significant.
FEATURE MULTI-CORE CPU
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
16
i955X chipset motherboard, the
Opteron equivalents are pin-
compatible with any Socket 940
system that supports the current
90nm chips. Once your motherboard
manufacturer makes a BIOS update
available, youll be able to swap your
regular CPU for a dual-core Opteron.
The dual-core Opteron also benefits
from what AMD calls a System Request
Interface and crossbar switch, which
enables each core to communicate
directly with the other. Intels design,
by comparison, requires the cores to
go off-die to talk to each other, not
such an efficient design. Factor in the
improved bandwidth of the Opterons
1GHz HyperTransport link and it looks
as though AMD will win the first
battle in the multi-core wars. The
company is likely to move further
ahead with the dual-core Athlon 64
X2, released later this summer, as its
due to be released with an improved
clock rate of 2.4GHz. Itll take some
detailed benchmarking to tell for sure,
but so far thats looking like the
performance CPU to buy.
AMD may have produced
some particularly impressive
products, but the move to
multi-core is still going to
disappoint some
people. Lower clock
speeds mean you
might actually
switch from
your old PC to a
new multi-core one, for instance, and
see some single-threaded applications
run slower than before. Finding out
how to use dual-core CPUs efficiently
is what will drive most of the
performance gains well see in the
next couple of years.
Multi-tasking gains
This means the initial gains the
average user sees will come mainly
from multi-tasking, but thats going
to have another effect. Your shiny
new dual-core PC may well have the
processor power to enable Excel to
recalculate a massive spreadsheet
while you play Far Cry, but does it
have the RAM? If not, disk swapping
is going to seriously sap your
performance. Memory will be a major
bottleneck in the multi-core world,
take our word for it, and new PCs with
2 to 4GB RAM will be commonplace
before the end of
next year.
After that we can expect to see
new CPUs with even more cores
four, maybe even eight but dont
expect too much from them. Jumping
from one to two cores doesnt double
performance, some apps wont
benefit at all, and the same principle
of diminishing returns applies as we
add more. Not to say increasing heat
and power consumption, the very
problems were trying to avoid.
The new multi-core world holds
plenty of promise, then, and its going
to be interesting to see what the next
few years bring. However, its also
increasingly obvious that were
pushing existing silicon technology to
the limits, and multi-core is only
postponing the day when well need a
whole new way to build CPUs. Q
If you cut open your CPU it wouldnt look like this its colour coded here to make it look pretty
BEYOND THE DESKTOP
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Multi-core competition is everywhere
When youre used to dealing with desktop PCs and Windows, its
easy to think that theres nothing else in the PC world. Yet youd be
wrong. How wrong? Try this.
While Intel and AMD are thinking about giving us four-core
processors in 2007, proper production in 2008 if were lucky, Sun
Microsystems have been pressing ahead with their own Niagara
CPU. This features eight cores, which can each run up to eight
threads simultaneously, providing up to 64 virtual CPUs. Is this
overkill? For desktop users, yes, but this is aimed at the server
market. Its expected to be available in early 2006 and gives us
some idea of the kind of technology that the rest of us will be
using around 2010 (when it just might be affordable by the
average consumer).
Not everyone is aiming at the high end of the market, though.
Earlier this year Fujitsu announced the FR550, which is armed with
four 32-bit cores each capable of executing up to eight threads
simultaneously. Only 32-bit? Yes, but then again, the CPU only
consumes a tiny 3W of power. Its apparently going to appear in
high definition TVs and digital entertainment products, with the
first releases expected at the end of 2005. Looks like the future
really is multi-core, and its arriving sooner than we think.
THE BENEFITS
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Audit your apps
Dual-core CPUs wont offer
any significant performance
gains unless youre using
multi-threaded applications.
With XP you can find out how
many threads your app is
using. First launch an app,
then set it performing a
typical CPU-intensive task.
Now press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del]
to launch Task Manager, and
click View -> Select Columns.
Check the Thread Count, CPU
Usage and Memory Usage
boxes, if theyre not selected
already, then click OK. Finally
select the Processes tab, then
click the CPU column header
twice, so its displaying the
largest figure at the top. Pick
out the process related to
your app and look for the
number of threads its using.
If its just one, dual-core wont
make a significant difference
to the performance of that
program. More than one
thread means it might,
although there are
no guarantees.
IT LOOKS AS THOUGH AMD WILL WIN THE
FIRST BATTLE IN THE MULTI-CORE WARS
FEATURE MULTI-CORE CPU
AUGUST 2005
17
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
HENRY TUCKER
Deputy editor
AUGUST 2005
19
Free tutorials! www.pcanswers.co.uk/tutorials
Free support at forum.pcanswers.co.uk
DO MORE WITH YOUR
DIGITAL PHOTOS
>
SECTION CONTENTS
>Dont just leave your pictures on your PC do something fun with them.
Whether its a slideshow or a jigsaw, we show you how
STARTS ON
PAGE 40
HENRYS TIP OF
THE MONTH
If you use Firefox and you
really should you can change
the way the built-in search
window works. By default, itll
do a Google search, but you
can alter this to whatever
you want. Just click the Google
icon and you can change it.
COMPLETE GUIDE
You may well be aware of Firefox, but what about its
sister apps Thunderbird and Sunbird? Reclaim your
inbox with Thunderbird and keep track of all your
appointments with Sunbird PAGE 32
solutions
P48
LINUX
Make Linux look
like Windows
25 Tips P20
OpenOffice laid bare
Genealogy databases P24
Archive your research
5 Minute Guide P46
NTFS
Internet security P50
Is free AV any good?
Its hard to believe
that we managed
to get by before
digital cameras
were invented
RECLAIM YOUR INBOX
25 TIPS SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
20
O
penOffice is both an office
suite and an open-source
project. Compatible with all
other major office suites, the product
is free to download, use and distribute.
The latest version of the software,
OpenOffice 1.1 (version 2.0 is in beta),
gives you everything youd expect in
office software. You can create
dynamic documents, analyse data,
design eye-catching presentations,
produce dramatic illustrations and
open up your databases. You can also
publish your work as PDFs and release
your graphics in Flash format without
needing any additional software.
Making the switch from
Microsofts Office to OpenOffice can
save you a lot of money on licensing
fees. It isnt difficult either most
people get used to the changes
quickly. However, if youve been using
Office for the best part of a decade
and learned a few of its tricks along
the way, you may find yourself baffled
about how to do certain tasks in
OpenOffice. Here are a few tips to help
make sure youre getting the best
from this excellent office suite.
01
ACCESSING OFFICE
Files in Microsofts Office
format can be opened with
OpenOffice. The file can be modified
and saved again in either Microsofts
format or in OpenOffice format. To
save files in either format click File ->
Save As and in the Save as type box
select the format of choice. You can
also convert all Microsoft Office files
into OpenOffice format files by using
AutoPilot. Click File -> AutoPilot ->
Christian Harris unlocks some of OpenOffices hidden treasures
Writer has everything you would expect from a modern, fully equipped word processor or
desktop publisher except a grammar checker
Open OpenOffice
25 TIPS SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
21
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
25 TIPS SOLUTIONS
Document Converter. To convert text
documents, under Select the
document type for conversion select
Microsoft Office and then Word
documents (you can also select
PowerPoint and Excel documents for
conversion to OpenOffice format).
02
WORKING WITH
WORDPERFECT
WordPerfect files cannot be
opened by OpenOffice. However, for
text documents theres a way to get
around the limitation. Go to http://
libwpd.sourceforge.net and in the
left-hand column click Download to
save the libwpd utility. This is a
general-purpose library for reading or
interpreting data from WordPerfect
files. The library is not a stand-alone
utility its designed to be used by
another program (such as a word
processor) as an in-process
component. OpenOffice files cannot
be saved in WordPerfect format.
03
DATABASE
DILEMMAS
StarOffice 5.2, which uses the
same source code base, can access
Microsofts database directory by
choosing the respective database
type. You can still reach the same with
OpenOffice 1.x, but some names and
some syntax are changed. You need
the Microsoft Jet Engine for accessing
Access database files. Its part of the
Microsoft Data Access Components
(MDAC). Download the latest version
of this package and install it. Then go
to Tools/Data Sources and in the
upcoming dialog create a new data
source of type ADO, and as the URL
enter PROVIDER=Microsoft.Jet.
OLEDB.4.0;Data Source=<path_to_
mdb_file> (The </>belong to the
variable when replacing the path,
this should result in something like
Data Source=C:\AllMyFiles\MyDB.
mdb). Then apply the changes done
to the data source, and enjoy working
with your Access database.
04
SAVING PDFs
To save a file in the PDF
format click File -> Export
as PDF. In the Save in box select a
folder to save the file. In the File name
box enter a name. Click the Save
button. Under Pages select All or
Range. Click the Export button. The
file is then saved in the folder selected
in the PDF format. Its as if the file was
exported to your PC. To edit a PDF file,
keep an OpenOffice version of the
PDF file on the computer. Edit the
OpenOffice version and save as a
PDF file. To open a PDF file on your
computer, a free Adobe add-on is
needed: download it from www.
adobe.com/products/acrobat/
readstep2.html.
05
KEEPING
SPREADSHEETS
UP TO DATE
Sometimes spreadsheet data sources
only display old data. When you create
a data source based on a spreadsheet,
then change the data in OpenOffice
Calc, you might find that these
changes are not reflected in the data source view. When you do a mail
merge based on this data source, the
changes you just did in the
spreadsheet are not used for your
letters. This is a known limitation in
the current implementation of the
spreadsheet driver. You may work
around this by disabling connecting
pooling in Tools -> Options -> Data
Sources -> Connections. When you do
this (you may want to disable it for
the spreadsheet driver only, and not
globally), then simply closing every
view to a spreadsheet connection (for
instance the data source browser) and
re-opening it will give you the most
recent data.
06
SPEEDING UP
FORM AND TABLE
SEARCHES
If youre finding searches slow, this is
likely because when you search (as
opposed to filter) the data with
OpenOffice, it retrieves all the data
from the server and looks it up itself,
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Open-source software has come a long way. With
this new version of the office suite its further proof
that you dont need to spend a lot of money to get a
good office program
Tired of Microsofts Office? With OpenOffice 2.0 you have an alternative
office suite thats free of charge. Released last month in beta version for
Windows and Linux, with several language packs available, it offers the
same functionality you find in Word, Excel or PowerPoint. The most
important new features include OASIS XML-conformity, which enables
better export and import of documents to and from other office
software or platforms. Beginning with version 2.0, OpenOffice uses the
open standard OASIS OpenDocument XML format as the default file
format. The format is a vendor and implementation independent file
format, and thus guarantees freedom and independence.
In addition to OpenOffice itself, the open-source office suite KOffice,
as well as OpenOffice derivatives such as the StarOffice software,
support the OASIS OpenDocument file format. The OASIS
OpenDocument file format is one of the file formats recommended by
the European Commission.
Besides word processing, spreadsheet calculation, presentation and
graphic software, OpenOffice now offers a database called Base. This
standalone application can also be used as a front-end for other
databases. Improved interoperability with Microsofts Office should
mean that migrating users will find the transition much easier. Theres
also a new multi-pane view that provides important tools and windows
through one coherent, integrated and simple user interface.
OpenOffice now supports CustomShapes, which are similar to
Microsofts AutoShapes. As a consequence, AutoShapes are imported
and displayed correctly. CustomShapes are shapes that can change not
only their size, but also their appearance. It also supports more
animation effects and slide transitions, and enhanced PDF export
features enable you to define the compression levels of embedded
images. In addition, the PDF support now correctly handles thumbnail
images and hyperlinks.
The new Mail Merge wizard should make it easy to do mailings to
hundreds of recipients and various data sources can be used for the
address information. With OpenOffice 2.0 its now possible to create
tables within tables (nested tables), support of digital signatures has
been added, and you can create forms based on the open W3C XForms
standard. With XForms its relatively easy to implement simple logic
without any programming. Finally, OpenOffice 2.0 supports native
installation mechanisms (including MSI and CAB files), toolbars are
more flexible, and an increasing number of companies now provide
support, services and solutions for the suite.
The office alternative
OpenOffice makes it possible for you to access Microsofts database directory by choosing
the respective database type
OpenOffice has a limitation in the current
implementation of the spreadsheet driver
25 TIPS SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
22
instead of letting the server do this.
This, of course, is slow. Yet although
OpenOffices search is probably not the
fastest possible on earth, its more of a
problem when you do the wrong thing
to achieve the right results. Filter your
form to let the server do the work.
07
WHERE ARE ALL
THE FEATURES?
OpenOffices interface is
similar to the interface that Microsoft
Office uses. The general menu
structure is often identical, down to
the confusing placement of Configure
and Options in the same menu. This
similarity between interfaces can ease
the switch to OpenOffice, but it can be
misleading, too. In places, OpenOffice
has cleaned up and rationalised the
Office menu structure. Tables, for
example, do not rate a separate menu
in OpenOffice; they are placed in the
Insert menu instead. At other times,
the same feature has a different
name: Words Autosummary, for
example, is AutoAbstract in
OpenOffice. In other words, OpenOffice
is a mixture of the familiar and the
new. Fortunately, basic functions are
usually in their familiar places, so
inexperienced users are unlikely to get
lost. However, if youre an advanced
user, you may need to be more
flexible. If a tool isnt where you
expect it, think about what other
menus it might be under or what else
it might be called. If your imagination
fails, look at the Office Feature
comparison in the Help files.
08
A CRY FOR HELP
OpenOffice comes with a
fully developed help system.
In earlier versions, the help files often
lacked context and gave circular
definitions of features. As of version 1.1,
though, the Help section has become
an asset instead of a formality. The
links provide a good overview for
delving deeper into the program. You
also should consider suppressing your
natural annoyance and enable the
startup tips and office assistant for a
few weeks. Both of these features offer
useful information in small chunks.
09
FLYING ON
AUTOPILOT
One of OpenOffices best
features for newcomers is a series of
wizards that lead you through the
process of setting up basic documents,
such as a letter or memo. You may
not find the results exactly fit your
needs, but theyre a quick way to get
started. Look under Files -> AutoPilot.
Just as importantly, try comparing
the instructions in the AutoPilot
with the final results. Its a good way
of learning what office suites in
general, and OpenOffice in particular,
can do.
10
HIDDEN
FUNCTIONALITY
Unexpected features or
shortcuts can be found in any
software. These arent quite Easter
eggs, but half-hidden functions that
are rarely emphasised or mentioned
in the Help section. For example, if you
select the Undo button on the Task
bar, you can choose the exact level of
Undo. Similarly, if you want to insert
text automatically each time you use
a style, utilise the Before field on the
Options tab for list styles and attach
that list style to a paragraph style.
Then, every time you use that style,
the text in the Before field appears
without you having to type it. Such
surprises do three things: they give
you confidence in your knowledge of
the program, they encourage you to
keep learning and they offer shortcuts
for your daily work. Theyre well
worth seeking out..
11
NAVIGATING
The Navigator (Edit ->
Navigator) is a floating
palette. Similar to the Stylist palette,
its a key feature in using OpenOffice
effectively. One of the main functions
of the Navigator is to help you move
quickly to different parts of the
document, tables, OLE objects or
pages you can jump to almost any
element in the document you want.
Elements are numbered as you create
them, but if you also give them
descriptive titles then the Navigator
can display them, making jumping
around even easier. The Navigator is
far more than a map of your document,
however. Switch to Headings and it
becomes an outlining tool, with the
ability to move entire sections and
raise or lower the level of headings
with the drag of the mouse. Open a
Master Document and it becomes a
table of contents. You even can use
the Navigator to add a Reminder to
the text.
14
ORGANISING
SORT LISTS
Use the Automatic Fill
Handle feature to tidy up your sort
lists. Follow the previous steps from
tip 13 and then click Add. Your new list
will be added to the Sort Lists section.
Click OK to close the Options window
and save your list. Youll now be able
to use your new list in your
spreadsheets by using the automatic
fill handle. The other way you can add
a list to the Sort Lists is to use a list
that youve already typed into your
spreadsheet. At the bottom of the
Sort List window you should see Copy
List from. You can either type in the
range for the list in your spreadsheet
or select the range you want to copy
before opening this window. Once you
have the range of your list in the box,
click Copy to add it to your Sort Lists
and then press OK.
15
CREATING WEB
PAGES IN WRITER
OpenOffices Writer may be
the application in the suite thats most
often used to create Web pages.
Writers HTML capabilities include
saving existing documents as HTML,
creating new documents as HTML and
creating several different types of Web
pages using a wizard. The easiest way
to create HTML documents is to start
with an existing Writer document. You
can view the document as it will
appear on a Web page by selecting
Online Layout from the View menu or
by clicking on its toolbar button. Links
can be inserted and modified using
the hyperlink editor. Display the editor
by clicking its toolbar button or
clicking Hyperlink on the Insert menu.
From the Hyperlink window, you can
12
ADD A
LITTLE STYLE
If youre the type of user
who manually applies formatting,
learn how to use styles. Styles save
you time in any word processor by
enabling you to make formatting
changes once and have them ripple
through the document. Styles are
especially important in OpenOffice
because they give you templates not
only for paragraphs and individual
characters, but also for pages, text
frames and lists. Go with this flow and
youll not only minimise difficulties,
but also increase your efficiencies. The
key to styles is the Stylist a floating
palette found at Format -> Stylist. You
can use the Stylist to apply styles
quickly as you type and to modify
existing styles or create new ones.
13
MAKING THE
SHORTLIST
OpenOffice Calc enables you
to use sort lists to automate some of
your data entry. It has some built-in
lists that itll recognise (months of the
year, days of the week) and you can
add your own sort lists to simplify
data entry. To find the Sort Lists, go to
the Tools menu and select Options. A
new window will pop up. From that
window click Spreadsheets and then
Sort Lists. There are two ways to create
a new Sort List. One way is to click the
New button. Youll then be able to
type your list into the Entries box,
using [Return] to separate entries.
GO WITH THE FLOW AND YOULL NOT
ONLY MINIMISE DIFFICULTIES, BUT ALSO
INCREASE YOUR EFFICIENCIES
Writers HTML export to the Web, or publish in Portable Document Format (PDF), help to
guarantee that what you write is what your reader sees
25 TIPS SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
23
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
> SHORT N SWEET
21
Lift expectations
People expect fewer
features with free
software. This is an inaccurate
assumption. Though other word
processors do have features it
lacks, OpenOffice also includes
features that its rivals dont have.
22
List functions
Before you make the
switch, create a list of
the basic tasks you do in an
office suite. Then spend time
experimenting browsing the
Help section of OpenOffice.
Write down how to do these
tasks. Soon youll find you dont
even need written instruction.
23
Quick transition
Youll stumble over
the placement of some
tools, but you probably dont
need a long transition period
before you can use OpenOffice
productively.
24
Dont rely
on filters
OpenOffice looks to be
ideal for exchanging documents
with other office suites, but
theres never been a completely
reliable import or export filter in
any office suite. The best format
solutions for exchanging editable
documents are probably HTML
or Simplified DocBook. Both can
be viewed in modern browsers,
and they can be opened as text
files in word processors, if
nothing else.
25
Dont rush in
When you first start to
use OpenOffice you may
feel that its new, isnt arranged
in the same way as your old
suite and that it does everything
differently. For some people, the
newness alone is enough to put
them off. If you decide against
OpenOffice, keep it in mind. In
the future, you may find that it
fits your needs better.
Moving to
OpenOffice
Some simple rules
choose the type of link as well as
specify the links address, text and
how it should be displayed (for
example, in a new window). To edit an
existing link or turn existing text into
a link, highlight it before opening the
hyperlink window. You have to click
Apply to insert the link into your
document before closing the window.
If youre satisfied with how your
document looks in the Online Layout,
select Save As from the File menu and
specify Web Page as the file type.
16
CREATING WEB
PAGES IN CALC
The OpenOffice spreadsheet,
Calc, can save files as HTML documents.
If the file contains more than one
sheet, the additional sheets will follow
one another in the HTML file. Links to
each sheet will be placed at the top of
the document. Calc also enables you
to insert links directly into your
spreadsheet via the hyperlink dialog.
17
CREATING WEB
PAGES IN DRAW
The drawing program makes
it possible to turn your drawings into
a series of Web pages. These Web
pages are created by using the Export
command from the File menu. Select
Web Page as the file type, supply a
name for the resulting HTML file and
click Save. The HTML Export window
will open, enabling you to select
whether to use an existing design for
your Web pages or create a new one.
Clicking Next enables you to select
the type of Web pages to create. The
types available are Standard HTML
format, Standard HTML with frames,
Automatic and WebCast. You can also
instruct OpenOffice to create a title
page for your presentation. Picking
Standard HTML generates a series of
pages, each page containing one slide.
Navigation links are available to move
from slide to slide. Selecting
Automatic for the publication type
generates a series of pages, each with
the Refresh meta tag set that causes a
browser to automatically cycle
through each Web page. The final
option, WebCast, generates an ASP or
Perl application to display your slides.
After selecting the type of publication
to create, select whether to convert
the slides to GIF or JPG files and what
resolution should be used. Clicking the
Create button generates the HTML
files required for the type of publication.
18
RECORDING
A MACRO
Before recording a macro,
make sure your document is set up as
you want it, including putting the
cursor where the action youre
recording begins. Choose Tools ->
Macros -> Record Macro from the
menu. The Recording toolbar appears.
Now perform the action exactly as
you want it recorded, including any
cursor movements, choices from the
menu, shortcut menu or toolbars and
so forth. Once done, click the Stop
Recording button. The Macro dialog
appears for you to name the macro
and indicate where to store it. Type a
name for the macro. The name cant
include spaces or a variety of other
punctuation characters. You can
store macros with OpenOffice itself or
with individual documents or
templates. By default, macros you
record are stored for all of OpenOffice
in the Module1 module of the
Standard library.
19
USING A MACRO
Once a macro is defined,
there are a number of ways
to run it. The most obvious is to access
it from the menu, using Tools ->
Macros -> Macro to open the Macro
dialog. Navigate to the macro you
want to run and click Run. You can
also use a keystroke to run a macro or
put a button to call the macro on a
toolbar. A formula in a spreadsheet
can use a macro directly. The formula
should refer to the macro by name
and pass any required parameters. In
this case, the macro must return a
value appropriate for use in a
spreadsheet. In addition, the macro
should be stored in the spreadsheet
itself, so its always available. For
example, if you have a macro that
computes the cube root of a number,
assuming its called CubeRoot, a
formula could use it like this:
=CubeRoot(D37). Its likely that a
macro you can use in this way is one
you write yourself rather than one you
record. You can also run a macro when
an event occurs on a form.
AUTOMATING WITH
OTHER APPS
One of the most powerful
features of Microsofts Office is the
ability to call on its functionality from
other applications. For example, a
custom database application might
call on Word to perform a mail merge,
or use Excel for complex computations.
Fortunately, you can also automate
OpenOffice. Once youre comfortable
writing macros, you can apply the
same knowledge to run OpenOffice
from other applications. To start an
automation session, create an
instance of the Service Manager, com.
sun.star.ServiceManager, in the
application youre automating
OpenOffice from. You do this using the
appropriate mechanism of the client
language (the one doing the
automating). For example, using
Microsofts Visual FoxPro, that line
would look like this: loServiceManager
= CreateObject(com.sun.star.
ServiceManager). Once you have an
instance of the Service Manager, use
its CreateInstance method to
instantiate the other objects you need,
referring to them using their module
and service names. For example, in
Visual FoxPro, you create a desktop
object, like this: loDesktop = loService
Manager.CreateInstance(com.sun.
star.frame.Desktop). Once you create
objects like a desktop, you can use
them just as you would in a macro.
20
Draw enables you to save your graphics in OpenDocument format, an XML-based standard
for accessing your graphics from any OpenDocument-compliant software
PROJECT SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
24
Create some history
F
amily history is a fascinating
subject and one that has been
revolutionised by the Internet.
Years ago, studying the origins of your
family was mostly a matter of tales
handed down from grandma.
There were hardcore
genealogists who scoured
dusty old books in village
churches and county
records offices, but in
these modern days few of
us have the time to do this.
The PC has thankfully brought
genealogy and local history into the
everyday world.
Researching family history has
changed in several ways. Not only do
people draw up the classic tree
showing the various generations of
their ancestors, but these days PCs
make it possible to incorporate
photographs, sound recordings and
even movies. All this extra detail
brings the lives of our ancestors into
a vivid reality. As a result, not only do
we discover who our ancestors
were, but we can also gain
an insight into the world
that they inhabited. Family
history has led to a great
resurgence in the interest of
local history.
Electronic history
Modern computing is at the heart
of this process and central to this is
the electronic database. Well
consider the readily available family
history packages and then go on to
examine how to make a specialist
database for your own local history.
First we need to know what a
database is, whats in it and how to
extract information out of it. It may
be heresy to mention it, but
databases have been around a lot
longer than computers. PCs simply
make things a lot easier and faster.
They can come up with results in
seconds that once would have taken
researchers years to compile. You
already have databases on your
computer; the address book in
Outlook Express is typical. You almost
certainly have a program to create
The appearance of the tree is very simple,
although the program can hold plenty of
associated information
ON THE
CD
The Swift Family Tree provides a simple and
effective way to start building your own
family tree
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Get to know GenoPro
This shareware program has a lot to offer the budding geneologist
First gather as much information about your
family and ancestors as possible. Interview
your relatives and keep accurate notes so that
everything will be ready for you to input into
a database.
GenePro is a shareware program that can hold
a tremendous amount of information. Simply
click the New file icon and youre off. The program is
available as shareware, with the option of upgrading
to the full version. If you dont upgrade theres an
annoying little screen that suggests that you do, but
the functionality of the program is not impaired.
Theres a special wizard to help you get
started on a new project. Youll be sat at the
desktop for a while, so organise your workspace
properly and make sure that you are comfortable.
Mistakes will creep in if you get tired and fidgety.
Be prepared for massive piles of loose certificates
and old photos.
01 02 03
PC ANSWERS PROJECT
PCs can revolutionise family and local history research. Nick Billingham
examines the ways that new technology can help a subject as old as mankind
PROJECT SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
25
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
new databases in Microsoft Office or
Lotus Smartsuite.
A database is simply a collection
of data arranged in a way that can be
easily retrieved. An address file is
arranged alphabetically so that you
can quickly reach the entry you need
and find the phone number or e-mail
address associated with the name you
want. If you were particularly odd, you
might arrange it by number so you
could look up the name associated
with the number. Databases are
nothing if not versatile.
Its not just numbers
It isnt just a matter of names and
numbers. You can associate
relationships between individuals
mother, son, cousin and such like. The
individuals can be associated with
external parameters such as date,
place, and individual events recorded
births, marriages and deaths are the
classic ones. These details are the core
of the familiar family tree. In earlier
days the basis of the family tree was
pretty much exclusively along the
male line of descent, Joshua begat
Abraham who begat and the girls
were left out in the cold. Today, we take
the female side just as seriously, and
may do so even more in the future as
the analysis of mitochondrial DNA
relies on descent down the female line.
The family tree database enables
you to create a clear picture of where
youve come from. It can also reveal
any genetic weaknesses and
strengths. Weve all heard of how
haemophilia has plagued the royal
families of Europe, but on a more
personal scale, tendencies to cancers
and other nasties can be graphically
revealed by a look at previous
generations. On a more positive side,
however, abilities in art, crafts and
even hobbies also seem to run in
families. These arent all genetic of
course, and the argument over
nature or nurture will never be solved
in our lifetimes.
A family tree offers a wonderful
perspective on life. If your toddler is
currently behaving like Genghis Khan,
you may well be tempted to suspect
a link. You would need a very
comprehensive family tree to prove it,
though. Interestingly, if you can prove
that youre descended from Genghis,
theres a restaurant in London that
will give you a free dinner, particularly
if you turn up at the head of a
barbarian horde.
English society has always placed
a high value on the individual, and
births, marriages and deaths have
been registered by our civil
administration since 1837. Cynics may
well point out that this is perfect for
tax collection, but it also holds true for
welfare services. Indeed, the civil
registration process was derived from
the earlier system of recording the
information at parish level. The Parish
Registers were started in 1538,
specifically to determine who was
eligible for Parish Relief in times of
hardship. Before this our society
comprised so few people that
registers werent really needed.
Alongside the registers of births and
deaths, there are the ten-yearly census
returns. These effectively started in
1841, although there are a few local or
incomplete ones before this. These
registers are the backbone of family
history research and can be treated
with confidence.
Online registers
Luckily, many of these registers are
now available online. Some are free of
charge, others are not. There are
forums for different family names and
a lot of support for the novice. The
trick is to start with your immediate
relatives and then work backwards in
time, confirming that each entry is
accurate as you go. Check all the
details too. If one ancestor was born
more than nine months after his
father died, you have a problem. Once
youve exhausted the possibilities of
the civil registers youre off into
uncharted waters. There are plenty of
other records, but they are too
disparate to detail here. This is the
work of the detective and its a
marvellous challenge.
The old-fashioned way of recording things. Documents like these are the backbone of family
history research
Data entry for each individual is
straightforward. You can enter photos, causes
of death and places of residence. The spouses and
children are linked to each individual, and this
includes second partnerships. Always take your time
with the data entry since you are building up a
database that will be of value to future generations.
A double-click on an existing entry enables
easy editing as more data becomes available.
A right-click enables you to select a new individual,
parent, spouse or child and add this to the database.
The ability to zoom in and out of a tree is invaluable
once the tree becomes large. The task bar has plenty
of icons for navigating around the tree.
A well laid out family tree can make a
fascinating gift for your relatives. This is the
kind of project that can go on for years as you
discover second and third cousins and relatives
around the world. GenePro can output a Report that
you can email or post on a Web site, which isnt quite
as much fun as going to see real relatives abroad!
04 05 06
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26
So what family tree programs are
there? In a nutshell, lots. Some
applications are very simple and
available for free, others are more
complex and available as shareware,
and naturally there are some with all
the bells and whistles that can cost a
fair bit.
Saints and families
One of the principle driving forces
behind family history research has
been the Church of the Latter Day
Saints. They believe that when
someone becomes one of the Saints,
their family members become eligible
to enter heaven in their eyes. To help
God sort out who is thus eligible they
have created a genealogical index.
The result of the computerisation of
the index has been the introduction
of common file types that ensure
compatibility between different
programs. This file type is known as a
Gedcom file and ends in the suffix
.ged . Its really important to ensure
that whatever program you choose
can handle these files. Fancy
programs have their own format for
storing the data but they all need to
be able to import and export Gedcom
files so that you can swap files with
other people.
For most family tree
applications, you dont have to have
a particularly powerful PC, as the
processing power needed for this
type of program is usually minimal.
A CD writer or other means of
backing up the data is important,
because although simple Gedcom
files are small, once you start adding
in photos the database becomes
surprisingly large. Create back-up
files whenever you make any
changes to the database and store
them safely. If you can get your
hands on a plan printer itll be a
great help.
You may well want to play
around with some of the freeware
programs before getting stuck into a
serious project. Nevertheless, its
worth making sure that the program
will save your entries into the
common Gedcom format. Some
freeware programs wont print or
save the files, which isnt very helpful.
The Gedcom files are specific to
family history programs and are
particularly useful while youre trying
out different programs to determine
which one you prefer. Some programs
have a simple way of displaying the
family tree, while some have the
more classic look. We have a
preference for the classic style of
GenoPro, as it looks professional and
holds a great deal of information. Its
somewhat more demanding to use
than, say, Swift Family Tree Designer.
The methods of using family tree
programs are all fairly similar. Itll
probably do you good to read the
help files or pages if there are any,
though you can try just jumping in.
Most programs have a New project
or New file button under the File
menu in the header bar. Start a new
project and give it a name and location.
Usually, if you right-click the blank
page, youll get a dialog stating Add
person and a further dialog to enter
the various details such as Names,
Sex, Dates of Birth, Place of Birth. If
you dont have all the details to hand
you can always return to the chart
and edit or add more detail later. The
menus revealed by a right-click are
usually duplicated in the Task bar.
Building a family
When the first person is entered you
can right-click and choose from a
selection of actions. Edit Details comes
in useful as you learn more about an
individual. There are usually Add
parent, Add sibling and Add child
functions, too. Select one of these and
another Details dialog will appear.
Gradually, you can build up the family
tree. Depending on the sophistication
of the program, you can include all
sorts of details from photographs to
causes of death and interesting
snippets such as occupations or
hobbies. This is usually performed by
double-clicking an individual to reveal
>
ACCESS TOP TIPS
Access history
Understand how to use Access to capture the past
Old documents are hard to read and fragile.
Transferring their information into a modern
database ensures that the original document can be
preserved, while enabling the data to be understood
in ways that never occurred to the original compilers.
A program such as Access can reveal fascinating
insights into family life.
Create a blank database and work out what
data-fields (columns) youll need and what
sort of data will be in them. In Design View you can
specify the types of fields you want. This database is
the electronic version of a census taken of the
people of Stratford on Avon in April 1765, who were
terrified of getting smallpox.
As the database designer youll be able to
enter the data directly into the table, but
creating an Input Form means that someone else
can be persuaded to enter the data via the form,
even if they have no knowledge of Access. The form
only permits specific options and so preserves the
integrity of the database.
> > >
This program has lots of bells and whistles and a Task bar simply brimming with useful
functions. It can portray the family tree in a variety of formats
PROJECT SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
a Properties dialog, into which can be
placed all sorts of extra files.
Photographs, sound recordings and
samples of signatures are all valid
extra information.
Save history
When youve finished a session
creating the tree, its crucial that you
save the data. Its well worth saving
the project in two formats. The first
will be the programs own format, and
this will be your main archive. You can
return to it and edit or add individuals
as required. The default Save option
will store the database in whatever
format the program requires. The
second option is the Gedcom one.
Under File -> Save As you should find a
Save As Gedcom option. Saving the
project as a Gedcom file will mean
that you now have the ability to share
this with other people. These files
dont contain anything but the bare
relationships between individuals.
Theyre a handy size to post on your
Web site and email to the other
people youve encountered during
your researches. Once youre playing
with different programs youll want to
import the Gedcom file youve
created. The Import function is usually
located in the File menu. Some
programs will offer to rebuild the data
into its own format, which is helpful.
The one thing that you can be
fairly sure of is that youll soon
encounter other people researching
their own family trees. Youll find them
on message boards like those hosted
by Rootsweb, and a variety of other
sources. A quick hunt with Google will
turn up dozens more. You may not
have to go back many generations
before you start finding common
ancestors. Families used to have eight
or nine children and as the children
grew up and often had the same
number of their own, it can be easy to
find links between people.
A family history project is not one
that you can easily finish. It becomes
increasingly difficult to identify your
ancestors as you delve further back in
time, especially before the introduction
of Parish Registers. So at some point
youll probably want to print out your
glorious ancestry as far as you can
practically define it. Printing family
trees is something of a black art. The
tree can be arranged in several ways.
For example, you could omit an
ancestors second wife and step-
children. If you like, you could also
decide to highlight particular sections
of the tree and print those out for
specific purposes
Lists of people crop up so
regularly in family history research
that another type of database comes
in very handy. The research will soon
involve you with your local community
and records office and the ability to
transcribe old documents into a
modern electronic format is helpful.
Most people with a PC have an
office suite of some sorts. A word
processor for letters, a spreadsheet for
finances and a database for
inventories and such like. Microsoft
Office has a program called Access for
creating databases and its relatively
straightforward to use once you
understand the basic principles of
databases. Lotus Smartsuite uses
Approach and if youre using a Linux
system, Koffice and many others have
an integrated database. Since Access is
the most common, thats the one that
well look at. The principles are true for
all of them.
Turn antique info
into electronic data
An antique database isnt easy to use,
and so transferring the information
into an electronic format is useful.
First, we need to understand what it is
and how we can recreate that in
electronic data. The 1765 census for
Stratford on Avon is a typical database.
It shows the household and the
number of people in it. It also has
details of the number of people who
suffered from smallpox and where
they came from. The census was
taken to ascertain how many people
might be affected by the disease and
Once you have all the data entered into the
table it should look something like this. Its
crucial to get the data entry correct or the project
becomes valueless. A quick look at the columns
reveals that a large proportion of the people had
already had smallpox and were thus immune.
The Query function makes it possible for all
sorts of interesting questions to be answered
promptly. By selecting different fields you can
compare trades, families whatever you like. This
query shows the numbers of different trades in
the town.
Using the Reports function in Access, we can
produce illustrations of the statistics derived
from the database. This simple chart shows the
massive spike in the number of deaths in the
summer of 1765. Access is an immensely powerful
tool and can help local historians understand the
story of local families.
> > >
The real pleasure of family history research is discovering unknown relatives. Here the
descendants of Zephirin Camelinat, the famous Paris Communard, are gathered in Burgundy
PROJECT SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
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thus the likely cost to the borough
that had to support them. A platoon
of Dragoons had just been billeted in
the town and brought the disease
with them.
Using Access
The columns of names and numbers
are simple to recreate in Access. Open
the program and select Tables ->
Create new database -> Blank Access
database. Youll then be prompted for
a name and place to store the file.
Now you have the choice of creating
the table in Design View, with a
wizard or simply by entering data.
Select the Enter Data option and
youre presented with a table of
columns and rows.
You can play about with this by
right-clicking the rows and columns to
see what you can alter, or just start
entering the data. If you were to start
by using Design view you have the
option of selecting the properties for
each field. Some of these are text, like
the names and places, others are
numerical, such as the number of
people in a household. You can enter
these into the field properties and this
will help keep the database free from
mistakes. If you start entering a name
into a number field youll hear the
infuriating Microsoft beep. Once you
have set up the various columns
you have can create a form to ease
the data entry. Select Forms rather
than Tables, and Create Form. This
makes a form thatll make it easier
to input the data. After entering the
data the real power of a database
becomes apparent. The wizards will
make the process easier, but they
dont really help you learn how to
use the program.
Simply by selecting a particular
field, you can sort it by size and
instantly see the size of households. If
you want to generate reports you can
interrogate the database to reveal all
manner of information such as the
proportions of the population
originating from outside the district or
the incidence of smallpox in urban as
opposed to rural areas.
Data themes
Once the data is in, you can choose
the box Queries to identify particular
themes. By specifying particular fields,
such as Occupations and Find
Duplicates, we can determine the
range and quantities of trades in the
town. It shows a very different town
to the tourist mecca that is Stratford
on Avon today. If you choose the
Reports option you can persuade the
program to produce graphs and
statistics in a stunning array of
formats. There are many other
functions in Access that can enhance
your understanding and presentation,
of historical data. The breadth of
information in these types of
databases is fascinating. Once youve
run out of relatives to research, why
not try some serious history. The real
beauty of such a database is that
when youve finished your project,
someone else can query the database
to help their own.
Theres far more to Access than
room to describe it here. Its worth
using a tutorial program to learn
about all its tricks then youll have a
powerful tool at your disposal thatll
help you to understand the past.
>
NEXT MONTH
We take a look at the best
ways to survive spam
The descendants of Henry James Skinner gathered in the English countryside. Henry himself
was gunned down in a pub in 1895. Luckily, he already had children before being shot!
Family history research can unearth some fascinating stories about your ancestors lives
Family history research tips
Talk to your relatives, especially the older ones. They have an absolute
wealth of knowledge and if you dont get it recorded as soon as you
can, it could be too late.
Try to double-check everything time can do strange things to
peoples memories. Local newspapers can be a great source of stories
and corroborative evidence.
Old-fashioned handwriting can be very difficult to read at first. Make
sure you read the documents in good light and use a magnifying glass
if necessary. The more familiar you become with old scripts, the easier it
is. Perseverance is the key.
If you wish to contact a hitherto unknown relative its best to write
them a letter or email as a first contact. This is less threatening than
just turning up on their doorstep.
Old family friends could have photos of your family as well as
their own.
Use the Internet to find family forums and other information, but
dont take anything at face value. The Internet contains just as much
erroneous information as any other source.
Duplicate and back up your research as often as you can.
Have a good look at family history magazines. Theres a good
selection and most contain sections for novices, computer users and
general historians. Many have cover CDs with trial and shareware
family history programs.
> FURTHER INFORMATION
> FURTHER INFORMATION
A do-it-yourself detective story
Family history is a step into the unknown world of
your own creation. We are to some extent
determined by our ancestors and discovering their
lives and loves, professions and interests, gives us a
deeper insight into our own characters and place in
the world. The research can be difficult at times,
rewarding at others. In the last decade the ease of
researching via the Internet has transformed the
whole process and those niggling questions can be
resolved so much more easily.
Those skeletons in the cupboard are worth a
second look. In this authors family there were
muttered remarks about a certain great
grandfather, a bit of a black sheep. Researching into
his life turned up the story of a man who was a
passionate socialist, fought on the barricades of The
Paris Commune in 1871, escaped to England with a
price on his head and later returned, exonerated. He
became the first Communist Presidential Candidate
in France. Far from being a black sheep, he is revered
in France as one of the founders of French Socialism.
His own children stayed in England and became
wealthy manufacturers, embarrassed at his politics
and content to let his memory disappear into the
mists of time.
As you go back through the generations theres
an ever-widening number of direct ancestors and
youll almost certainly find one or two with simply
fascinating lives and achievements that will give
you a reason to be proud of your own lineage.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
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COMPLETE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
Thunderbird email
and Sunbird calendar
You can save yourself from
the tyranny of Outlook by
installing these two
open-source utilities.
Joe Cassels guides the way
C
O
M
P
L
E
T
E
G
U
I
D
E
Brighter than Outlook
Sunbird and Thunderbird are as easy to use as Microsofts alternatives
> AT A GLANCE
GET MAIL
Click this button to download
the current messages on your
mail server.
EVENT
This calendar event has a star,
which means that youll be
sent a reminder when its due.
JUNK
Use this button to mark a
message as spam. Thunderbird
uses this to predict spam
messages and move them to
the junk folder.
GO BACK A WEEK
Use the single arrow buttons
to move forward or back in the
calendar by one week.
TASKS
Sunbird maintains a Task list very similar to the
one in Outlook. Tick off completed tasks here.
GO FORWARD
A MONTH
Use the double arrow buttons
to move forward or back in the
calendar by a month.
ADDRESS BOOK
You can import the addresses
from Outlook or Outlook Express
when you install Thunderbird.
NEW EVENT/
NEW TASK
Use these buttons to create new
tasks and calendar events.
> IN THIS SECTION
A quick guide to the
applications P32
Introducing Sunbird
and Thunderbird P33
Using email P34
News and RSS P35
Sunbird calendar P36
IMPORTED FOLDERS
These folders were imported
from Outlook when
Thunderbird was installed.
LOCAL FOLDERS
These include the Inbox, Sent
items, Drafts, Unsent Messages
and the Trash.
ON THE
CD
COMPLETE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
W
hile there are plenty of
options for you when it
comes to choosing office
software, the notable exception is
personal information programs.
Here, Outlook is king and Open Office
and its siblings just dont compete.
This isnt because Outlook doesnt
have its limitations in many ways
its still quite a clunky bit of software
but there arent very many
personal organiser-cum-email
programs about.
This is set to change now that
the open source community has
delivered Mozilla Thunderbird and
Sunbird. The former has been around
for some time now and is an
excellent email application that also
handles newsgroups and RSS feeds.
The latter is considerably newer and
provides calendar and task-list
functions. This means that if Outlook
has finally driven you spare, theres
now an adequate alternative. The
additional merit of being open source
and therefore free to download
merely adds icing to the cake.
Minimise culture shock
Mozilla Thunderbird was designed
with versions for Windows, Mac and
Linux. If you decide to migrate to a
different Operating System later on,
you can minimise culture shock by
using the same email client.
Spam is a growing problem and
Thunderbird has its own junk email
handling engine. You can opt to
move messages identified as junk to
a separate folder or simply delete
them right away. To turn on junk
mail protection, choose Tools -> Junk
Mail Controls -> Adaptive filter and
check Enable adaptive junk mail
detection. This learns the types of
messages that you identify as junk
and marks similar ones up for you.
You have to report all the junk email
that you receive to start off with, but
the system quickly learns the kind of
email that you dont want.
Handle your mail
You can change the way that junk
email is handled on the Settings tab
of the Junk Mail Controls dialog.
Under Whitelists, select Do not mark
messages as junk mail if the sender
is in my address book. Under
Handling opt to move the incoming
email identified as junk to the Junk
Mail folder. Consider choosing to
automatically delete messages older
than 14 days from this folder. This
way, youll still have time to
occasionally review its contents in
case any legitimate messages are
filtered as junk. You can also opt to
delete messages that you manually
mark as junk or simply move them
to this folder.
Marking a message as junk is
easy. Select it in the main
Thunderbird window and click the
Junk button on the toolbar. This
button becomes the Not Junk
button if youve selected a message
that has been marked as junk.
Clicking the button then restores
the messages status as legitimate
mail. If you need to collect data on
the amount of junk email that you
receive and where it comes from,
you can enable junk mail logging
from the Junk Mail Controls dialog.
Importing messages
and settings
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Set Thunderbird up like your existing mail client
the easy way
When you first install Mozilla
Thunderbird youre given the
option to import everything
from your existing mail client,
as long as youre using Outlook
or Outlook Express. Opt to
import when prompted and
select the mail client that
youve been using. Thunderbird
then imports all the folders
and settings from the
specified program. This may
take some time. Youll probably
have to transfer your mail account settings manually, for reasons of
security. Well show you how to do this on the next page.
Choices abound
If you havent imported during setup, or if youre migrating from
Eudora, you can always use the Import wizard later on. Once youve
launched Thunderbird, choose Tools -> Import. You now need to select
what you want to import from the options of Address Books, Mail or
Settings. Having chosen one of these, you need to select the application
that you want the data to come from. Here youre given the option to
use Outlook, Outlook Express or Eudora. In some cases, you can also
import from a text file. This enables you to import address books from
unsupported applications, as long as you can export their contents to
the right kind of file. In the case of mail messages, you can also import
from Netscape Communicator. Complete the wizard and repeat for the
different kinds of data that you need to transfer.
AUGUST 2005
33
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Click the Junk button to mark a spam message as junk and help Thunderbird to learn what to filter
SPAM WILL ALWAYS BE A GROWING
PROBLEM AND THUNDERBIRD HAS ITS
OWN JUNK EMAIL HANDLING ENGINE
Use the adaptive junk mail filter to remove
spam email messages
When you install Mozilla Thunderbird, you can
opt to import settings from your mail client
Use the Junk Mail Controls dialog to configure
how Thunderbird deals with junk messages
CHOOSE TO AUTOMATICALLY DELETE
MESSAGES OLDER THAN 14 DAYS SO YOU
HAVE TIME TO REVIEW THE CONTENTS
COMPLETE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
34
I
f youre migrating from a common
email client like Outlook or
Outlook Express, you shouldnt find
Thunderbird difficult at all. However,
though your settings may have been
picked up by the program when you
installed it, you may still need to set
up your email account manually. To
do this, follow the walkthrough.
The toolbar contains similar
buttons to Outlook Express and the
table of keyboard shortcuts
demonstrates that many of these
are the same as their Microsoft
counterparts. Instead of the Send/
Receive button, Thunderbird has one
marked Get Mail, which does exactly
what it says. To create a new mail,
press the Write button. You can type
email addresses into the To and CC
fields and Thunderbird will suggest
items from your address book.
Alternatively, click Contacts on the
toolbar and browse for the name
that you want to use. Each line in the
header can contain multiple addresses
and you can change the status
between To, CC, BCC and Reply-to
using the drop-down list to the left
of this line. Once youve composed
your message, click the Spell button
on the toolbar to spell check it,
followed by Send to send it off.
To set up an email signature,
open Notepad and type the text as
youd like it to appear at the bottom
of your messages. Save this file with
a memorable name in a sensible
location. Now in Thunderbird, choose
Tools -> Account settings and select
the mail account that youd like to
use this signature with. Check Attach
this signature and click Choose to
browse to your text file. You can use
different signatures with different
mail accounts. You can also specify
a different reply-to address in this
dialog, which is very handy if you
need to connect using another
email account.
Using email
Mozilla Thunderbird is a sophisticated email program, but its easy to use
Add a mail account
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Youll need to set up your existing mail accounts manually in Thunderbird
Open Thunderbird and choose Tools ->
Account Settings -> Add Account. This starts
the Account Wizard. Select Email Account and click
Next. Now enter your display name, followed by
the email address provided by your ISP.
01
Click Next and choose the type of mail server
that youre using. This is probably a POP
server. Enter your ISPs mail server name, which is
usually of the form pop3.myisp.co.uk or mail.myisp.co.
uk. Ensure that Use Global Inbox is ticked. Click Next.
02
Provide the username that your ISP gave your
mail account. Click Next and enter a name for
the account. Click Next, check the account information
summary, then click Finish. Enter your email password
when you first download messages.
03
Use the account settings dialog to specify your
signature file and a reply-to address
> KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Exit [Ctrl] + [Q]
Stop [Esc]
Send and Receive [Ctrl] + [T]
Send Message Now [Ctrl] + [Return]
Send Message Later
[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [Return]
New Message [Ctrl] + [N]
Close Window [Ctrl] + [W]
Print [Ctrl] + [P]
Copy [Ctrl] + [C]
Cut [Ctrl] + [X]
Delete [Del]
Paste [Ctrl] + [V]
Select All [Ctrl] + [A]
Undo [Ctrl] + [U]
Redo [Ctrl] + [Y]
Caret Browsing [F7]
Edit as New [Ctrl] + [E]
Expand All Threads [*]
Collapse All Threads [\]
Find Again [F3]
Find Previous [Shift] + [F3]
Forward Message [Ctrl] + [L]
Toggle Message Pane [F8]
Get New Messages for
Current Account [Ctrl] + [T]
Get New Messages for
All Accounts [Ctrl] + [Shift] +[T]
Go to Next Message [F]
Go to Next Unread Message [N]
Go to Next Unread Thread [T]
Go to Previous Message [B]
Go to Previous Unread Message [P]
Move to Next Mail Pane [F6]
Move to Search Bar [Ctrl] + [K]
Increase Text Size [Ctrl] + [+]
Decrease Text Size [Ctrl] + [-]
Restore Text Size [Ctrl] + [0]
Mark Message as Read/Unread [M]
Mark Thread as Read [R]
Mark All Read [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [C]
Mark All Read By Date [C]
Mark As Junk [J]
Mark As Not Junk [Shift] + [J]
Message Source [Ctrl] + [U]
Reply to Message
(sender only) [Ctrl] + [R]
Reply to All in Message
(all recipients) [Ctrl] + [R]
COMPLETE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
35
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
News and RSS
Add newsgroups
Thunderbird enables you to read and post Usenet newsgroup messages
Before you can read newsgroups, youll need
to set up Thunderbird to access your ISPs
news server. Choose Tools -> Account Settings ->
Add Account. Now select Newsgroup account and
click Next.
01
Youre now asked to provide a display name
and email address. These will appear with any
posts, so its a good idea to use an invalid email
address to avoid it being harvested by spammers.
Add the words nospam to your address, for example.
02
Provide your news-server name, which will
be of the form news.myisp.co.uk. Click Next
and enter a name for the account. Read the account
summary and click Finish. You may need to enter a
username and password when you connect.
03
Add a news server or an RSS feed to Thunderbirds accounts
M
ozilla Thunderbird isnt just
an application for email.
You can also use it to read
and post to newsgroups or to receive
news and blog updates via RSS (Really
Simple Syndication). To add RSS to
Thunderbird, choose Tools -> Account
Settings -> Add Account -> RSS News
& Blogs. Stick with the default News
& Blogs Account name. Click Next and
Finish. You now need to add some RSS
feeds to this account. Select the News
& Blogs account and supply the
frequency that you want it to check
for new stories. Click Manage
Subscriptions -> Add and paste the
feed URL into the space provided. Click
OK twice. You should now find the
latest articles in this feed by
expanding News & Blogs in the main
Thunderbird window and selecting
the feed that you just added.
To add the BBC News feed, point
your browser at http://news.bbc.co.uk
and scroll down the page to the
bottom. Follow the link marked RSS in
the left-hand panel. Click where it says
RSS feed for: RSS BBC News. Copy the
URL from the address bar in your
browser to the clipboard and paste it
into your News & Blogs account. You
can opt to receive the full news
articles as Web pages in Thunderbird,
or to just receive summaries and a link
to the Web page carrying the full story.
The latter is by far the better option if
youre using a dial-up connection. To
set this up, choose Tools -> Account
Settings and select News & Blogs. Tick
the box marked Click OK.
Public boards
Newsgroups are like open notice
boards where you can post messages
on a particular topic and join existing
discussions. Anyone can read these,
which means that you might want to
consider ways of protecting your
privacy. The majority of ISPs maintain a
news server that carries most
newsgroups, which is normally named
news.myisp.co.uk or something
similar. If you connect via your ISP
connection, you probably dont need a
username and password to access the
server, although third-party news
servers often use authentication to
limit the number of subscribers. You
can connect to free news servers or
join a subscription service, depending
on how much you use Usenet and
how reliable you need it to be.
Follow the walkthrough to add a
new account to Thunderbird. This
assumes that your ISP has a news
server. If it doesnt, you can find a list
of news servers at www.newsservers.
net, some of which are free, but be
aware that the security and reliability
of these servers may vary. Some news
servers insist on you posting under a
real email address, but if possible
thats best avoided, as spammers
often use software to harvest email
addresses from newsgroups. Its better
to obscure your address and read
responses to your posts online.
Your RSS feed can supply you with newly updated Web pages from sites such as the BBC
Consider obscuring your email address when
posting to Usenet if your News Server permits it
COMPLETE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
36
M
ozilla Sunbird is a calendar
management program
that enables you to manage
appointments and a task list, as well
as permitting you to view multiple
calendars. It works in a similar way to
the calendar in Outlook. To set up an
appointment, click New Event and
provide the relevant details, including
the need for a reminder. Use the
Recurrence tab for events that repeat
regularly. Click OK to confirm the
details. To add a task click New Task
and proceed as before. You can tick off
tasks in your list as you complete them.
Migration made easy
If youre migrating to Sunbird from
Outlook, youll need to export your
Outlook calendar as a CSV file.
To do this in Outlook, choose File ->
Import and Export -> Export to a File -
> Comma Separated Values (Windows)
and select the calendar folder. Provide
a filename and location and complete
the wizard. The walkthrough
Sunbird Calendar
demonstrates how to import the
resulting file into Sunbird.
Buttons on the toolbar enable
you to change the calendar view
between daily, weekly and monthly
and the table shows keyboard
shortcut equivalents. You can open up
multiple calendar files if you have
them saved on your PC or you can
connect to calendars stored on
remote PCs. You can even publish your
calendar to a Web server and invite
friends and colleagues to share it. To
preserve your privacy, you can opt to
publish selected events only. To view a
remote calendar, choose File ->
Subscribe to Remote Calendar and
provide the URL and file location of
the calendar file. You may also need to
supply a username and password if
authentication is needed.
Manage your appointments and task list, courtesy of the Sunbird
Importing calendar events
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
You can import Outlook calendar events into Sunbird in CSV format
With the .CSV file correctly saved from
Outlook, open Sunbird and choose File ->
Import. Browse to the location where you saved the
CSV file and change the file type to Outlook
Comma Separated in the drop-down list.
You should now see the file that you saved
earlier. Select it and click Open. When Mozilla
Sunbird opens the file, youll need to confirm the
different fields provided. Check that each Outlook
field matches its equivalent.
Once youre happy with the field mapping,
click OK. You may need to confirm the date
format used. If so, click OK. You are told how many
events are being imported. Click Import all to add
them all to the Sunbird calendar.
01 02 03
You can set up recurring appointments and include exception dates when you wont be doing them
YOU CAN PUBLISH YOUR CALENDAR
TO A WEB SERVER AND INVITE FRIENDS
AND COLLEAGUES TO SHARE IT
> KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS
Switch to Day View [Ctrl] + [1]
Switch to Week View [Ctrl] + [2]
Switch to Multiweek View [Ctrl] + [3]
Switch to Month View [Ctrl] + [4]
Go to Today [Ctrl] + [_]
Go to Date [Ctrl] + [_]
Previous [Page Up]
Next [Page Down]
New Event [Ctrl] + [N]
New Task [Ctrl] + [T]
Edit [Ctrl] + [E]
New Calendar File [Ctrl] + [L]
Open Calendar File [Ctrl] + [O]
Reload Remote Calendar [Ctrl] + [R]
Close Window [Ctrl] + [W]
Import [Ctrl] + [I]
Print Active Calendars [Ctrl] + [P]
Mail Selected Events [Ctrl] + [M]
Select All [Ctrl] + [A]
Cut [Ctrl] + [X]
Copy [Ctrl] + [C]
Paste [Ctrl] + [V]
Delete Selected Event [Del]
I
ts hard to believe how we
managed before digital cameras
were invented. Taking, developing
and sharing pictures now takes a
fraction of the time and resources
necessary with film-based
photography. We run the risk
of becoming blas, taking loads
of pictures without much thought
because we can, perhaps even
sharing them more widely
than we should. Its all too easy
to put on endless slideshows
and bore our audience to tears
in the process.
So how can we get our pictures
noticed when people have become
desensitised to them? One answer is
to take really good pictures and only
to share the ones that are truly
arresting. Another option is to
present the picture in an interesting
way. Faced with the challenge of
persuading others to look at your
photos, youll probably have tried a
number of strategies. Sending
pictures by email can be successful,
provided your recipient actually reads
his or her mail.
In fact, whatever method you
choose to draw attention to your
artistic endeavours has pitfalls,
which is why its a good idea to
maintain an armoury of such
strategies. This project aims to
provide you with that battery of
different ways to present your
pictures so that you can make them
as accessible as possible.
Simple slide show
Open My Pictures and double-click a
picture file. This launches the
Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. Use
the right and left arrows to advance
or back up through the images. Click
the plus and minus magnifying
glasses to zoom in or zoom out of
the current image. If a picture was
taken in Portrait view (with the
camera on its side), you can turn it
upright by using the clockwise or
anti-clockwise rotate buttons. These
are indicated by two green triangles,
each with blue arrows showing the
direction of rotation.
Delete an unwanted picture by
clicking the red cross. Click the
button marked with a projection
screen to start the slide show. Youll
see all pictures in the folder shown
full size, which usually fills the screen.
This picture is now in portrait view,
which wont fill the screen, and this
is why there are black borders on
either side.
Sharing with Messenger
Doing stuff with friends is part of
what life is all about and MSN
Messenger 7 enables you to do a lot of
neat things, no matter how far apart
you are. MSN Photo Swap provides
you with the chance to share and
swap pictures between you and your
partner and you can make a slide
show to talk your way through.
Theres no need to go to someone
elses house to find out all about their
holidays now. The slide show can
come to you. If you combine this with
an audio conversation you can have
the full experience, including
questions and answers. See the
walkthrough on page 44 to find out
how to use MSN Photo Swap.
MSN Messenger 7 enables you to
link to a blogging service that can
hold many photo albums. The Web
PC ANSWERS PROJECT
Photo opportunity
Order your prints over the Net
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Dont have a photo printer? Use Jessops Internet printing service
To use the Jessops service, browse to www.
jessopsphotoexpress.com/print. Follow the
link marked Download Now. Click Download Now
again and choose Save in the dialog that follows.
Choose a suitable place to save the software and
click Save.
Wait as the program downloads. Once
complete, browse to the place where you
saved it and double-click the file called setup.
Accept the software licence and the default install
location. You may need to restart your computer.
Once your PC has restarted, double-click the
Jessops Photoexpress icon on your desktop.
Click Start to begin creating a portfolio of photos for
professional printing. You now need to choose the
size of photo that you want to buy. Click Add.
01 02 03
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
40
Be more adventurous with your digital snaps. Joe Cassels has a number
of intriguing suggestions so that your photos dont just sit on your PC
log or blog has taken off
exponentially over the last year. Now
more people than ever are publishing
their thoughts to the world at large,
given a simple method of creating
and updating their pages. MSN Spaces
is Microsofts blogging service. Its
bright, colourful and easy to use. It
also links nicely into MSN Messenger 7
so that you can reach your blog just
by clicking My Space.
Before you can publish anything,
you need to create your space. To do
this, simply provide a title, a URL suffix
and your time zone. Tick the box to
accept the service agreement and
click Create your space. You can
upload several photos to your space
to supplement your diary entries. Click
Create under your photo album,
followed by Add photos. Install the
photo-upload software if necessary
and browse to the pictures on your
hard drive. The program automatically
resizes them to optimise them for
Web use. To add a blog entry click Add
entry, type your text and then click
Publish Entry.
A great new innovation in MSN
Messenger 7 is Contact Cards. These
WE RUN THE RISK OF BECOMING BLAS,
TAKING LOADS OF PICTURES WITHOUT
MUCH THOUGHT BECAUSE WE CAN
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Photo story
Slide shows have traditionally been a great way to share photos,
as long as the speaker doesnt waffle on too much. If you have
Windows XP, you can make a slideshow made up of the pictures
in any folder by browsing to the folder in question and clicking
View as slide show in the Picture Tasks pane. The photos are
shown full screen, advanced every few seconds or at a mouse
click. Press [Esc] to stop the show. However, this still shows static
images and relies on the person talking through the pictures to
fill the silence. Photo Story 3 gives you the chance to make
multimedia slide productions with very little effort. All you need
is a folder full of pictures, suitable background music and a story
to tell. You can download Photo Story 3 from www.microsoft.com/
windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory.
Click Begin a Story, followed by Import Pictures. Browse to the
photos that you want to use, highlight them and click Open. Drag
the photos in the filmstrip to the desired order. Click Next and
press the record button to start your narration. While narrating,
move the mouse pointer over the part of the photo that youre
talking about. Photo Story
will pan or zoom towards
that bit. Click the blue arrow
to go to the next photo. You
can provide a title and
subheading for your title
page and add a background
image of your choice. Once
complete, Photo Story can
save the project as a WMV
file and make it small
enough to send by email.
Make an exciting slide show with music, narration
and movement
You see a list of products available, including
different sizes of print as well as novelty
items such as t-shirts. Each clearly shows its price.
Select one of these and click Next Step: Browse
Pictures so you can choose which photos you
want to use.
You now see the photos on your hard drive.
Choose different folders by selecting them.
On the left-hand pane click each of the pictures you
want to use on the right-hand pane and click Add
selection to order. Repeat to add photos from a
different folder.
All the photos youve selected and their costs
are displayed. Click Next to enter delivery
details and then go online to arrange payment and
upload the pictures. Depending on your connection
this may take some time. Your photos will be posted
to you shortly afterwards.
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AUGUST 2005
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Liven up your photos by turning them into
a multimedia slide show with Photo Story 3
Use Jigsaw Maker 3 to send your custom made jigsaws to friends and family
are generated for each of your
contacts from their MSN profiles.
They enable you to find out their
email addresses and telephone
numbers, plus any information that
they might have uploaded to MSN
Spaces, including their most recent
photos. If you want other people to
have access to this information, head
to your MSN profile and edit it. You
can view your contact card by clicking
your display name and choosing View
My Contact Card from the drop down
menu. Use the arrows at the top of
the card to flip it over. If you want to
change what appears on your card,
you can do this by visiting My Space.
Click the button marked Go to My
Space and then follow the link
marked Profile. Click Edit Profile and
make the changes necessary. Your
contact card will display the last few
photos that you uploaded and enable
friends to link to them quickly.
To look at one of your friends
contact cards, click the icon next to
their name in your contact list. Again,
you can use the arrows at the top of
the card to see the other side.
Contacts whove changed their
details or whove recently uploaded
new stuff to My Space will have a star
next to their names in the contact
list. If the card includes new photos,
click one of the thumbnails to go to
the full-size version online.
Upload to the Web
Try adding a Web page to your
options. Photo sites are nothing new,
with the familiar approach of
thumbnails opening larger versions,
but what about offering a directors
cut? Why not narrate and annotate
your pictures in the style of DVD-
movie added features? You can draw
attention to the clever techniques you
used to achieve a particular effect or
simply tell your friends about your
holiday snaps.
Producer for PowerPoint 2002
enables you to make audio and video
presentations that you can then
upload to the Web, share on a
network or burn to a CD. The files
open in any standard Web browser,
which makes them compatible with
most PCs.
You start by making a PowerPoint
presentation, including slides that
show some of your photos. Apply
whatever design you like and add text
PHOTO WEB SITES ARE NOTHING NEW,
BUT WHY NOT OFFER A DIRECTORS CUT
AND NARRATE AND ANNOTATE YOUR PICS?
Make a jigsaw online
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Use Shockwaves Jigsaw Maker 3 to turn your pictures into digital jigsaws
Browse to www.shockwave.com/sw/
content/jigsawmaker and click Play Online.
Wait for the program to load. Click Create. You can
now choose whether you want to use one of your
own photographs from your hard drive or find
one on the Internet. Click My Picture to use your
own photo.
You now need to locate the photo you want
to use. Double-click My Computer -> My
Documents -> My Pictures and navigate to the one
you want to choose. Select it and click Open. The
image now loads into Jigsaw Maker.
At this stage, you can change the image by
following the previous steps if you want to.
Once youre sure that youre happy with it, click
Edit Puzzle. This creates the jigsaw pieces and
launches the editing window for you to make
changes to the puzzle.
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> FURTHER INFORMATION
Being able to send digital photos via the Internet opens up more
opportunities to put your pictures on merchandise. Most photo-
processing labs can put your images onto a range of media,
including items such as mugs and t-shirts. Jessops can do this
alongside your photoexpress order, although it is by no means the
only service like this available.
Try heading to www.bonusprint.co.uk/pages/photo_gifts.htm
to see the kind of items that you can adorn with your snaps. A
mouse mat with one of your pictures on is a great way to keep a
treasured image close to your PC. Or consider a greetings card with
a personal photo on it. If youd prefer a physical jigsaw to its digital
alternative, you can buy one from a photo-development lab.
BonusPrint also offers a range of more unusual items that can bear
your picture. You can have your photos engraved on glass and
crystal artefacts and even on jewellery. A crystal heart pendant
costs 30 the same price as a glass photo. A cheaper alternative is
a round key ring which will set you back a mere 20. On the
jewellery front, you can obtain some gold pendants including your
photo for 40 and 50,
depending on the style
that you want.
More traditional items
arent quite as expensive.
Jessops sells white t-shirts
with your photo on them for
10 or sweatshirts for 17.
Baseball caps are available for
a modest 10 and the humble
mug can be yours for 8.
Put your favourite pics on mugs, mouse mats,
t-shirts or place mats.
Photo merchandise
BonusPrint can engrave your photographs
into glass and crystal items
annotations before saving it. Now
Producer steps in. You import the
PowerPoint slides, record an audio
commentary, or a video one if you
have a Web cam. The software then
ties all the components together into
a Web-based file. By choosing the
right settings you can make this file
available to all Internet users,
including those with slower modems.
Finally, you can transfer the file to your
Web space and link to it from your
home page.
FTP
Once youve created a slide show
presentation with Producer, close the
program and browse to the file that
youve just created. It should have an
Internet Explorer icon. Double-click it
to launch the file in your browser. Click
Play to start the presentation. Youll
see your slides, along with the
narration you recorded. If you shot
some video, it appears in a little
window. You can advance the slides
using the controls or jump to one by
clicking on its title. Close it when it
finishes. Use an FTP or Web-publishing
program to connect to your Web
server. Once connected, locate the
presentation file and upload it to your
Web space. This may take some time.
Remember to link to this file from
your home page.
There are loads of FTP programs
or clients around vying for your
attention, many of which are free.
Features vary, but they all enable you
to manage files locally and on a
remote PC. The ability to view both
your remote files and those you hold
locally is very useful for this.
Connecting to one of your
existing servers is easy, just press the
Connect button on the toolbar and
select the server you want to use from
the list provided. Alternatively, you can
obtain your Web space details from
your ISP. Click Connect and youll soon
see the contents of the remote
machine displayed in the right-hand
lower pane. Your computers directory
structure is displayed in the left-hand
pane. Transferring files from one
computer to the other is as simple as
selecting the ones you want to
upload and then clicking the right-
pointing arrow.
Toolbars next to the local and
remote computer panes provide you
with common tasks, such as renaming
a selected file, making a new directory
or deleting files. Supply the details of
the files that you want to be displayed
and click OK. For example, to display
only JPEGs, enter *.jpg. To see all files,
select *.*. When dealing with a server
that contains a lot of files and folders,
this can save a considerable amount
of time.
Alternative slide shows
If you dont have PowerPoint, there are
plenty of alternatives to consider, one
of which being Windows Movie Maker
2. This comes as part of Windows XP.
Once youve launched Movie Maker,
choose to import pictures. Browse and
highlight the pictures you want to use
in your show. Once youve imported all
the pictures you need, click and drag
them onto the storyboard in the order
you want. Select Video Transitions
from the Collections drop-down list
and drag the ones that you want
between the pictures on the
storyboard. Choose Import audio or
music, browse for the track you want
and drag it onto the timeline. Finally
click the microphone icon to add
your narration.
Jigsaws
Making jigsaws is a popular way to
get your photos noticed. Theres
nothing particularly new about
making jigsaws from prints many
photo labs have provided this service
for years. However, the jigsaws well
make are digital. You make and
complete them on your PC and share
them via the Internet. There are no
missing pieces, nothing will end up
lost down the back of the sofa and
you dont have to pay through the
nose for them either.
Go to the Jigsaw Maker 3 page at
www.shockwave.com/sw/content/
jigsawmaker. Make or open the puzzle
you want to send and click Send. You
now need to enter your email address
and that of the recipient. Click Add to
add the recipients details to the list.
Add as many recipients as you like in
this way. Enter the email subject and a
brief note to form the body text of the
mail. Click Send when you are finished.
You can now see the puzzle as itll look when
completed, but you can still make a number
of changes. For example, you can use the Flip
control to reverse the picture laterally or vertically.
You can also use the picture shape and size controls
to change the amount of your image to be used in
the jigsaw.
The Puzzle Type buttons enable you to apply
a picture effect to the pieces. This one creates
a negative image. As you complete the puzzle the
picture returns to normal. You can make the picture
monochrome, black or pixellated with these effects.
Change how curvy the pieces are with the
curvature control. Click the Edit Message
button to add your own congratulatory text on
completion of the puzzle. Click Create Jigsaw,
provide a name and click OK. Once the jigsaw is
saved, click Play to play it.
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Solving your jigsaws online saves the problem of lost pieces.
You may need to connect to the
Internet if not already online. The
puzzle itself doesnt arrive in your
friends inbox. Instead, they receive an
email, including your comments and a
link to the jigsaw on the Shockwave
site. They may need to install the
Shockwave player to play the puzzle,
which they can complete online.
T-shirts
While you can get photo-processing
labs to put pictures onto clothing for
you, there is a DIY option. As long
as you have a photo-quality inkjet
printer, you can print your pictures on
special transfer paper and then iron
them onto a t-shirt or sweatshirt. You
can buy a pack of 10 IBM iron-on
transfer sheets from www.maplin.
co.uk for 12.
To make a transfer t-shirt youll
need a plain t-shirt made of cotton or
a 50/50 mix of cotton and polyester.
Then, make a test print of your
transfer on ordinary paper, and check
the image is the right size and
resolution. If the picture has text in it,
youll need to reverse it, because the
transfer is reserved when it goes onto
the t-shirt. You can do this quite easily
in Windows Paint. Open the program
using Start -> All Program ->
Accessories -> Paint and then open
the image that you want to use. Now
choose Image -> Flip/Rotate -> Flip
Horizontal. Save the picture using a
different filename so that you dont
lose the original. When youre happy
with the image, you can print it onto
transfer paper. You should then follow
the instructions that come with the
transfer paper in order to get the
image onto the t-shirt.
Getting prints
Printing photos is tricky, but a joy
when you do it right. Photo-quality
printers are becoming cheaper and
cheaper, but you have to watch the
running costs. Its well worth buying
photographic paper to print on,
because it makes a big difference.
While these consumables are widely
available in stationers, computer
suppliers and photographic stores,
they arent cheap.
With Internet printing you receive
a really top-quality print on high-
quality paper for a fixed price. If youve
ever had the misfortune of wrestling
with a printer, youll know that
mistakes happen and things jam.
When youve paid for your ink and
paper, its rather frustrating to see any
of it wasted. Try out the Jessops
service, which is not unlike sending
your films to the chemist, only you get
to choose the best ones to print and
leave out those that didnt work.
When you compare the costs of
buying prints online with the running
costs of paper and ink, theyre very
competitive. Two three by four inch
prints will cost you 79p, while a
15 x 10 inch print will cost 2.
Get to grips with MSN Photo Swap
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Share pictures and create a joint slide show with your chat partner using MSN Messenger 7
Launch MSN Messenger 7 and start a
conversation with one of your contacts.
In the conversation window, choose Activities ->
MSN Photo Swap. This opens a pane attached to
this window, within which the Photo Swap activity
will run.
If this is the first time youve run MSN Photo
Swap, youll need to download and install
some new software. This should download
automatically, but you may need to give your
permission to install it.
Once youre ready to go, Click Add Pictures and
browse to their location on your hard drive.
You can upload pictures while you chat. Click Pass
Control... to enable your partner to upload photos,
which you can save locally or just watch as part of
the slide show.
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> FURTHER INFORMATION
Download Producer for PowerPoint 2003 from www.microsoft.
com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b3c76d5-fc75-4f99-94bc-7
84919468e73&DisplayLang=en. This works with PowerPoint 2002
and 2003. Install it in the usual way. Start by making a slide show
in PowerPoint. Open PowerPoint and choose New -> From Design
Template in the Task Pane. Select one of the available designs. You
can design your own look, but this is much quicker. Enter your title
and subheading in the appropriate places on the slide. Click New
Slide at the top of the Task Pane and select Title and content from
the Content Layouts. On the slide, choose the insert picture icon
and browse to the photo you want to use. Press Insert to put the
photo onto the slide. Add a title to the slide and repeat this
process until youve made all the slides you want. Choose File ->
Save as, give the presentation a filename and click Save. Choose
Slide Show -> View Show to view your slides full screen.
Producer opens with a wizard, but its simpler to choose Cancel to
close it. Double-click Slides, and again on Import Slides. Browse to
your saved PowerPoint presentation and click Open. Highlight the
slides and drag them onto the timeline. Click the Capture button to
start the capture wizard, which sets up your audio/video options.
Choose Narrate slides with audio. If youve got the right equipment,
you can use video as well. Click Next and choose More choices, audio
narration at 32Kbps. This is the best level for Web use. Click Next and
check the microphone level. Click Next and Capture to start narrating.
Advance the slides/effects with the Next Slide button. Click Stop to
finish recording, save the audio file and click Finish. When youre
done, click the Publish button, choose My Computer and give a
filename. Finally, choose a connection speed (33.6 Kb/s is best for
Web use). Click Next and Finish. You can now upload it to the Web.
Producer for PowerPoint 2003 enables you to make
web-based presentations with your photos
Online presentation
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Y
our file system is the manner
in which your hard drive is
formatted. It dictates the
way data is recorded on your hard
drive. There are three different file
systems that Windows has used.
First comes FAT, or File Allocation
Table, which was used for DOS and
Windows up to 95. Its also known as
FAT16, because of its 16-bit basis and
to distinguish it from the later FAT32
file system. FAT32 (32-bit File
Allocation Table) was introduced with
Windows 98 and it enabled your PC
to handle hard drives larger than 2GB.
Fatty formats arent
so stable
NTFS (NT File System) is used by
Windows NT, 2000 and XP. Its more
stable than either of the FATs and
far more efficient in its use of space.
To find out what file system
your hard drive uses, you should try
opening My Computer, right-clicking
the drive and selecting Properties.
To see all of your disks and partitions,
choose Start, and right-click My
Computer. Next, Select Manage
and opt for Disk Management. This
will show you which file system is
installed on each of your drives
and partitions.
Because NTFS is a stable and
more efficient file system than FAT32,
youll probably want to convert to it,
unless you dual boot with Windows
9x. You can use a command prompt
utility or an application called
Partition Magic to make the change.
Follow the step-by-step guide below
to convert using either method. Make
sure you back up your data before
you start, though.
Converting
to NTFS
Improve the performance of your hard drive by
changing over to NTFS. Joe Cassels converts us
Youre prompted for the volume label. This is
the label you gave this partition. Type it in
and press [Return]. The conversion may take some
time. Once complete, youre presented with a report
showing the free space on the drive.
At the command prompt, enter the following:
convert [volume] /fs:ntfs, where [volume] is
the drive or partition being converted. In this case its
convert E: /fs:ntfs. Press [Return] to run the command.
You can alter a FAT32 partition to make it use
the NTFS file system without harming the data
on it. Even so, take a backup to ensure that nothing is
lost. Click Start -> Run and enter cmd into the open
bar. Click OK to open a command prompt window.
If you prefer not to mess around with the
command prompt, you can always use
Partition Magic. Youll see your current arrangement
of disks and partitions, including active and
extended partitions.
Here the extended partition is drive E and its
formatted using FAT32. Now select the
partition that you want to convert. In the left-hand
pane, choose Convert Partition. Now select the file
system you want to use and click OK.
Partition Magic wont make the changes
until you apply them by pressing the green
button in the bottom left-hand corner. Youll be
shown the progress of the conversion. If its a
system disk you may need to reboot to complete it.
FAT32 to NTFS
Follow steps 1 3 using a command prompt utility or steps 4 6 using Partition Magic
01 02 03
06 05 04
5 MINUTE GUIDE SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
46
K
DE and Gnome have their own
unique look and feel, which
makes them stand out from
other graphical environments, but also
look sufficiently different from each
other that theres a real choice
between them. Yet what if you want
your KDE to look more like Explorer?
KDE is a tweakers paradise, so
there are options for everything. In
comparison, Gnome focuses on
usability and there are fewer options
to play with, resulting in a more static
style. This month, were going to see
how close we can get KDE to look like
other desktop environments just by
tweaking its options, and in the
process discover just how many look-
and-feel options there are.
There are two ways to make KDE
look more like Windows: install a
special Windows-alike skin, or just
tweak the options by hand. Of the two,
the first is potentially the easiest, but
often ends up being the hardest. By
that we mean that using a Windows
skin can potentially make your system
look just like Windows: the Start
button, the My Computer icon, and so
on. However, in our experience these
all-in-one skins just never seem to
work right and end up causing more
trouble than theyre worth.
If you want to try the skinning
route, see the Windows skins boxout,
but if you have less patience and want
KDE to look more like Windows with
less work, follow this simple guide.
First, were going to change the
way the Window title-bars look. In
Linux, this is called the window
decoration and is controlled through
the KDE Control Centre. If youre using
Mandrake, this is in the K Menu, under
System -> Configuration -> Configure
Your Desktop. The KDE Control Centre
contains the vast majority of
configuration options for the look and
feel of KDE, so keep this window open.
Window decorating
To change the window decorations, go
to the Look and Feel options on the
left and select Windows Decorations.
The default theme is probably Plastik,
but most distros come with Redmond
as an alternative a sly reference to
Microsoft. If you select it and click
Apply, youll see the traditional
Windows-style minimize, maximize
and close buttons appear in the
top-right of your Windows. You can
make the title bars even more similar
by going to the Colours option
under Look and Feel and choosing
Redmond 2000.
While youre in the KDE Control
Centre, go to the Panel option. This is
where you can configure how the
Kicker (the bar at the bottom) looks
and works, and there are four tabs at
the top of the screen: Arrangement,
Hiding, Menus and Appearance. Well
start with Arrangement first. The size
of the Kicker is usually Normal by
default, but Windows users are more
familiar with Small size, so switch
over to that. Then, from the Hiding tab,
deselect Show right panel-hiding
button to remove the arrow on the
right side of the Kicker.
From the Menus tab, you might
want to change the number of recent
applications to show to 0, unless
youre a particularly big fan of this.
From the Appearance tab, change
the K Menu button background to
Default, rather than the blueish
Custom Colour that Mandrake enables
by default. While youre there, click the
Advanced Options button at the
bottom and set Applet Handles to
Hide so that the Window list and
Get more from Linux
Customising KDE
With a little bit of effort you can make KDE look more like Windows,
Mac OS or even zanier Operating Systems. Paul Hudson shows you how
IN OUR EXPERIENCE, THESE ALL-IN-ONE
SKINS JUST NEVER SEEM TO WORK
RIGHT AND END UP CAUSING MORE
TROUBLE THAN THEYRE WORTH
LINUX SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
48
After: a few colour tweaks and style changes will make Windows users feel more at home Before: the standard Linux desktop tends to confuse people, thanks to the virtual desktops
You can change most aspects of how KDE
looks and works using the KDE Control Centre
System tray dont have handles next
to them.
Were all done with the KDE
Control Centre for now, so you can
close it if you want. All thats left to do
now is fix the Kicker itself notably
the clock and the virtual desktops. So,
right-click the clock and select
Configure Clock. Change the clock type
to Plain Clock, then deselect the Date
display. You may also need to change
the font to something more readable,
such as Sans 12. This clock style is the
closest to Windows,
On the panel itself, click the small
arrow above and to the left of the
virtual desktops, then click Remove
Pager from the menu that pops up.
Windows to its detriment in our
opinion doesnt have virtual
desktops, so these need to go if you
want the closest experience!
All keyed in
One aspect that we havent changed
is the keyboard shortcuts, because KDE
has an incredibly powerful system for
controlling this. As with look and feel,
keyboard shortcuts are set through
the KDE Control Centre (look in the
Accessibility category). The default
setting is probably KDEs own misfit
selection, but you can change to Mac,
Windows or plain Unix using their
preset schemes.
Alternatively, you can just define
your own shortcuts for things if you
want, and this is where KDE shows
its real power. Dont like [Ctrl] + [V]
to paste text? Change it to [Ctrl] + [P],
change it to [F1], or for maximum
confusion for your friends, change it
to [P]. You can also change other
generic commands, such as Back,
Forward, Zoom In, Reload, Save and
more KDE applications inherit these,
which means you can make one
change here and use it in all your
programs immediately.
For more extreme customisation,
go to the Keyboard Layout option on
the left and then select the Xkb
Options tab. Now, do you want your
Windows key to double up as [Alt]?
Do you want [Shift] to cancel [Caps
Lock] as with Windows, or ignore it
as with OS X? Make sure you have
fun tweaking
Although our customisation
doesnt look exactly like Windows, it
should certainly make it close enough
that people unfamiliar with Linux will
feel less out of their depth. However, if
youre not converting from Windows
or if youre simply sick of the Windows
look and feel then there are many
other ways you can make KDE look.
For example, in the Look and Feel/
Behaviour section of KDE Control
Centre, you can force KDE to show the
current menu bars at the top of the
screen rather than attached to each
application a popular setting for
Mac converts.
The control freaks out there
should also check out the Window
Behaviour section of controls, which
enables you to configure how
windows should act when you click
them, what happens when you
double-click the title bar (the default is
Shade, which hides the window, only
showing the title bar), and even how
you want new windows to appear on
the screen. Here, Smart is the default,
which places windows in empty
screen space, but Cascade, Random
and Centred are also popular.
LINUX HINTS
> TOP TIPS
If you break something while
tweaking, delete the .kde folder
in your home directory.
www.kde-look.org/ has
more than just themes you
can download mouse pointers,
screensavers, Amarok skins
and more.
If you prefer Gnome, try
www.gnome-look.org/ for
the equivalent downloads.
As with Windows, you can
click and drag the applications
bar to other parts of the screen.
By default, KDE does
different things when you
click Maximize with the right
mouse button, but you can
change that, too.
If youre using Gnome,
youll find that both Firefox
and OpenOffice.org 2.0 adopt
your new look, unlike when
you skin KDE. Some skins and
themes require newer versions
of KDE look for distros such
as SUSE 9.3, which include the
latest releases of both KDE
(3.4) and Gnome (2.10).
LINUX SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
49
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
You can also make Linux look like Mac OS X, using Karumba
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Window skins
Follow our advice and skin your way to a
Windows-alike Linux
If youre looking for a more
exact representation of
Windows, your best option
would be to download and use
one of the many Windows
skins from www.kde-look.org/.
Of course, theres a catch:
we tried most of them out,
and each have had unique
problems. After extensive
testing, we achieved the best
results with the KDE-XP theme,
which includes wallpapers,
icons and window decorations,
and the WinBar Karamba bar,
which provides the Start bar at
the bottom.
Youll need to download
these for yourself from www.
kde-look.org/ some of the
files in there are likely to be
copyrighted, so we cant
distribute them for you. The
KDE-XP theme comes with a
install scripts plus a short
install guide (look in the file
cleverly named INSTALL); the
Karamba bar works like other
Karamba themes.
As you browse around the
theme site, youll probably
notice there are ten times as
many OS X-style themes than
Windows themes, and they
are a great deal better, too.
For example, we experienced
no trouble installing the first
three OS X themes that we
came across.
Of course, theres no reason
you cant have the best of both
worlds. For the ultimate
combination, try using an XP
theme for the icons and
window decorations, with an
OS X dock at the bottom.
Looks like Windows, smells like Windows, but doesnt crash like Windows hurrah!
SECURITY SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
50
Do free firewall and AV programs keep your PC protected? Dan DiNicolo
explains why the best things in life are sometimes but not always free
Does free equal safe?
I
ts a question for the ages. Why
would you pay for anti-virus and
firewall software when both can
be had for free? This, in turn, begs an
even more important query: if you
choose to take the free way when
securing your PC, can it really be safe?
This month, were here to find out. To
free or not to free? That is the
protection question!
Free firewalls
Connect any PC to the Internet
without a firewall and itll be lucky to
survive an hour without coming
under attack. With hundreds (if not
thousands) of script kiddies and
hackers looking for systems to
compromise, going firewall-free is
the digital equivalent of hanging a
welcome sign on your computer,
asking folks to step right in and have
a good rummage around.
So, you need a firewall. The
question, however, is whether free
firewall software is enough to get the
job done. Certainly Windows Firewall
the freebie included with Windows
XP is not. It lacks one fundamentally
important feature, namely the ability
to control outbound traffic. In the age
of spyware, that alone is enough to us
to look for alternatives.
So, what about the rest? Many of
the popular home firewall vendors
offer free versions of the paid-for
products. Are these free versions less
secure, or do they provide an
adequate level of protection? Can you
trust a free product to protect your
system? So many questions lets get
on to finding the answers.
Into the firewall
Anyone can develop software and post
their work on the Internet, effectively
giving it away for free. That doesnt
mean that its any good or that it does
what it claims to do. While you might
be able to get by with a free FTP client
that was developed as a project in
someones home office, you probably
shouldnt take the same risk with your
firewall software.
Thankfully, you dont have to
search to the far corners of the
Internet to find safe, effective and free
home firewall alternatives. Free
versions of popular products such as
Kerio Personal Firewall, Zone Alarm and
Sygate Personal Firewall are available
for personal use. Ultimately, each
of these three products offers the
same fundamental protection as the
INTERNET SECURITY
> FURTHER INFORMATION
The value proposition
If you can protect your PC with free
anti-virus and firewall packages that more
than are up to the task, why would anyone
ever consider purchasing the full versions?
Firewall and AV software developers are
virtually forced to offer free versions of
their software: the competition is so tight
that these companies are almost tripping
over each other to be your product of
choice. The feature sets may have
been limited to begin with, but today
free personal editions are almost as
comprehensive as full versions.
In their race to secure your desktop,
these companies now try to differentiate
themselves with value-added features.
For example, a firewall from one company
may include email virus scanning, privacy
features to protect your credit card
information and more. Free AV products
still tend to stick to virus protection, but
then add features such as real-time email
scanning, scheduling, spyware detection and
IM file scanning in their full versions.
Ultimately, these vendors are banking on
the fact that if you already use their product,
they may be able to entice you towards
purchasing the full version thats chock-
full of bonuses. Of course, the paid version
typically includes support by phone and
email a must-have for some users.
In the end, it all comes down to what you
really need. For example, if you already pay
for anti-virus software, then you dont need
a firewall that scans email attachments for
viruses. The bottom line? Before you buy,
check a programs features and capabilities
carefully. If you dont, you may end up paying
for something you could have for free.
What do you get when you pay for anti-virus and firewall software?
The free version of ZoneAlarm offers great protection, but lacks certain bells and whistles
such as virus monitoring
Expect to see messages like this when
attempting to access advanced features in
free firewall and anti-virus products
SECURITY SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
51
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
paid-for version: solid inbound and
outbound traffic control, including the
ability to filter traffic on a program-by-
program basis.
When it comes down to it, none
of these companies can risk
tarnishing their reputation by
releasing a free product that doesnt
provide adequate and appropriate
protection. So, you can typically trust
these products to get the job done. If
its ever determined that a free
firewall from an established vendor
presents a risk, trust us when we say
that the whole Internet would know
about it pretty darn quickly.
Virus country
One would think that the computing
public would have caught on to the
need for strong virus protection by
now, but the facts speak differently.
Users are still neglecting to install
anti-virus software, not keeping their
systems updated or still not paying
attention to what they click. It all adds
up to thousands of new infections
every time the latest iteration of
viruses such as Sober are unleashed
on the Internet.
This is especially disconcerting
given that a number of free anti-virus
alternatives exist. Theres really no
need to pay a yearly subscription fee
to Norton or McAfee if you cant
afford it. While theres no question
that these tried-and-true products
offer fantastic and comprehensive
protection, its the old school virus
propagation techniques that still get
users in trouble: opening infected
email attachments from friends and
family members.
This is where the differences
between paid-for and free products
come to light. While the paid-for
product might detect and disarm the
dangerous attachment before you
even have the chance to open it, the
free product may not discover the
virus until you click the attachment.
However, the free product still stops
the virus from opening and doing its
dirty work. In other words, both
techniques get the job done, even if
the first is more intelligent and active
than the second.
Free loading
On the free anti-virus front, three solid
alternatives exist (for personal use
only). The first is Grisofts AVG Free
Edition, which offers automatic
updates and the ability to schedule
regular scans, but doesnt scan
incoming and outgoing email
messages in real time. Next comes
Avast! Antivirus, which includes
automatic updates and email
scanning. It lacks the ability to
schedule virus scans, but you can set
the program to scan whenever your
screensaver kicks in. AntiVir Guard
rounds out the list of popular free
tools, offering scheduled scanning,
automatic updates and an excellent
support forum to ask questions.
However, the program lacks support
for real-time email scanning, and its
user interface is less than intuitive.
Overall, the protection offered by
the free anti-virus packages is solid, if
not as feature-rich as the paid
alternatives. Any of these free tools
will protect your system, but each
forces you to keep an eye on at least
some element of the virus protection
process. If youre looking to economise,
then you probably wont mind the
extra bit of work. If you want everything
done for you, however, its a paid-for
product youre after.
Our verdict
The bottom line is that your system
can be secured using free anti-virus
and firewall software packages from
established and trusted sources. While
you wont get all the bells and
whistles included in the paid-for, full
versions, the key core components
are always there and more than
capable of getting the job done. So
we can say with confidence that its
possible to secure your PC to a
high level using free firewall and
anti-virus software.
HELP!
In cases where firewall and anti-virus software developers offer a free and paid-for edition, check their Web
site for a product comparison chart. These outline the major differences between editions, and make it easier
to decide whether missing features in the free edition are thing you actually need, and thus worth the investment.
> NEXT MONTH
Viruses: where did they come
from, why do they exist and
can they ever be stopped?
>
QUICK TIPS
Although its included with Windows XP,
Windows Firewall can only be relied upon to
stop inbound connection attempts it includes no
outbound filtering capabilities. Unless youre totally
sure that your PC is pest free, this free firewall is not
safe enough.
The free version of Kerio Personal Firewall
offers excellent inbound and outbound
protection, including program filtering. While the
free version lacks some advanced features such as
virus scanning and protecting your credit card info
it gets the job done for home users.
Offering real-time protection and supporting
scheduled scans, Grisofts AVG Free Edition is
more than up to the task of keeping PCs virus free.
While the free version doesnt scan email messages
as theyre sent and received, it does scan all files you
try to open, alerting you to threats as necessary.
Sorting the features
We weigh up the pros and cons of the free AV programs out there
AVG Free Edition is almost on a par with
popular commercial packages and gets the
job done, too
Avast! offers a comprehensive virus
scanning engine, but you cant schedule
scans with the free version
> > >
SIMON PICKSTOCK
Editor
AUGUST 2005
47
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
>
SECTION CONTENTS
DON'T TRY
THIS AT
HOME
SIMON'S TIP
OF THE MONTH
If you have a wireless
connection at home, set
your router so that it doesnt
broadcast the SSID. This way,
if someone wants to connect
to your network without your
permission, they wont know
the name of your network.
HOW TO UPGRADE IT
Fancy playing the latest, greatest games, but your
graphics card is older than the dead sea scrolls? Heres
how you can upgrade to something with more pixel
pipelines than you can shake a stick at PAGE 68
Performance tweaks 54
Change your desktop icons
Admin Tools 56
Slipstream XP patches and
updates together
Tweaking Firefox 61
Speed up the Fox
How Windows Works 62
What INF files do
P70
Free tutorials! www.pcanswers.co.uk/tutorials
Free support at forum.pcanswers.co.uk
hack it
HARDWARE
PROJECT
> If you want extra security from
hackers, then why not build a hardware
firewall? This month we tell you how
STARTS ON PAGE 64
Were going to show
you that you can usefully
press-gang an old PC into
service and bring back
its glory days
NO-NONSENSE
UPGRADE ADVICE !
PERFORMANCE TWEAKS HACK IT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
54
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
and reap the benefits of a faster, more stable PC. Paul Townsend looks
at the hardware and software options available
Give your PC more RAM
S
ince time immemorial, many
a brave PC enthusiast has
embarked on the same noble
pursuit. Potentially fraught with
danger, their collective goal is
to strive for an increase in the
speed and performance of their
systems, while at the same time
divesting themselves of as little
cash as possible.
Those bravest of heart will choose
to over-clock their CPU and
for some this can sometimes be the
path of no return. For the remaining
mere mortals, a simple RAM boost
is a far more painless and
undemanding journey that they
know will yield results and reward
their endeavour. Its here that our
quest begins
Dont spend a penny
Theres nothing simpler than opening
up your PC and adding a few RAM
modules to give your system a new
lease of life. However, before you
reach for your credit card, its
worth looking at other options that
wont cost you a penny.
Memory managers are the stuff
of legend. Theres a myriad of utility
programs on the Net that all claim to
perform near-miracles on your PC.
Amazing improvements to the speed
and performance of your system can
be had simply by installing a freeware
or shareware program thats
sometimes less than 1MB in size.
Were rather sceptical of such
software and the claims associated
with it. However, theres plenty of
anecdotal evidence from users that
appears to support at least some of
the claims. Yet for the Windows XP
users its difficult to see what else can
be positively achieved by installing
such an add-on.
Windows XP already comes with
a number of features that attempt to
optimise the performance of your PC.
For example, you have the Prefetch
folder which contains details of the
order in which programs load up. By
using this information, your
applications are started in the fastest
possible way. Nevertheless, the
authors of programs such as
FreeRAM XP, available from www.
yourwaresolutions.com, stand by their
claims that their memory manager
will optimise and free unused RAM.
If you already have a large
amount of RAM installed on your PC
its difficult to see where the
improvements will come from.
However, if you have a lower
specification system running RAM-
hungry applications then its worth
seeing if such a program makes a
PERFORMANCE TWEAKS
If you dont have much RAM installed in your
system, give FreeRAM XP
(www.yourwaresolutions.com) a try and see if
performance improves. Once installed, check the
report option then click Go! to free up RAM.
The report that appears will advise how much,
if any, RAM was freed up. Rather than perform
this manually each time you want to free up some
memory you can create a file shortcut will give you
a performance boost at the click of a button.
Click Tools -> Create RAM-Cut. Choose how
much RAM youd like to be freed or use the
AutoFree option. You can then select where youd like
to place the shortcut. In future double-click this
shortcut if youd like to try and free up some RAM.
01 02 03
Give FreeRAM XP a whirl
Opinions are split over this memory management software see what you think by trying it yourself
An introduction to Autoruns
> QUICK TIP
You can also improve the performance of your PC by making changes
to memory settings from within the BIOS. Youll need to navigate to
the chip or chipset section of setup, which you may find located
under the Advanced section. Here, youll see that the SDRAM
Configuration is probably set to By SPD. Change this to User Defined,
which will enable you to alter CAS Latency reduce to 2. Take care
when changing from default settings as you can potentially damage
your system.
PERFORMANCE TWEAKS HACK IT
AUGUST 2005
55
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
difference to you. Its freeware so
youve nothing to lose.
You may also have decided to
replace your RAM because you fear
that its faulty. Random crashes, fatal
errors and unscheduled restarts often
indicate that modules need replacing.
To diagnose whether or not your RAM
is faulty youll need to use a specialist
utility such as the one available at
www.memtest86.com. Alternatively,
theres one available from Microsoft
at http://oca.microsoft.com/en/
windiag.asp.
Installing RAM
Youll first need to decide how much
RAM youre going to need and this
all depends on what your PC is used
for. The best rule of thumb is to go
for as much as you can afford, but if
you do nothing more than browse
the Web, type documents and send
email then 256MB will be fine. If
your PC is used for anything more
than this then youll need to
consider an increase. Working with
digital photos requires a good chunk
of your RAM. Add to this the
occasional spell of game playing and
512MB will be what you need. Bigger
increases still will be needed if youre
a serious gamer, work with video or
use other graphic intensive
applications. In this instance 1GB of
memory should be seen as your
starting point.
Having decided how much RAM
you need the next step is to
determine which type best suits your
system. Your handbook or
motherboard manual will tell you the
specification of the modules you
require. Bereft of these items youll
need to use other methods to find
out what type of RAM to buy.
Opening up your PC will enable you
to see how many free memory slots
you have, but your existing modules
wont usually divulge much.
Its difficult to tell by a modules
specification by looking at it, unless
its labelled, of course. The answer is
to use a utility such as the Belarc
Advisor (www.belarc.com/free_
download.html). This will analyse
your system and give you an audit of
the installed hardware, enabling you
to decide the type and amount of
RAM you need to purchase.
Memory modules operate at
different speeds, but fortunately
theyre backwards compatible. You
can mix and match modules without
too many problems, but there are a
few provisos. If your system uses DDR
modules they can be mixed even if
theyre running at different speeds.
The only thing to remember is that
your PC will always run at the speed
of the slowest module thats fitted.
Furthermore, its important to note
that DDR RAM cannot be mixed with
SDRAM or with DDR2 modules.
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Go to www.kingston.com/tools/assessor/
default.asp. Here youll find a tool that will
help you decide how much memory you need for
your system. Select your Operating System, then use
the usage guide to see how much is recommended.
Visit www.crucial.com/uk for help on
determining which type of memory you need. If
you know the make and model of your PC/
motherboard, use the three-step Memory Advisor.
Alternatively, click Scan My System for autodetection.
Download and install Sisoft Sandra 2002
from www.sisoftware.net. This utility will
provide a thorough analysis of the hardware
installed in your system and will enable you to carry
various tests and performance benchmarks.
01 02 03
Useful memory tools
The Internet has its part to play in helping you to decide on your PCs memory requirements
You can edit memory settings in the BIOS that will improve the performance of your system The amount of memory you need will be determined by how RAM hungry your applications are
> NEXT MONTH
Optimise your PCs
graphics performance
ADMIN TOOLS HACK IT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
56
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Use slipstreaming and deployment tools to ensure that you get the
perfect installation first time, every time, says Paul Townsend
How to manage
Windows XP installations
T
he process of installing an
Operating System can be
laborious and one youll need to
participate in from start to finish. This
can be a time-consuming affair,
particularly if you need to carry this
out on more than one machine.
While there may be fewer restarts
necessary with a Windows XP
installation than with previous
Operating Systems, youll still have to
be present, guiding the process and
configuring certain options as and
when prompted. Something else
youll need to consider is that your
original installation disc is likely to be
somewhat outdated. Of course itll
contain the Operating System youre
going to need, but at the same time
itll be bereft of any updates or service
packs that have since been released.
This will leave more work for you once
youve installed from the disc. Ideally,
the installation process would take
place with zero to minimal
intervention from the user. This is
commonplace in corporate
environments, where an identical
configuration needs to be installed on
multiple machines. Better still would
be a way of incorporating the latest
updates into the process so that
everything could be completed in one
fell swoop. There are various ways the
installation process can be customised
to suit your needs. Its these
techniques were going to focus on in
order to simplify the installation
process for Windows XP.
Deploying Windows XP
If you want to install Windows XP on
more than one machine you can
make use of the System Preparation
Utility (sysprep.exe). It comes with
ADMIN TOOLS
Before creating your installation CD, youll
need to copy the contents of your existing
Windows XP disc to your hard disk and then
slipstream the files with Windows XP Service Pack 2.
Use the process mentioned earlier to do this.
Launch Nero Burning ROM and select CD-ROM
(Boot) from the options on the left. Under
Source of boot image data check the Image file
option, browse to the location where you extracted
the file Microsoft Corporation.img and select it.
Select Enable expert settings (for advanced
users only). Under Kind of emulation select
No emulation. Leave the setting in Load segment of
sector unchanged, but alter the value in Number of
loaded sectors to 4, then switch to the label tab.
Create a bootable Windows XP CD...
It neednt be the end of the world, or even the end of your PC
both the Home and Professional
Editions of the Operating System and
simplifies the process of deployment
on multiple machines. Its ideal for
anyone who needs to configure
networked PCs.
Youll need to begin by installing
Windows XP on a so-called master
computer. Once this has been
completed you can use the sysprep
tool to remove the unique security
identification information from the
master computer, including details
such as the computer name. This will
give you a virgin copy of Windows XP
to which you can apply personalised
settings later. Once youve run the
sysprep tool you can shut down the
master computer. At this point youll
be able to make use of a disk-imaging
IT COMES WITH BOTH THE HOME AND
PROFESSIONAL EDITIONS TO SIMPLIFY
THE PROCESS OF DEPLOYMENT
01
02 03
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
program such as Norton Ghost to
make a copy or image of the partition
on the master computer that contains
the Operating System. Having created
this copy of the image, youll then
be able to use it on another PC. Not
only will this new machine now have
an identical configuration, but the
actual installation process will be
reduced dramatically.
Unattended installation
Using the System Preparation Utility
and copying an image for use on
another PC will greatly speed up the
Windows XP installation process for
subsequent machines. This process
can be enhanced further by making
use of the Setup Manager. This is a
tool that enables you to create a
personalised sysprep.inf file. Its this
file that contains answers to the
prompts youll typically see during
installation, for example, regional
settings, passwords usernames and so
on. By pre-empting these questions
and giving the answers beforehand
youll be able to perform an
unattended installation.
If youre going to use Setup
Manager to create an unattended
installation its important that you
dont choose to shutdown your PC
when youve finished using the
System Preparation Utility. Instead,
quit sysprep and run Setup Manager
afterwards. Open My Computer, then
browse through the contents of your
Windows XP CD and locate deploy.cab.
Right-click the file then choose Open.
Click Edit -> Select All then Edit ->
Copy To Folder. Click Make New Folder
and call it Setup Manager, then click
Copy. Go to this new folder, double-
click Setup Manager and the Windows
Setup Manager will begin. Click Next
to Create a new answer file, click Next
again and select the Sysprep Install
option. Choose the Operating System
thats being used, then opt to fully
automate the installation.
In the left pane of the Windows
Setup Manager youll see each aspect
of the process that can be
preconfigured. Youll begin by entering
General Settings, which includes the
default display settings youd like to
use, the time zone together with the
provision of the Product Key. After this
youll progress to Network Settings
where youll configure an Administrator
Password and determine the
networking components that are to
be installed, for example Client for
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Select Manual, then in the ISO 9660 field
enter the label of your original Windows XP
disc, for example WXHCCP_EN. Do the same
underneath the Joliet field as well. Next, click New.
Now you can start adding the files required.
Browse to the WinXPCD folder created earlier
when you performed the slipstreaming
process. Select the files in the folder and drag them
across to the new CD. Ensure theres a blank CD in
the drive then click the Burn icon to copy.
When burning is complete youll be able to
use your CD to install a copy of XP including
SP2. To double-check the version youve got after
installation click Start -> Run, type winver and press
[Return]. You should have version 5.1 with SP2.
that includes Service Pack 2
PRE-EMPTING THESE QUESTIONS
BEFOREHAND WILL ENABLE YOU TO
PERFORM UNATTENDED INSTALLATIONS
Use the Setup Manager to enter the information required for an unattended installation Slipstream your Windows XP CD with Service Pack 2 and create a new bootable installation disc
04 05 06
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>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
On the master PC click Start -> Run, type cmd
and press [Return] to launch a command
prompt window. Type CD \ and press [Return] to
return to the root of the C: drive. Type md sysprep
then press [Return] to create a new folder.
Insert your original Windows XP CD in the
drive. Using My Computer browse to the
support\tools folder. Right-click deploy.cab, choose
open, then highlight the files sysprep.exe and
setupcl.exe and copy them to the Sysprep folder.
At the command prompt type cd sysprep to
switch to the sysprep folder. Then type
sysprep to run the System Preparation Utility. Be
sure you want to run the tool on the machine as itll
wipe the majority of the current security settings.
01 02 03
Deploy Windows
How to use the System Preparation Utility
Microsoft Networks. At the end of the
wizard a file called sysprep.inf will be
created. You need to ensure that this
file is saved in the sysprep folder you
created earlier. Then shut down the PC
and create an image of the volume.
When this image is used on another
machine and its started for the first
time, the contents of the sysprep.inf
file will be used to fully automate the
installation and enable it to be
completed unattended.
Slipstreaming Service 2
The release of Service Pack 2 hasnt
been without its hiccups, particularly
for those people who already owned a
Windows XP machine when the
update was released.
This is illustrated by the problems
users experienced when trying to
install the Recovery Console onto
their systems. The normal process
would involve inserting your
installation CD in the drive, then at a
command prompt typing d:\i386\
winnt32.exe /cmdcons (where d: is the
letter of your CD drive). Then it would
simply be a case of restarting your
system and the Recovery Console
would appear as a menu option.
Unfortunately, attempting to do this
having previously installed Service
Pack 2 would result in an error
message along the lines of Setup
cannot continue because the version
of Windows on your computer is
newer than the version on the CD.
The answer to this problem is to use
slipstreaming, a method of
Be prepared
> FURTHER INFORMATION
System Preparation Utility requirements laid out
There are certain requirements that need to be in place before you attempt to use the System
Preparation Utility. To begin with, the size of the hard disk on the machine where youll be copying
an image must be the same or greater than that of the master computer. If you need to, you can use
the ExtendOemPartition entry in the sysprep.inf file to extend the partition on the destination PC.
The only proviso here is that it must have been formatted using the NTFS file system. Furthermore,
the hardware components installed in the master and destination computers do not have to be
identical. However, you do need to ensure that the device drivers are available for all these items
of hardware.
Change the functionality
Its possible to change the functionality of the System Preparation Utility by using different command
line parameters. When running sysprep from the command prompt type /? at the end to see a list
of all available switches. For example,
if your destination PC has a different
hardware configuration, type sysprep
-pnp. This will force the operating
system to perform a Plug and Play
refresh the next time its restarted.
Make sure that the required drivers are
available for a trouble-free installation.
If you want to run an unattended
installation you need to make sure that
the System Preparation Utility reads
the sysprep.inf file. To do this you can
use the command line parameter
-mini or check the MiniSetup checkbox
in the sysprep program window.
This parameter does not work with
Windows XP Home Edition.
Control the behaviour of sysprep by changing command line parameters
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
integrating Service Pack 2 into the
existing Operating System files on
your hard disk.
First youll need to copy the
contents of the Windows XP directly
to your hard disk and place it in a
folder. For instance, create a new
folder C:\WinXPCD and copy and
paste or drag and drop the files over.
Then youll need to download the full
Network Installation version of
Windows XP Service Pack 2. This is
available from www.microsoft.com/
downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=
049C9DBE-3B8E-4F30-8245-9E368D3
CDB5A&displaylang=en. Create
a folder for Service Pack 2 at
C:\XPsp2 and make sure that the file
is saved here. The file is called
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.
exe, which is a little too long for our
purpose, so rename it to xpsp2.exe.
Now youll need to embark on the
process of slipstreaming and
combining these two files. Open a
command prompt window and type
the following, pressing [Return] after
each line.
cd \
cd xpsp2
xpsp2.exe /integrate:c:\winxpcd
After this youll need to wait a short
while for the files to be transferred
and integrated. Once this is complete
open another command prompt
window. Youll now be able to add the
Recovery Console to the startup menu
by typing the following:
C:\xpcd\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
At this point make sure youre online
as youll connect to Microsoft where a
dynamic file update will take place.
After this the Recovery Console will be
installed on your system and will be
available the next time you restart
your PC.
Create an installation disc
The latest Windows XP installation
discs are integrated with Service Pack
2. However, if you have an older
version prior to the release of the
update you can use the slipstreaming
technique to create a brand new
installation disc that includes the
service pack. Youll need to use the
slipstream process previously to
ensure you have all the files you need
to create a new installation CD.
However, in order to make the disc
bootable youll need to locate a
particular file on your original
Windows XP CD which is normally
obscured from view. Even with hidden
and system files visible in My
Computer you still wont be able to
grab this file.
Instead, youll need to use a
specialist utility program called ISO
Buster from www.smart-projects.net.
Its shareware, so once youve
downloaded and installed the
application click Free funct. only if
you dont want to purchase it. Make
sure that your original Windows XP
CD is in the drive so that you can see
the contents in the ISO Buster
program window. In the left pane
click Bootable CD, then in the pane
opposite youll see a file called
Microsoft Corporation.img.
Right-click this, choose Extract
Microsoft Corporation.img and
save the file to a location on your
hard disk.
Now you have all the files needed
to create a slipstreamed bootable
installation disc. Open My Computer,
make sure your Windows XP
installation disc is in the drive and
note down the volume label for your
CD, for example XPFPP_EN. Then,
remove the disc from the drive and
insert a blank CD in its place. The next
step involves burning a new disc and
for this well be using Nero Burning
ROM. If youre using a different
burning program the basic steps are
just the same. Follow the six-step
guide on the previous pages to
complete the process.
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Having run the System Preparation Utility,
you may want to make final changes. Once
youre happy with your setup click Reseal. Selecting
the Shutdown option is advisable, as you should
have no further use for the system.
If you want to perform an unattended
installation, make sure that the MiniSetup
option is checked, so that the information contained
in the sysprep.inf file you created will be referred to
when this copy of the installation is used.
If you start up the main computer again after
using the sysprep tool and shutting down, youll
need to be aware that itll go through the installation
process youve just configured. Use your imaging
application to make a copy of the partition first.
04 05 06
on multiple machines
in a few simple steps
YOU CAN USE THE SLIPSTREAMING
TECHNIQUE TO CREATE A NEW DISC
THAT INCLUDES THE SERVICE PACK
> NEXT MONTH
PCAnswers puts security and
privacy on the top of your
priority list.
Setup
Manager
> TOP TIP
Use Run Once to
run any file
When working with Setup
Manager youll be able to
pre-configure items such as
the computer name, installed
printers and network
components.
Youll also find one
particular option in the
setup wizard that will
come in useful Run Once.
This is normally used by
PC manufacturers to run a
welcome program. However,
it can be used to run any
file, so youll be able to
customise your installation
by running the file of
your choice. For example,
this could be an update
program for anti-virus or
firewall software that will
be activated as soon the PC
boots for the first time.
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Take your browsers performance to the next level with this collection of
ten tips. Nick Peers straps himself in for maximum warp
I
f youre looking to push Firefox that
little bit harder, then youve come
to the right place. We reveal the
best tips and tricks for speeding up
page loading, browser performance
and the way you use Firefox
Tune it up
As revealed last issue, FireTune enables
you to optimise Firefoxs settings,
based on your computer and Internet
connection. Download it from www.
totalidea.com/freestuff4.htm its
pretty self-explanatory, or read last
months tutorial for full instructions.
Block ads
Firefox has a built-in pop-up ad blocker,
which obviously saves download time
by preventing the ads from appearing
in the first place. Configure it from the
Tools -> Options -> Web Features menu.
If you want to save even more
download time, install the AdBlock
extension from http://adblock.
mozdev.org take the time to set this
up and youll soon be blocking ads that
appear in regular Web pages, too.
Tweak hidden preferences
Type about:config into a Firefox
browser window and youll see a long
list of hidden preferences just waiting
for you to tweak. Scroll through the list
and youll find some have already been
set by FireTune and other add-ins
but if you want to manually tweak
FIREFOX TWEAKING
these, visit http://mozillazine.org/
misc/about:config/ for instructions.
For details of which tweak does what,
see http://preferential.mozdev.org/
preferences.html.
Adjust your cache
If you have a slow Internet connection,
increase Firefoxs hard drive cache so
that more content can be stored
offline, speeding up your browsing
immeasurably. To change this figure,
select Tools -> Options -> Privacy,
expand the Cache entry and change
the figure (in Kb) its set to 50MB by
default. You can also move your cache
to another drive or folder perfect if
you have a faster drive or want to free
up the load on your system drive. To
do so, use the about:config tweak
above to create a new string value
called browser.cache.disk.parent_
directory that points towards your
chosen destination.
A myth exposed
Despite impressions to the contrary,
adding /prefetch:1 to the end of your
Firefox application shortcut wont
result in faster loading times. See
www.edbott.com/weblog/
archives/000621.html for details.
Password manager
Make use of Firefoxs password
manager to speed up entry of log-on
details to certain Web sites. Unlike
Internet Explorers, you can edit it on a
site-by-site basis, so if you make a
mistake, just select Tools -> Options ->
Privacy and click Password Manager to
rectify it.
Tabbed browsing
Tabbed browsing is far quicker and
neater than separate windows use
the QuickTabPrefToggle add-in
(http://jedbrown.net/1.0/mozilla/
extensions/) to manage it more
efficiently. We recommend forcing links
that open new windows to be opened
in new tabs instead.
Super-fast searches
Firefoxs built-in search engine can be
configured to search different engines
simply by selecting from the drop-
down list. Five are included by default
add more by selecting Add Engines
from the drop-down menu and
picking from those on offer.
Alternatively, you can add a keyboard
shortcut to speed up searches through
any engine see the boxout for details.
Optimised builds
Want to install a version of Firefox
thats been optimised for your
particular processor? Youll find a
selection of builds designed to harness
the unique features of your CPU by
visiting www.moox.ws/tech/mozilla/
firefox.htm read the warning
carefully though!
Speed up Firefox
Prevent ads from downloading to your PC
and youll speed up page loading times
KEYBOARD
SHORTCUTS
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Theres no substitute for
keyboard shortcuts theres
very little you can do with the
mouse that you cant do
quicker with a quick keypress,
and Firefox is no exception.
Rather than waste space
listing shortcuts here, visit
www.mozilla.org/support/
firefox/keyboard.html for the
definitive list it also
contains Internet Explorer
shortcut keys to help you if
youre switching browsers.
The best shortcut of all
involves accessing your
favourite sites simply by
typing in a quick shortcut
phrase into the address bar.
Click Bookmarks, locate your
chosen site, right-click it and
select Properties. Under
keyword type a single word
to describe the site and click
OK. Now, typing that keyword
into the browser will jump
straight to the page in
question. You can also utilise a
search engine in this way. Just
visit the search page, right-click
and choose Add a Keyword for
this Search. The search box will
be placed in your bookmarks, so
you may wish to create a new
folder for all your search-related
shortcuts. Enter a suitable
keyword and click OK now you
can search the Internet Movie
Database for Star Wars by typing
imdb star wars and pressing
[Return], for example.
Navigate Firefox that
little bit quicker
Search a wide variety of search engines from
a single input box thats built into Firefox
Move the Firefox cache to another drive to
speed things up further
ON THE
CD
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62
HOW WINDOWS WORKS
W
indows software is
normally installed
through a single
executable file, such as Setup.exe.
This unzips all the files it needs,
creates its own structure of folders,
and modifies your Registry to suit
the programs requirements. Thats
fine when it works, but what if a
program misbehaves, wont install
properly, or you find you cant remove
it later? Then youll have to ask the
authors for some help, as theres no
way to customise the Setup.exe file
to suit your system, or to tell exactly
what its done.
This isnt always the case,
though. Many device drivers,
Windows components and other
small programs are installed through
.INF (Information) files, instead. These
are plain text files that you can view
in Notepad, to see exactly whats
involved in the installation process,
which files are copied, which Registry
values are set and more. They can be
used to manually restart the
installation process (right-click one
and select Install). With a little
practice, you can even create INF files
of your own, to install small programs
(if youre a developer) or to ensure all
your networked PCs have the same
Registry settings, for example.
Of course you dont have to go
that far to benefit from INF files. Your
first advantage comes simply from
knowing they exist.
Dump that driver
Some USB devices are fussy about
installation, demanding that you
run the setup software before
plugging them in. If you break the
rules, or run into other install
problems, then you may find the
hardware doesnt work properly. So
what can you do next?
Removing and reinstalling the
hardware may help, but that can be
more difficult than you think. Why?
Because the original hardware INF
file, and associated driver files,
probably still remain on your PC. Plug
the device back in again and
Windows locates the INF file, then
reinstalls the original driver, no
matter what you do.
Once you know about this its
easily overcome. Just go to your \
Windows\Inf folder, and search it for
files containing the device
manufacturers name (or sort by date
and locate the most recent files).
Once youre sure youve located the
right file (its dangerous to remove
the wrong one, so be 110 per cent
sure), use any uninstall routine the
hardware provides, then rename the
INF file to .OLD, and reboot. Windows
will no longer be able to load the old
driver, and will hopefully prompt you
for a new one.
Theres no need to wait until this
situation arises before you start
browsing INF files, either. Its
interesting to check them out, just to
see what various programs are
adding to your system. One good
place to start is by examining the
OEMxx.INF files, as these are added
by third-party hardware and software
installations, rather than Windows
components.
The files themselves are split into
sections, each with a header
surrounded by square brackets.
Although many of the larger files can
be very technical, theres a lot you can
pick out with no knowledge at all. The
[Manufacturer] section tells you who
made the file, for instance, while a
.FILES section lists the files its
installing, [DestinationDirs] tells you
where theyre going, and [AddReg]
lists any Registry entries the
installation requires.
All this can be invaluable,
especially if youre trying to
completely remove a program or
>STEP ONE
Rolling your own
Build custom INF files in minutes
Creating your own INF files is particularly handy if you want to
share Registry tips and tweaks with others and its surprising just
what they can achieve.
Take a look at Command Prompt Here (see the step two
boxout), for instance. Save this as an INF file, right-click it, select
Install, and Windows starts processing at the [DefaultInstall]
section. This has two AddReg commands, which adds the Registry
entries listed in [Registry.Settings] and [Registry.Uninstall]. (Theyre
abbreviated, so HKCR is HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and HKLM is HKEY_
LOCAL_MACHINE.)
Now try right-clicking a folder in Explorer, and youll see a new
CMD Prompt Here menu option. Click that and a command
window opens, at the default folder you just selected. Useful, but
thats not all. The [Registry.Uninstall] section has added an
Uninstall routine that points back to our Inf file. Choose Add/
Remove Programs -> PC Answers CMD Prompt Here and youll be
able to remove it.
Learn a little more about the basic syntax, and you can use this
file to build a shell that installs any Registry tweaks you like and
even copies files, which is very handy if youre upgrading a new PC.
The Microsoft MSDN site has everything you need to know at
msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/install/hh/install/create-inf_
fce26502-79c2-4d9e-a53f-c1ed84cdb5a5.xml.asp.
How INF files work
Inf-Tool Lite is an INF file generator, aimed
at creating installation routines for
programmers, but useful for all interested
in INF possibilities (www.inner-smile.com)
Brian Catlins guide covers most of the
important INF file basics (www.wd-3.com/
archive/InfFiles.htm). Although were not
sure about the Winnie the Pooh references
Tame troublesome device drivers and uninstall awkward applications by
learning a little about Windows INF files. Mike Williams is your guide...
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PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
driver. However, you should be very,
very careful. Disable the wrong driver
and your PC may not boot, even into
Safe Mode, so INF file tinkering is for
the brave or expert only. Unless, that
is, theres a built-in Uninstall section
you can use.
Removing programs
Some drivers, applications or
Windows components may not come
with an uninstall option, but still be
removable with careful use of an INF
file. You really shouldnt try anything
like this except as a last resort, just in
case youre removing something
important, but its still a useful
technique in some circumstances.
Lets take Wordpad as a relatively
safe example. Perhaps you use the
program regularly, but now its
misbehaving, and you think
uninstalling and reinstalling might
help. Unfortunately, you wont find
Wordpad listed as an uninstallable
component under Add/Remove
Programs, so you need to find another
way and the INF file is it.
Browse to \Windows\Inf, and
youll find a file called wordpad.inf.
Close to the top of the file is a section
called [MSWordPadUninstall], which
deals with removing the application.
If youre up to deciphering all the
commands there, then that alone
tells you how to manually clear off
Wordpad (files to remove, Registry
entries to delete, and so on).
Too difficult? You bet, and also
entirely unnecessary, because
Windows has a command that will
execute any section of an INF file for
you. In this case, click Start -> Run, and
enter the line:
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection
\Windows\INF\wordpad.inf,
MSWordPadUninstall
and thats it. Wordpad has gone. Want
it back? Then right-click Wordpad.inf
and select Install.
Advanced applications
Playing around with INF files can be
especially useful as a means of
managing a network. If youre using
the Windows XP SP2 Firewall, for
instance, then its important to make
sure everyones using the same rules -
a potential nightmare if that means
setting up every system individually.
Yet it doesnt, thanks to Microsofts
use of INF files. Open \Windows\Inf\
Netfw.inf to see this for yourself. It
contains a section for each firewall
profile; [ICF.AddReg.DomainProfile] is
used when your PCs connected to its
network domain, [ICF.AddReg.
StandardProfile] applies when it isnt.
Now all you need to do is add
any required Registry settings to the
right profile. For example, to disable
all unsolicited incoming connections,
you might use HKLM,SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services\
SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\DomainProfile,DoNot
AllowExceptions,0x00010001,1. Or if
youre not a fan of the firewall, turn it
off completely with HKLM,SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services\
SharedAccess\Parameters\
FirewallPolicy\DomainProfile,
EnableFirewall,0x00010001,0.
Use Google to locate WFINF_Guide.
doc for the full list of settings you
can apply.
This is just one of many more
advanced ways to make use of INF
files. Want to find out more? Then as
usual, Google is your friend: search for
the phrase RunDll32 advpack.
dll,LaunchINFSection and youll soon
have enough ingenious system
management tips to keep you happy
for months.
>STEP TWO
[Version]
Signature=$CHICAGO$
[DefaultInstall]
AddReg=Registry.Settings
AddReg=Registry.Uninstall
[DefaultUninstall]
DelReg=Registry.Settings
DelReg=Registry.Uninstall
[Registry.Settings]
HKCR,Directory\Shell\Cmdhere
HKCR,Directory\Shell\Cmdhere,,,%MENUITEM%
HKCR,Directory\Shell\Cmdhere\command,,,%11%\cmd.exe /k cd
%1
HKCR,Drive\Shell\Cmdhere
HKCR,Drive\Shell\Cmdhere,,,%MENUITEM%
HKCR,Drive\Shell\Cmdhere\command,,,%11%\cmd.exe /k cd
%1
[Registry.Uninstall]
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\
%NAME%
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\
%NAME%,DisplayName,,%NAME%
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\
%NAME%,UninstallString,,Rundll32.exe setupapi.
dll,InstallHinfSection DefaultUninstall 132 %17%\Cmdhere.inf
[Strings]
NAME = PC Answers CMD Prompt Here
MENUITEM = CMD &Prompt Here
Command
Prompt Here
Give yourself some added functionality with this
really nifty box of code. Or if you dont fancy typing
it all in, its on this months CD for you
Its always best to use the documented ways to reinstall drivers or applications, but as a last
resort, you can try right-clicking the INF file and selecting Install
Cant remove a device driver? INF files could
provide the clues you need
Autorun.inf files make CDs automatically
launch a program or file when inserted into
a PC. Theres a free generator at http://
autorun.moonvalley.com
ON THE
CD
T
odays fast-evolving PC
technology leaves in its wake a
sorry and pathetic trail of
outdated, outmoded PCs and
peripherals. Youve probably got a
collection all of your own, stashed
away in a cupboard or drawer
somewhere, while you reconcile
yourself to the fact youll probably
end up throwing it away. Yet it
neednt be that way and were going
to show you how you can press-gang
an old PC into service and bring back
its glory days. Yes, were going to turn
an old Pentium 1 system into a fully
functional hardware firewall.
Were able to do so thanks to the
genius of the SmoothWall Open
Source Project (www.smoothwall.
org), which has designed a Linux-
based program that turns an
otherwise obsolete PC into a
dedicated hardware firewall.
SmoothWall Express 2.0 is the latest
version of this fabulous little
application and its completely free
and ideal for home use. Installing it as
you would an OS, it overwrites
everything on the PCs hard drive
and once installed, you need never
physically touch it again. Although
you need a monitor and keyboard to
set it up, when its up and running
you can control everything via the
network and your Internet browser,
leaving your new SmoothWall box to
be tucked out of the way. So if youve
got an old PC lying around that you
cant bear the thought of throwing
out, give it a new lease of life and
protect your home network while
youre at it.
HARDWARE PROJECT
Solid protection
Believe it or not, you really can turn even an old 486 PC into a truly
formidable hardware firewall. Mike Abolins shows you how easy it can be
SMOOTHWALL IS A LINUX-BASED
PROGRAM THAT TURNS AN OLD PC INTO
A DEDICATED HARDWARE FIREWALL
Take the soft option or choose the hard way?
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Your choice of firewall will depend on your budget and your surfing habits
The two main types of firewall hardware
and software are each adept at protecting
your PC from attack from the Internet.
However, there are subtle differences
between the two, and each has its own
advantages over the other.
For instance, if you were to go out and
buy a firewall, youd find that the
software versions are far cheaper. Indeed,
ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com) and
Sygate Personal Firewall (www.sygate.
com) are both available for free to home
users, while a hardware firewall (this
recycled SmoothWall project excepted)
for home, costs from 100.
If youre a heavy broadband user, it
can pay dividends to employ both. A
software firewall is able to
much more closely detect
potential threats within its
host PCs programs and
applications and can be a
more reliable way of
preventing spyware from
communicating with the
outside world. However, a
hardware firewall prevents
malicious advances from
the Internet ever coming
close to your PC and can
efficiently shield your
PCs IP address from
prying eyes.
Perhaps the biggest
advantage
of a
hardware firewall
is its ease of use:
you can simply
plug in your PC
and youre pretty
much protected. Its also important to bear
in mind the fact that its not using up your
PCs system resources as a software
firewall (which runs in the background of
Windows) would.
Software firewalls, such as Norton Internet Security, can be integrated with
anti-virus software
Most broadband routers come with built-in hardware firewalls that are similar in nature to SmoothWalls
HARDWARE PROJECT HACK IT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
64
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
If youre on a really old system, you might
need to dig out some more RAM. Although
SmoothWall will run with just 32MB, 64MB is
necessary for all of the programs services to
function, such as the intrusion detection system.
A CD-ROM drive is desirable as it enables the
quickest method of installation. You can
create bootable floppy disks or install it over a
network if youve got the capacity to do so, but be
prepared for it to take longer and be more fiddly.
As your SmoothWall box will only need a CD
drive for the installation process, you could
borrow one from another PC and then remove it
after SmoothWall has installed itself. You can do the
same with the graphics card, monitor, keyboard
and mouse.
04
Youll need a second network card if your
SmoothWall box is going to connect to the
Internet via a broadband modem that sports an
Ethernet connection of its own. If youve got a USB
modem, youll simply need a free USB 1.1 port.
Although most network cards and USB
modems are catered for within SmoothWall,
its worth checking the continually updated
hardware compatibility list at http://community.
smoothwall.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=11.
07
02
05
The hard drive situation is more flexible,
with a recommended requirement of 2GB.
Itll run with as little as 540MB worth of space,
but this can cause problems as proxy log files that
note the traffic through the firewall cant be
adequately recorded.
Obviously, youre going to need a network
connection and for this youll need a PCI
network card (USB and PCMCIA models arent
supported). Although ISA cards are catered for, its a
more difficult installation.
Your rule of thumb when it comes to hardware
is this: the more PCs youve got on your
network, the more powerful a specification you need.
For most home networks (up to three or four PCs), a
low-end Pentium I will be adequate.
03
06
09 08
SmoothWall requires a 486 processor at
minimum, and itll run on virtually anything
more powerful, including all Pentium processors,
the AMD 586 and up, as well as comparable IBM
and Cyrix. A clock speed of at least 150MHz is
recommended.
01
HARDWARE PROJECT HACK IT
AUGUST 2005
65
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Prepare the groundwork
Dust off that old PC and ensure that its up to the job of running your firewall
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Download the SmoothWall installation file (a
45MB ISO file) from http://smoothwall.org/
get and burn the image on to a blank CD. Youll need
to burn this CD even if you plan to install SmoothWall
from a set of floppy diskettes or a LAN connection.
Boot the old PC that youre installing it on from
this disc.
Youll next be asked to confirm the IP
address and network mask for the green
interface. You can safely use the default values.
Make a note of the IP address as youll need it to
access the firewalls control panel from your
networked PC.
The remaining SmoothWall files will now be
installed. When youre asked whether youd
like to restore the configuration for SmoothWall
using a backup floppy, select No. This is for users
upgrading their version of SmoothWall settings
such as your ADSL ISP settings can be backed up
on to a floppy disk later on.
06
If youre using an Ethernet connection to an
ADSL modem, select the Disable ADSL
option. If youre using a USB modem youll be asked
to supply a VPI and VCI value: normally 0 or 8 and 35
or 38, respectively. Again, check with your ISP if
youre unsure of what values to enter.
Once the USB modem is configured, select
Enable ADSL. A pop-up window will appear,
confirming that SmoothWall is able to access the
modem. Youll then be prompted to confirm your
network green/red interfaces and supply passwords
for access to SmoothWalls configuration screens.
12
01
07
Read the warning on the opening screen and
press [Return] when youre ready to proceed.
Use the keyboard to navigate the on-screen buttons;
the arrow keys and Tab switch elements and space
selects the highlighted option. Theres no need to
have a mouse connected, so set this option up in the
PCs BIOS if necessary.
Next, set your keyboard mapping to UK
and enter the machines hostname. Its
perfectly safe to leave it as smoothwall, although
feel free to change it if you wish. Its merely an
alternative to the IP address when referring to the
SmoothWall box.
Youll need to set up passwords for root and set-
up access (when accessing the firewalls settings
directly via the SmoothWall box) and one for Web
Admin access (when youre accessing the firewalls
settings via another PC on the network). Its the latter
option that youll use to enter your ADSL ISP details.
02
08
14 13
T
he installation process for SmoothWall will be
familiar to any of you whove installed your
own OS before. Once youve downloaded the .iso
file and created the bootable installation CD with
it, its almost exactly the same, even down to the
blue screen. While youll configure the basic
elements of your SmoothWall box during the
installation process, many of the advanced set-up
options are only available when youve completed
the installation and boot up the finished PC for
the first time. Like any other hardware firewall, its
only by accessing it via a networked PC and your
Internet browser that you can enter your ISP log-
on details and password for your broadband
account for instance. As thats largely self-
explanatory, weve concentrated on the earlier
part of the process from installing the
SmoothWall software to setting up your protected
and unprotected ports.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
66
HARDWARE PROJECT HACK IT
Build yourself a SmoothWall box
Theres a fair bit of configuration involved, but youll soon have your software firewall up and running
Select the option to install SmoothWall from
the PCs CD-ROM drive and confirm with the
installer that youre happy for the PCs hard drive to
be overwritten. Press OK and installation will begin.
If youve installed an Operating System before,
youll find much of what follows familiar territory.
When asked to provide a Web proxy
hostname and port for updating, you can
leave this blank, as the majority of UK ISPs will
enable SmoothWall to access its update servers
without any issue. Check with your ISP if youre not
sure. Otherwise, leave it blank and press OK.
The passwords can be altered later by logging
on to the SmoothWall section set-up menu on
the SmoothWall box. When youve set all three
passwords youll be informed that setup is complete.
Make sure youve removed the installation CD from
the drive and press OK to restart the PC.
03
09
15
Youll next be asked to configure the green
interface, which is the network connection
that your networked PCs will use to connect to the
SmoothWall box. This will always be the PCs
Ethernet port, whether its an onboard port or PCI
card, and is the safe connection behind the firewall.
Youre now ready to configure the red
interface. This is the direct connection (if any)
that the SmoothWall box has to the Internet (green
indicates a protected connection, red an unprotected
one) via dial-up, ADSL or ISDN and is going to either
be an Ethernet or modem connection.
The SmoothWall software will start and
activate the firewall automatically. Youll hear
a three-note chime via the onboard speaker to
confirm its up and running smoothly. It can be
turned on and off via the PCs main power button. At
this point you can disconnect the keyboard, mouse
and monitor.
04
10
16
The installer will scan your PC for the
appropriate network interface. If youve got
two NICs installed, the first one it detects will be
tagged as the green interface. If youd rather it was
the second NIC, press Skip and look for that instead.
The first card can be set up as the red interface later
on in the installation.
You can opt to disable any red interfaces
such as ISDN if you dont have the hardware
or services available to you. If you want to configure
a red interface, such as ADSL, scroll through the
menu of supported hardware devices and find the
closest match to what you have.
Connect your SmoothWall box to your network
via a router. Use a networked PC to access the
Web admin page via the IP address you set in step 6
to finalise configuration, including entering your ADSL
ISP log-on details, port forwarding and other
advanced options.
05
11
17
HARDWARE PROJECT HACK IT
AUGUST 2005
67
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Y
ouve turned down the
resolution to Small and
grainy, and set the detail
level to Rubbish and number of
colours to 12, yet games still perform
poorly on your PC. Could it be time
to upgrade your video card? Possibly
although its not the only reason you
might want to splash out. Moving to
a DirectX 9 card will give you the
latest advanced graphical features,
for instance, so youre playing games
as the authors intended. You might
benefit from extra features, such as
an S-video out port that enables you
to connect a
TV as a
second display.
Furthermore, a
new card could
offer a more
stable, higher
quality image for
all your
applications.
Before you start
spending, though, theres a question
to answer especially if youre
primarily interested in performance.
Is a new graphics card really the
UPGRADE IT HACK IT UPGRADE IT HACK IT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
68
Whether you want to turn your PC into a multimedia
monster or just improve gaming performance,
Mike Williams is your guide
Graphics card
in 15 minutes
HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Before you start, make sure you
Careful preparation is the key to success
The hardware part of a video card upgrade is
easy: take one card out, put the new one in and
thats it. Its what youve done beforehand thats
really important. Youll need to have the latest
drivers for the card youve just bought, for
example. Thats the latest drivers from the
card manufacturer, mind, not generic ATI or
NVIDIA versions that you might find online,
as these wont support proprietary features.
Visit the manufacturers Web site to check for
version numbers.
Browse the support pages while youre there,
too. Are the FAQ pages filled with entries
describing the dire installation problems you
might face? Then perhaps you shouldnt actually
have bought this card at all, but its a little late
now. Print out any solutions that look relevant,
and of course read the card manual, too, for
special installation guidance.
Video drivers are notorious for conflicting with
each other, so its essential to remove the old
drivers just before the upgrade. Theres usually a
Control Panel Add/Remove Programs entry thatll
do the job, or go back to the old manufacturers
Web site and look for more advice.
Although this is a simple upgrade, dont get
complacent or skimp on the usual physical
preparations. Make room around your PC to work,
use an anti-static bag to hold the old card, and a
cup, saucer or similar to keep the screws together.
If youve not got a wrist strap to keep yourself
permanently earthed, then at least ground
yourself frequently during installation touching
a radiator will do the job.
best
way to spend
your money? If your system has an
old CPU, hardly any RAM and a slow
hard drive, then its not going to
have the power to make full use of a
decent video system, anyway. Youd
be better off adding more memory,
replacing the hard drive or perhaps
putting the money towards a
complete new PC.
There are also hardware
restrictions to bear in mind. If your
PC has an old AGP 1x or 2x slot then
it wont run modern AGP 4x or 8x
cards. AGP 8x cards wont run at full
speed in a 4x slot, either, so check
Use your
BIOS string and
Mobo ID Tools
to identify
your
motherboard
manufacturer
Out with the old, in with the new
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Replacing your graphics card is relatively straightforward, but it pays to be extra cautious
Unplug your PC, remove the case and detach
any connectors from the back of your
graphics card. Check the card itself for leads such
as a power connector that may be plugged into
your PC, and remove those as well. Once its clear,
remove the retain screw, then grip the card by the
edges and lift it out of your system.
Take the new video card out of its antistatic
bag and line it up with your graphics slot. If
the card is a big one then it might block the nearest
expansion card slot (very annoying if youve got
something installed there already). Rearrange your
PCI or PCI Express cards to make more room and
then push the graphics card into place.
If the card is firmly seated then its expansion
bracket should now be sitting correctly, ready
for you to add the retaining screw. Finally, plug in
whatever leads the card requires (if any), and be
careful. Forget a power connector and the card
wont work; miss a fan lead and itll fry. Read the
manual if youre unsure.
UPGRADE IT HACK IT UPGRADE IT HACK IT
AUGUST 2005
69
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
your motherboards documentation
if youre unsure about what speeds
your system supports. Steven
Nikkels AGP Compatibility page
explains more about the AGP rules
(www.ertyu.org/~steven_nikkel/
agpcompatibility.html).
Feature list
Buy just about any modern card and
you can expect a digital (DVI) port,
offering a better image if youve got
a matching flat panel monitor. Youll
also usually get a regular analogue
VGA port and a
video
out
for
connecting
to a TV. Some
cards offer extras,
though, such as two DVI
ports (handy if youre
planning to permanently extend
your desktop across a couple of flat
panel monitors). VIVO (Video In,
Video Out) helps you capture and
save analogue video, while other
cards add a TV tuner for extra
versatility. If youre looking for
gaming performance then plenty of
video RAM is essential (128MB as a
minimum, 256MB ideal).
Then its a matter of looking at
memory and GPU speeds, and buying
the fastest card you can afford.
However, you shouldnt spend
anything until youre sure itll work
with your PC.
However, there are a couple of
snags. Just looking at a photo of
some high-end cards will reveal
one immediately. The larger models
are so big that theyll often block
the nearest PCI slot. Make sure you
can leave the nearest slot free, if
only to improve the airflow. The
other major issue is power
consumption, with the latest cards
consuming perhaps as much as 80
watts (two to four times that of a
budget card). If your system is
already overloaded, then thatll be
enough to ensure it wont even
boot. Use the JS Custom PCs
calculator to figure out your
current requirements (www.
jscustompcs.com/power_supply),
and consider buying an uprated
power supply if youre already
pushing the limits.
01 02 03
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Video troubleshooting
Most upgrade problems are easily fixed
If your PC doesnt even turn on after the upgrade
or behaves erratically, then check that youve not
knocked anything out of place particularly other
PCI cards, or memory modules. Is your new
graphics card firmly seated in its slot, with any
power connector properly plugged in? Another
possibility is that your power supply cant cope
with the extra load. Remove non-essential PCI
cards, and any USB or FireWire devices that youve
got connected to see if this helps.
Your BIOS setup program may have several
settings that can affect the performance of your
new card. Some of these are just used for tuning
(AGP Aperture or AGP Turbo for example), but
others are more critical. Ensure that
integrated graphics are turned off, for
instance, and the BIOS knows you want to use an
AGP card, so its directing video to the right place.
If the boot process begins but doesnt make it
into Windows, then try holding down [F8] and
booting into Safe Mode. Open Device Manager
and then look for and remove every display
adapter entry you find. Reboot and let Windows
try to auto-detect the card again.
While youre trying to find the clever and
technical solution to any problem, dont forget
that the real answer is often a lot simpler. So the
absence of any picture could be down to an
obscure BIOS setting, but it may also be because
youve not connected the video cable firmly, or
youve plugged it into the wrong port. Its easily
done, especially with multiple video outs.
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! W
hen it comes to case
design many people
would agree that the
Apple Mac has got the PC beatenww.
The G5 Power Mac in particular has
caught the eye of just about every PC
modder in the business, thanks to its
sumptuous brushed-steel case. Yet a
case is, after all, only the outer shell of
your PC, so why cant you simply build
a PC inside a Mac case? We met up
with one PC modder whos done
just that and discovered that its not
quite as straightforward as many
might think.
Lorin Halpert is 20 years old and
from Canada. His plan was simple:
to install an AMD-based beast of a
PC into a gorgeous G5 case, but he
wanted to add a couple of neat
extras as well. His plan was to use a
LaserPod (a digital version of a lava
lamp) to create a cool laser/LED-
based effect that would be visible
through the front grill of the case.
Lorin also had some fun tricks in
store for the inside as well, including
a custom twin-turbine wind tunnel
HDD cooling system.
Lorin picked up his G5 case for free
from his employer. For readers not as
fortunate to work at the same place
as Lorin there are a few sites on the
Net that you can buy a G5 case from,
such as www.welovemacs.com/
g5casenps.html, but be warned
they dont come cheap!
Case for free
The part that was most difficult
was actually convincing myself to
begin the project, remembers Lorin,
and later on getting everything to
fit snuggly.
It turned out that fitting PC kit
inside an Apple case isnt just a
simple matter of plugging everything
in. You see, Apple doesnt use
standard components or fittings.
Take the drive mounting screws for
the DVD/CD burner for instance:
they needed to be official Apple
screws (luckily Lorin picked up some
of those from work as well). Other
parts needed custom solutions. To
get the motherboard to fit he had
to buy a cheap PC case, cut out the
motherboard tray and then mount
A
p
p
le
o
f yo
u
r e
ye
A case is just a case, right? Wrong!


Graham Barlow explores the difficulties of

adapting the Apple G5 case for the PC cause
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
70
DONT TRY THIS AT HOME HACK IT
From here it all looks as though itd be easy
to put together. Thanks to Apples
non-standard components, it wasnt
LASER LIGHTS, LASERPOD
> FURTHER INFORMATION
The LaserPod (www.laserpodusa.com) is a great
piece of technology designed in the UK. Its
intended to send incredible visual laser
waveforms around your room a kind of 21st
Century version of the lava lamp. Lorins idea to
put it inside his G5 case and reflect it onto a light
diffuser, like the ones found inside some
fluorescent lamps, was pretty innovative. It sits
behind the main grill of the G5 case and casts
tranquil beams of laser loveliness around the
room, making his mod look particularly
atmospheric in a dark room.
Go on, light up your life. Or at the very least, you could think about
lighting up your PC case
AUGUST 2005
71
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
> WHO ARE YOU?
NAME: Lorin Halpert
OCCUPATION: Top secret!
AMBITION: To start my own
company.
SYSTEM SPECS: AMD Athlon 64
3500 (socket 939),
Geil 1.0GB (2 x 512MB) PC3200
Ultra-X Plat Series,
MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum
motherboard,
(temporary) 8MB ATI Rage Pro
PCI card (yes, I need a proper
PCI-express video card),
WD Raptor 74GB 10k RPM
SATA drive.
3 x WD2000 SATA drives
(200GB each).
the mainboard onto it. In fact, most
of the other components, including
the two hard disk drives and power
supply unit, all required custom-
made mountings to fit properly.
They took hours to build and were
pretty fiddly to fix, too. Lorin made
plenty of mistakes because he was
doing everything for the first time.
If I had the chance to do it again I
would measure everything out
properly, instead of continuously
delaying the project every time
something didnt fit just right.
A little help from
your friends
Another real problem for Lorin was
the Apple front interface with the
power button, USB, FireWire and
headphone connector ports on.
Again, its a 100 per cent proprietary
Apple connector, so it was going to
be difficult to connect it to his
motherboard, especially when he
didnt feel confident enough to
decipher the whole thing. Eventually,
he managed to disassemble the
front connector/button and remove
it from the case to show to his
more electronically minded friends.
They applied their knowledge to
achieve the correct connections.
Every good
modder
needs some
electronics
wizards to
fall back on
in times of
need!
Reactions to
Lorins G5 PC have
been pretty positive
so far. Hes not the first
guy to fit a PC inside a G5 case, but
he worked out how to do it as he
went along and added some nice
original touches of his own. The
LaserPod looks particularly good
in the dark.
Some people
may have
jokingly
described
his
LaserPod
G5 as the
trippiest
cheese grater
ever, but weve
enjoyed his story of
how he did it and the
result is a PC with style as well
as substance.
DONT TRY THIS AT HOME DONT TRY THIS AT HOME HACK IT
Lorin worked closely with some of his more
electronically minded friends to ensure that
the PC was built into the G5 case correctly
P
Cs are tricky beasts. They
consist of a large number of
complex devices working
together, bound by complicated
instructions. There are guaranteed to
be problems from time to time and
its surprising that were not
constantly dealing with PC woes. This
is of no comfort to someone whos
having difficulty, however. Because of
the complex nature of the computer,
it can be frustrating trying to locate
and diagnose the problem, let alone
start to put it right.
This is where we can help. Weve
compiled a dossier of the most
common and frustrating hardware
issues that you might come across
and provided solutions in a simple,
down-to-earth manner. We start by
examining your PC before it even
boots into Windows. The initial power
on self-test and the BIOS are where
some problems can occur and they
can also offer clues to their resolution.
Well stick with the BIOS throughout
the feature, as it can supply solutions
to many hardware problems.
Rescue your data
Once youve got your PC to start up,
well turn our attention to storage
and the problems therein. RAM and
hard drives are the main forms of
storage used in todays PCs. We rely on
these components to keep our data
safe, so its vital that they dont fail.
Well show you how to test these and
how to spot a hard drive on its way
out, so that you have time to rescue
the data that might otherwise be lost.
Graphics and soundcards provide
your computer with the means to
express itself visually and aurally.
Well give you hints and tips to stop
it becoming mute and graphically
challenged. Well also throw in an idea
or two on raising performance.
Much additional hardware comes
with USB connection in either 1.1 or
2 form. Well look at the best ways to
troubleshoot USB issues and also
take a gander at networking
problems too. By the time youre
done, you should have a good idea
how to sort out pretty much any
hardware problem.
Most hardware goes wrong at some point. Joe Cassels provides help and
advice to stop minor problems becoming major annoyances
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
72
Inside this article
Enter the BIOS
If youre experiencing trouble
getting your PC to start up properly,
the answer might lie within the
BIOS. Use the beeps that you hear
at startup to point you in the
right direction.
Page 73
Memory tricks
Faulty RAM could be letting you
down, as could other hardware
components. Heres the solution.
Pages 74 to 75
Multimedia mayhem
Without sound or graphics your PC
isnt much use. Track down the
problem now.
Pages 76 and 77
Test your RAM
We show you how to assess the
worthiness of your RAM.
Page 78
Go green
Make your PC environmentally
friendly.
Page 79
Networking nightmare
Solve your connection problems.
Page 80
FIX HARDWARE
PROBLEMS
ON THE
CD
COVER FEATURE HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
MAY 2005
73
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
I
f your PC wont start properly and
fails to show a display, there are
ways to diagnose the problem.
First, you can try the BIOS beep codes.
The system speaker will sound a
number of times to indicate the
possible problem. However, if beeps
give you little joy, you may need to
test each component. The
walkthrough overleaf shows how to
strip your PC down to its most basic
parts and then test to find out if each
is working. This should help you to
isolate and replace the faulty item.
The BIOS is the software that
controls the hardware in your system.
Bugs in the BIOS can cause instability
or mean that your PC doesnt perform
as well as it could. You can fix some
problems by altering BIOS settings or
by updating the BIOS software
Flashing approach
To update your BIOS by flashing it,
start by identifying it correctly. Use
your motherboard manual to find out
its model number. BIOSes are
motherboard specific so flashing the
wrong file will render your PC useless.
The best way to confirm your
motherboard details is to use the BIOS
ID string that appears during the boot
process. To get time to scribble it
down, unplug your keyboard so the
boot stops with a keyboard error or
press [Pause]. The BIOS ID is usually
located in the bottom left of the
screen. Visit www.motherboards.org/
moboidtools.html and enter the ID into
the search engine to see the details.
Now go to your motherboard
manufacturers Web site. You should
find BIOS updates, if available, posted
on the Support or Downloads section
of the site. Browse to the entry for
your motherboard. Download and
extract the files to a temporary
location. Find and open any ReadMe
or instructions files. The procedure for
flashing the BIOS will depend on
which kit youre using. Start your PC
using a DOS or Windows 9x boot disk.
Browse to the directory holding the
update files using cd c:\temp where
c:\temp is the folder where you
extracted the BIOS upgrade files.
Launch the file. If the upgrade utility
offers the chance to back up your old
BIOS, provide a location and accept.
Follow the instructions to apply the
update and then restart your
computer when youre done.
When your PC starts, it loads the
BIOS and runs a self test, checking
over the most basic hardware. If the
processor, memory or hard drives
report a problem then the test will
fail. Removable drives and USB flash
devices can confuse the power on
self-test or POST, so its a good idea to
unplug these when starting up.
The BIOS determines your PCs
boot sequence. If you cant boot from
CD, the problem probably lies here.
Enter the Advanced BIOS features to
view the boot order. If your hard drive is
higher than your CD drive, your PC
wont have a chance to query the CD
drive before Windows is loaded. Select
the first boot device and press [Return].
Scroll down the list using the arrow
keys until you reach the desired device.
Press [Return] to select it. Do the same
with the second and third boot devices,
to set the boot order as: floppy, CD,
IDE0 (your first hard drive). As many
PCs no longer have floppy drives, you
can leave it out of the boot sequence.
DECIPHER BIOS BEEP CODES
> TOP TIPS
BEEP PATTERN CAUSE AND SOLUTION
AWARD BIOS
1 long beep A memory problem: remove and reseat memory.
1 long, 2 short or Video card problem or problem with its memory.
1 long, 3 short Replace the graphics card or its memory.
Continuous A memory and/or video problems. Reseat or replace
memory and/or graphics card.
PHOENIX BIOS
1,1,3 CMOS unreadable. Replace the motherboard.
1,1,4 BIOS failure. Replace the BIOS.
1,2,1 The timer chip has failed. Replace the motherboard.
1,2,2 or 1,2,3 or 1,3,1 or 1,3,3 or 1,3,4 or 1,4,1 or 4,2,1 or 4,3,1 or 4,3,2 or 4,3,3
Motherboard error; replace it.
1,3,3 Memory problems. Try reseating or replacing RAM.
1,4,2 Faulty memory. Test and replace your RAM.
2,any, any Any beeps after two indicates bad memory. Run a
memory checking utility and replace RAM as necessary.
3,1, any Your motherboard has a faulty chip; replace it.
3,2,4 Keyboard controller error. Replace the keyboard,
controller chip, or the motherboard to resolve it.
3,3,4 No video card. Try reseating it or replacing it.
4,2,2 or 4,2,3 Replace the keyboard. If this persists, its
a motherboard problem; replace it.
4,2,4 Remove and replace all PCI cards one by one to find
the faulty one, then replace it.
4,3,4 Clock error. Reset the motherboard clock using
its set-up program. Replace the CMOS battery if
necessary. If this fails, replace the power supply.
4,4,1 or 4,4,2 Use the motherboard manual to disable the serial
ports and add an I/O card to replace them.
4,4,3 Maths coprocessor malfunctioning. Use a low-level
diagnostic program to confirm this, then disable it.
AMI BIOS
None Faulty speaker, broken mobo or PSU problem.
1 short beep RAM refresh, interrupt timer or interrupt
controller failure. Replace your motherboard.
2 short beeps Indicates memory problems. Check the seating of
or 3 short beeps memory chips or replace the memory.
4 short beeps System timer failure. Replace the motherboard.
5 short beeps CPU failure.
6 short beeps Keyboard control chip error. Replace keyboard.
If it persists, chip may need to be replaced/reseated.
7 short beeps CPU exception error. Replace CPU and/or mobo.
8 short beeps Video card failure. Reseat the graphics card.
9 short beeps ROM checksum error. BIOS ROM is bad replace it.
10 short beeps Theres a problem with the CMOS. Replace your mobo.
11 short beeps L2 cache memory failure. Replace L2 cache memory.
1 long, 3 short Memory test failure in RAM over the first 64k.
1 long, 8 short Display test error. Missing or broken video card.
AUGUST 2005
73
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
COVER FEATURE HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
BIOS and boot
Sort out a number of problems
before you even enter Windows
If you cant boot from CD, ensure that its set
higher in the boot sequence than your HDD
Use your BIOS string and Mobo ID Tools to
identify your motherboard manufacturer
Y
our PC stores data temporarily
in its memory, but as RAM loses
its contents as soon as the power
is cut, you also need a more permanent
method of storage. Most commonly
this is the hard drive, but CD and DVD
rewriters can perform this function
too, as can removable flash drives and
older tapes and floppy disks.
Memory problems can show
themselves through random system
freezes, in blue screens or STOP errors.
If you suspect faulty memory, run
some software tests. The walkthrough
shows a memory testing utility that
runs inside Windows. See the boxout
for a more thorough test that can
interrogate your full RAM. Replace any
faulty memory.
Electrostatic discharge can be
damaging to memory modules. Take
anti-static precautions when handling
it. Before you throw apparently dud
memory out, check to find out if
reseating it improves the situation.
Chip creep, caused by the expansion
and contraction of components as
the temperature fluctuates in your PC
can cause RAM modules to work
themselves free. Badly seated memory
wont function at all.
There are memory settings in the
BIOS that can affect performance. Enter
the BIOS and select Advanced Chipset
Features, where you can adjust your
RAM settings. Select Memory Timings
and press [Return] to input your own
timings here. CAS stands for Column
Access Strobe. It manages how quickly
memory units can return a response to
a data request. Bank Cycle Time or tRAS
is the number of clock cycles needed
to create the difference in charge
between the bit and lines of reference
to restore the data in the cells of
memory. tRCD or RAS to CAS delay is
again measured in clock cycles and
can limit memory performance.
Aim for low CAS latency and low
RAS-to-CAS delay. Low Bank Cycle time
is desirable. RAS Precharge has less
affect on performance. Go back to the
main menu and select the RAM
voltage setting. Dont go above 2.8V
(if available) as the performance gain
isnt worth the greatly increased risk.
Replacing a hard drive
Your hard drive is probably the most
active moving part in your PC. Its
HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
Back to basics
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Sometimes systematic elimination is the only way to locate faulty hardware
If you cant locate faulty hardware, dismantle
your PC completely, taking anti-static
precautions. Take the motherboard out of the case
and place it on a non-conductive surface. Remove
everything except the processor, heat sink and
memory.
Connect the power supply to the
motherboard and hook up the power button
and speaker. Press the on switch. Do the heat sink
fans turn? Can you hear any BIOS beeps? If not,
remove the RAM and try again.
If the board seems to be receiving power, try
connecting the graphics card. Do this carefully,
ensuring that you dont stress the AGP slot. Connect
your monitor and power up the PC. Do you get a
picture? If not, replace the graphics card and try again.
If this fails the problem may be your AGP slot.
01 02 03
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
74
Storage problems
We can solve troublesome RAM or problematic drives
Drive Health uses SMART reporting to
determine if your hard disk is healthy or not
You can improve performance by tweaking
RAM timings in the BIOS
COVER FEATURE HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
75
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Now you can receive power and a picture, so
place the motherboard back in the case,
lining it up correctly with the stand offs to avoid
shorting it out. Reconnect the power, switch,
speaker and graphics card and start the computer
again to check that it still works.
Connect your IDE hard drives and start the
computer. Are they detected? Does it begin
to boot correctly? If not, check your BIOS settings,
jumper configurations and try substituting the
drives themselves.
Now you have a system that can boot,
connect your remaining PCI cards and try
starting again. If all goes well, you can reassemble
the computer, connect your peripherals and get it
up and running once more.
04 05 06
reasonable to expect hard drive failure
after using your PC for several years.
As this is the most anticipated
component to fail, drive
manufacturers developed SMART or
Self Monitoring Analysis and
Reporting Technology. This gives your
PC the ability to predict imminent
hard drive failure, giving you time to
back up and replace the drive before
you lose any data.
You can normally enable SMART, if
present, through the BIOS. By using a
program that utilises SMART, you can
find out the health of your hard drive.
Drive Health, available from www.
drivehealth.com, will provide you with
an instant diagnosis of your drive.
HDD Life provides a quick visual check.
Back up the data and replace any hard
drive that is reporting difficulties.
Master or slave?
If youre replacing a drive, decide
whether its a master or slave and
then set the jumpers to the position
indicated by the diagram printed on
the drive itself. Use tweezers to move
the jumpers. Once your drive is
secured in its bay, plug in the power
cable and the IDE cable. The pink line
should be on the side of the power
supply. Make sure that the position on
the cable matches the jumper setting.
Power up your PC and enter the BIOS
by pressing [Del] repeatedly. Select the
IDE bus information, usually found
under standard CMOS settings. Set
each device to Auto. Choose Auto
detect if available.
Hard drives and other IDE devices
are usually automatically detected in
the BIOS. However, you can save some
boot time by setting the IDE drives to
User and then manually specifying
the drive parameters. These can seem
rather complex and daunting, but you
can find most of them printed on the
drive itself. Some older BIOSes dont
detect hard drives automatically and
therefore you need to enter the
specifications manually anyway. Hard
drive size is calculated based on the
numbers of heads, sectors and
cylinders. You should find the number
of cylinders printed on the hard drive
label. The same goes for the number
of heads. If your hard drives arent
detected but the BIOS should be
capable of doing so, you probably have
a connection problem or the jumpers
on the drives arent set correctly.
Badly seated RAM can work free and stop functioning. Push it firmly back into place
Set the BIOS to detect your hard drives and
CD drives automatically
PING & TRACE
> FURTHER INFORMATION
The best way to check a network
or Internet connection is by
using the Ping command. Click
Start -> Programs -> Accessories -
> Command Prompt or Start ->
Programs -> MS-DOS Prompt.
Type ping followed by the IP
address of a PC on your network
or your ISPs IP address. If you
have a connection to the PC you
addressed, youll receive a reply. If
your connection is down, the
response is request timed out.
You can ping a Web address to
see if the domain name is
resolved. If you get no reply, but
you did receive a response from
your ISP, the fault lies with the
site involved or your ISPs
domain name server.
If you use your ISPs IP
address you can check that your
Net connection is working. If it is
and youre still having difficulty
accessing some Web sites, try
pinging the site using the Web
address. Alternatively, use the
Tracert command. From the
command prompt enter tracert,
the IP address or the URL of the
Web site and press [Return].
I
f you have a powerful graphics
card, it may draw a lot of juice from
your power supply. Consider
upgrading your PSU if you use a high
specification video card and currently
only use 300 watts of power or less.
The most up-to-date driver for your
graphics card will give you the best
performance. Check your
manufacturers Web site. Recent cards
are updated regularly. In addition,
consider a firmware upgrade if theres
one available. This entails a similar
process to flashing the BIOS and
therefore has its risks. However,
manufacturers do release firmware
upgrades to improve stability and if
you can find a flashing utility thatll
enable you to back up the existing
firmware, so much the better.
All graphics cards should work for
low-level display without drivers. You
should be able to see the early stages
of the boot process and access the
BIOS if you have a driver problem. In
most cases youll be able to access
Windows, too. Consider booting into
safe mode so that you can fix your
driver or use driver roll-back if youre
using Windows XP.
Noisy fans on graphics cards
arent good news. They often indicate
that the fan isnt operating properly or
is about to fail. Its time to replace the
fan: you can buy replacements from
www.overclockers.co.uk and they cost
a few pounds at most.
Graphics performance is an area
that you can make gains with a little
BIOS tweaking. If the AGP mode in
the BIOS is set to a lower value than
the motherboard and card itself can
support, performance will suffer.
Ensure that this setting matches the
maximum your hardware can handle.
The AGP aperture size is the amount
of system RAM allocated to the AGP
for video purposes. You can set this
to up to half your system RAM. It will
only be used if needed and can improve
the responsiveness of your video.
Advantages of AGP
Motherboards with AGP slots that
support 4x and 8x can use the AGP
Fast Write Transaction. This enables
data to be sent directly from the
chipset to the graphics card without
making a copy in system memory for
the graphics card to fetch. Higher
specification cards are designed to
take advantage of this feature, but be
aware that enabling it for older
graphics cards can cause them to
crash. AGP sideband addressing
permits some cards to request data
at the same time as receiving it.
While it results in improved
performance, it can produce
instabilities with some graphics cards.
COVER FEATURE HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
Click Start, Run and type dxdiag into the Open
bar and click OK. This starts the DirectX
diagnostic tool. The system tab shows a summary of
your setup. Move to the Sound tab. Use the slider to
determine the amount of hardware acceleration to
use. Now click Test DirectSound.
01
This plays a sound effect in a number of
different formats. Confirm that you can hear
each sound by pressing Yes after it has played. This
will determine your systems ability to produce mono,
stereo and surround sound. Move to the Music tab.
02
The Music ports show the sound equipment
that you currently have corrected and its
ability to play music. Click Test DirectMusic. Youll
hear a soundtrack, which may be played several
times. Press Yes to confirm youve heard it.
03
Direct sound
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Test DirectX and its sound capabilities using DX Diag
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
76
Graphics and sound
Theres precious little you can do with multimedia if
your graphics and sound cards arent working
The Riva Tuner enables you to overclock
NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards
Replacement fans for graphics cards can be quite stylish and will spare you future heartache
COVER FEATURE
Youll normally find AGP settings in
the Advanced Chipset features in the
BIOS. See the annotation over the
page to find out some of the
alterations that you can make. By
increasing your AGP frequency you
can also overclock your graphics card.
Make a small increase between the
supported min and max frequencies
and test before increasing again. The
AGP frequency is generally twice that
of the PCI bus. If you dont play
graphic-intensive games from DOS,
you can disable Video BIOS Shadowing
and Video BIOS Cacheable, because
recent versions of Windows dont take
advantage of these features.
To overclock graphics cards, youll
need to find a suitable utility that
supports your card. For software
covering most common cards try
http://guru3d.com which also
provides much detailed advice on
getting the most from a range of
common cards. The Riva Tuner utility,
available through guru3d, covers both
ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards. It
makes applying optimum settings
very easy. If you have a fairly new
graphics card, check the
manufacturers Web site regularly for
driver updates. New drivers are often
posted after a cards release and they
can improve speed dramatically.
Sound cards can suffer from
driver issues or the conflict between
on board sound provided by a
motherboard and a sound card.
Investigate your motherboard
manual to find out how to disable
onboard sound. This can be achieved
in the BIOS or by modifying a jumper
setting on the motherboard itself. Try
updating the driver if youre
experiencing erratic sound. Visit your
sound card manufacturers Web site
to download the latest one.
Before you make changes to
drivers or your hardware, its worth
checking your Windows settings to
see if your sound devices have been
disabled or muted. Some programs
modify your sound settings
automatically, but dont return them
to where they were once you quit the
application, so you may not have
made these changes yourself. From
Control Panel, choose Multimedia or
Sounds and Audio devices. Select the
Audio tab and check that the default
devices are those installed on your PC.
Select Sounds and test a windows
event sound to see if you can hear it.
Open the Windows Volume Control
by right-clicking the icon in the
System tray. Check the volume level of
each channel and ensure that no
channels are muted. You can also
check the sound capabilities of your
version of DirectX by using DXDiag.
HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
AUGUST 2005
77
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Download the latest driver for your graphics
card from the manufacturers Web site
No sound? Make sure you havent just got
a muted channel
Ensure that your sound card is the default
device for playback and recording
Browse to www.hddlife.com and download
the free program. Install and launch it. The
program examines your hard drive and reports back
its findings on health, temperature and performance.
This disk needs attention.
01
Choose File -> Options to configure HDD Life.
Under General options you can specify how
frequently it checks your drives, the units it uses for
temperature and whether it starts up at the same
time as Windows.
02
Select Tray Display to alter the way the
program appears in the System tray. You can
choose to show drive temperature, the program
icon or the health status. You can also pick the
colour that the temperature appears.
03
Determine your HDDs lifespan
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Obtain a quick diagnosis of your hard drive
HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
78
Download MemTest from http://hcidesign.
com/memtest/ and extract it to a suitable
folder. Launch the memTest.exe file to run the
program. Close all other programs and click OK.
01
You can enter an amount to RAM to test or
accept the default of All unused RAM. Click
Start Testing. Click OK to clear the warning message
that follows and go on to the test.
02
The program tests your RAM continuously
for as long as you leave it to run. The longer
you leave it, the more reliable results youll get. It
counts up the number of read errors and displays
them. Click Stop Testing to finish.
03
Run the Windows memory test
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Use MemTest within Windows to find out if any of your RAM is failing
Low-level
memory testing
If you suspect that you have bad RAM, try testing it
outside Windows with Memtest86
I
f youre experiencing regular
crashes that arent easy to
reproduce, memory is a likely
culprit. The free Memtest86 is a great
option to check over your RAM. It has
to run from a boot disk because it
runs independently to Windows. If
you have errors reported, try reseating
your existing RAM and running the
test again. If theres no improvement,
remove each module in turn and test
them independently. Replace any that
produce errors.
Browse to www.memtest86.
com/#download1 and download the
Precompiled Memtest86 v 3.2 if you
want to run it from floppy, or
Memtest86 v 3.2 ISO image if you
prefer to use a CD. To use a floppy,
insert a blank one into your drive,
open the memt86 folder and double-
click install.bat. Enter the drive letter
of your floppy and press [Return]. For
a CD, use Nero or a similar program to
transfer the ISO image to the CD.
Restart your PC with the floppy or CD
boot disks in place. Memtest boots
and immediately begins testing your
system. Let the test run to the end. If
memory errors are reported then try
reseating or replacing RAM modules.
Memtest86 thoroughly tests all areas of your RAM
AUGUST 2005
79
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
COVER FEATURE HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
Use the PC Health settings in the BIOS to safeguard your CPU against sharp temperature rises
> AT A GLANCE
AGP aperture
You can improve your graphics performance with some BIOS tweaks
AGP APERTURE SIZE
This is the amount of system RAM assigned to graphics.
Select it and press [Return] to change it
ADVANCED CHIPSET FEATURES
Choose Advanced Chipset Features and press [Return]
BIOS SETUP UTILITY
Restart your PC, pressing [Del] repeatedly
to enter your BIOS setup software
AGP FAST WRITE
Select this and enable it so that data can be sent directly to
the AGP chip rather than being copied to system memory first
AGP APERTURE SETTING
Set your AGP aperture to between quarter
and half your systems RAM size
Go for a greener PC
Power management can make your PC more environmentally friendly
T
he PC Health section of the
BIOS enables you to see key
information, including CPU
temperature, system temperature and
fan speeds. You can set levels at which
the BIOS can take action to preserve
its components. CPU warning
temperature enables you to set a
temperature at which youre warned
that things are becoming too hot. This
gives you the chance to take
appropriate action, such as shutting
the computer down. CPU shutdown
temperature is that at which the BIOS
shuts the processor down.
Think of the planet
Many of the Power Management
features affect your systems
performance, but they save energy
and if many people used them they
would have a significant effect on the
environment. Most involve shutting
down parts of your system after a
certain amount of idle time.
There are several power-saving
states that a PC can enter. Dozing
slows the processor down to around
half normal speed. Standby shuts
down the hard drives and graphics
output. Suspend closes all devices
down except the CPU. Inactive shuts
down the processor and powers
down the L2 cache. The aptly named
HDD power down shuts down the
hard drive.
Change the PM Timers to
set the waiting period before the PC
powers down its hard drives or goes
into Suspend or Doze mode.
N
etworking technology has
moved on so much in recent
years with many
motherboards carrying integrated
network adaptors and Windows XP
including native drivers. This makes
the most common wired network
problems those of damaged cables or
unplugged connectors. Wireless
connections are a little trickier. Check
to see if your wireless adaptor drivers
are correctly installed. In Windows XP
use the Wireless Network Setup
Wizard to sort out encryption
problems. This helps you by providing
a print out of the network settings
and the ability to transfer these using
a USB drive. Launch it by choosing
Start -> All Programs -> Accessories ->
Communications -> Wireless Network
Setup Wizard and follow the prompts.
For even better security, consider
restricting the access to your network
by the MAC addresses of your
computers only. Many access points
offer this facility and it renders it
impossible for unknown PCs to access
your resources. The MAC address is
unique to a particular network device
and consists of 12 alpha-numeric
characters. Its usually displayed on a
sticker on the device itself, but you
can also click Start -> Run, type cmd
and press [Return]. In the resulting
command prompt window type
ipconfig /all and press [Return]. The
physical address displayed is the
MAC address.
While USB has made hooking
up external devices to your PC
straightforward, its sometimes hard
to trace the cause of problems,
particularly if you have a number of
items connected via USB hubs. The
problem often lies with the connection
rather than the hardware itself. Start
by unplugging any hubs and connect
your hardware directly to your
computers USB ports. Try each port
systematically. Check Device Manager
to see if the USB controller is properly
installed. Follow the walkthrough for
more details. If theres no mention of
USB in Device Manager, check your
BIOS to see if its enabled.
COVER FEATURE
Networking and USB
HARDWARE SOLUTIONS
Connecting to other devices or PCs can cause headaches
The Wireless Network Setup Wizard ensures that you use adequate encryption
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
80
Click Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and
Maintenance. Now select System to open the
System Properties dialog and move to the Hardware
tab. This is where you can sort out USB problems.
01
Click Device Manager and scroll down to
Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Expand this
entry so that you can see each USB controller
installed on your system. We need to uninstall these
before we can reinstall them.
02
Right-click each of the USB controllers and
choose Uninstall. Once complete, reboot your
PC and reinstall the USB controllers as your system
detects them. Now plug in a USB device to see if the
problem has been cleared.
03
USB controller problems
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Reinstalling your USB controller can clear glitches with USB devices
AUGUST 2005
The best deals! www.pcanswers.co.uk/commerce
Free support at forum.pcanswers.co.uk
>
SECTION CONTENTS
HOW WE RATE
OUR REVIEWS
Translating the percentage
score into real-world terms
reviews
Unlike most of the
competition, Linksys
has actually bothered to
print a Quick Install sheet
specifically for UK users
WIN!
A USB
external
hard drive
Software
BitDefender 8 Professional Plus P94
Linspire 5.0 P95
DEKART Private Disk P96
Summarize! P97
Replay Radio P97
Readiris Pro 10 P98
MP3 Maker Centurion P98
50-59 %
Neither
exceptional, nor
terrible. Average,
in other words!
60-79 %
A good product
with a couple of
limitations
80-89 %
An item worthy
of your cash
>
90%
An exceptional
product in
every way
<
50%
Seriously flawed.
Something to
avoid
P117
83
With broadband available to
most parts of the country, if you
have more than one PC, why
not share your connection? This
month we test eight of the best
routers to give you a head start
STARTS ON PAGE 86
WIRELESS
ADSL ROUTERS
Hardware
Averatec 4200 P99
BT Home Monitor VP1000 P100
Brother QL-500 P101
Shuttle XP17 P101
Canon CanoScan LiDE 500F P102
IRISPen Translator Executive P102
Sony MFM-HT95 P103
DigiMemo A501 P103
P84
COOL
GADGETS
Want to stand
out from the
crowd? Try
these gadgets
Cliff Hope peers out from behind
his pile of gadgets to reveal what
top tech hit his desk this month...
PHILIPS SHOQBOX 100
www.philips.com
The ShoqBox (pronounced shockbox in case you didnt realise) is an MP3
player/radio with built-in speakers. Dont be fooled by its small size: those
speakers are capable of outputting good-quality audio with a surprising
amount of bass. Ladies and gentlemen, Tinny Sound has left the
building. The 256MB capacity will limit the number of songs
you can fit on to the ShoqBox and USB 1.1 transfer speeds are
disappointing, but the menu system can be navigated with
ease and youll get a good eight hours of music from the
player before a recharge is necessary. Perfect for sing-songs
round a campfire at the weekend.
PHILIPS MMS321 80
www.philips.com/pcstuff
In one fell swoop, Philips has combined treble and bass sounds into two classy
looking speakers. Any doubts that this sonic combination would prove less than
effective were soon blown away 80 watts of 70s disco rarely sounded so good.
On/off and volume are controlled by a back-lit dial on the side of one speaker,
so its a double whammy: floor space is saved by the absence of a bulky bass
unit, while desk space is saved by not having to use a separate volume
controller. The word that springs to mind is ingenious.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
84
AUGUST 2005
85
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
PC ACCESSORIES
MOTOROLA A1000 165
www.hellomoto.com
Oh Lord, give us this day a phone that doesnt make us wait 30 seconds for it
to boot up. Turn our gaze away from such devices fitted with touch-sensitive
screen that utilises an eminently misplaceable stylus, and lead us not into the
temptation of taking reportage-style snaps with its built-in camera. Shield us
from forbidden fruits such as email, MP3 capability and video messaging, save
us from the lure of the online domain, and give us the power of organisation
without having to use an electronic calendar. All we ask for is a portable
telephone nothing more, nothing less. Amen. Oh, and no stupid ring tunes
either, please.
WD PASSPORT 139
www.westerndigital.com
Light, self-powered and capacious, the WD Passport is
everything a portable hard drive should be. Simply plug the
USB2 cable into your PC and youre ready to transfer your
data. Holiday photos, music files, PowerPoint presentations...
whatever youre keen to lug around with you, this quiet,
5,400RPM drive can handle it all. The devices portability is
enhanced by the shock-resistant mechanism and blue
rubber casing, although the latter only covers half of the
drive. What happened did the world run out of rubber
while we werent looking?
DIGITAL MOVIE
CREATOR 2.0 75
www.playdigitalblue.co.uk
Kids always complaining that you dont let
them play with the camcorder? Scared theyll
break it once they get their grubby mitts on
your valuable tech? Consider giving them the
Digital Movie Creator 2.0, instead it enables
you (or the kids) to capture digital video and
audio, then with the included software, edit
the movies and even add special effects. While
the Digital Movie Creator isnt cheap, it costs a
lot less than the average camcorder. Its also
simple and straightforward to use, and very
robust, so its unlikely to be in danger even in
the most clumsy of hands.
SOUNDBUG 25
www.feonic.com
A laptops built-in sound capability is rarely up to the job. Theres no point in
having a slim-line, portable PC if theres a collection of bulky speakers
permanently in tow. If you dont want to wear headphones while playing
games or watching DVDs on the move, then the Soundbug should interest
you. The device transfers and amplifies sound through any surface you attach
it to, via the Power of Suction. Thus, a desk becomes a speaker, a filing
cabinet becomes a towering bass unit, a persons head becomes...
actually it doesnt work with heads. Or any other part of the body.
PC ANSWERS.C0O. JULY 2005
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87
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
87
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Wireless
modem
routers
Dont hog that broadband connection to yourself share it with everyone on
your network. Mike Williams explains how a single wireless modem/router
provides everything youll need...
I
s there a constant queue of people
around your PC, waiting to collect
email, check eBay or send an
Instant Message? We feel your pain,
but if there are other PCs around
theres an answer. Simply set up your
own network and everyone can
automatically share the same
broadband connection, resources
such as printers, or easily transfer
files from one system to another.
It doesnt take much to get started,
either. If youve got two PCs, for
example, buying a couple of wired
connectors and the necessary cabling
might cost you around 25. A wireless
network PC card for your laptop could
be another 20 or so, and then to tie
them all together youd need a
wireless modem/router. This combines
an ADSL modem that plugs into your
phone line, usually with four Fast
Ethernet ports for connection to wired
network adapters, and a wireless
access point for everyone else. Sounds
expensive, but youd be surprised:
prices start from under 50.
Yet isnt it complicated? Not
necessarily. In fact, the typical router
installation is fairly straightforward.
Once connected to your PC, it assigns
you an IP address that youll find in the
manual. Type that into your browser
(192.168.1.1, say) and youll see the
Setup program that leads you through
the installation process. In a few
minutes or so you should be online,
and thats when you realise that sharing
your Internet connection is only one of
the benefits of a good router.
Value for money
One feature youll get with every
router in our test is a decent hardware
firewall. This cant be turned off by
Trojans or accidentally disabled by
some other network user, which means
that youre always protected from
external threats. This applies even to
wireless hackers. The latest routers and
wireless cards employ an encryption
scheme called WPA, which ensures
that your data is absolutely safe.
You might have concerns that
are closer to home, of course. For
example, what happens now your
kids can surf from a PC in their
bedroom without you being around?
Fortunately, some routers can help
there, too, thanks to URL blocking by
time of day. This disables Web access
for the hours you specify, making it
possible to keep some control over
their Internet usage.
Another increasingly common
modem feature is compatibility with
ADSL 2/2+. This is the next broadband
standard that will offer speeds of up
to 24Mbps (depending how its
implemented). This could become
available in some places later this
year, probably at a very high price,
but at least youll be ready if you have
with the right modem.
Youll also find that some routers
offer wireless speeds well above the
54Mbps 54g standard, but these arent
necessarily such a good deal. A
108Mbps Super-G produce will only
reach that speed with other Super-G
cards, for instance, and at close range.
Use an ordinary 54g client or move
some distance away and you may see
little if any benefit.
Some complicated issues to
consider, then, but theres nothing like
a group test for picking out the easiest
to use, most powerful router around.
So which is it? Turn the page to find
out what we discovered.
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
88
S
tyle isnt normally a word youd
associate with ADSL modems or
routers, but 3Com has made
more of an effort than most with the
OfficeConnect. The slim lines,
smoothly curved top and fluted edges
help ensure that itll fit comfortably
into the most image-conscious of
offices. Build quality is good, too. The
OfficeConnect may look like just
another beige box in the photo, but in
person it feels solid and ready to
withstand whatever bumps and drops
it might face.
The end result is a product that
looks good enough to sit on top of
your tower system, say, or that you can
leave on a shelf somewhere. The
alternative is to mount it on the wall,
which may result in a better signal,
although this does mean that you
wont easily be able to see the LEDs
(and the cables must be attached
from the top).
We think that the paper
documentation is a little sparse, with
only a single installation sheet to get
you started.The information on that is a
little out of date, too: youre urged to
enable WEP encryption to improve
security, for instance, even though
WPA (which the OfficeConnect
supports) is a much safer option. Still,
theres always the Startup wizard,
launched from your browser, but this
has its problems, too. It stopped once
with a blank screen for no apparent
reason and contains plenty of jargon
to confuse the beginner.
Once you do get everything
figured out, though, the OfficeConnect
proved to be a capable modem/ router.
There are plenty of security features,
both wireless and wired performance
is excellent, and its available at an
absolute bargain price.
Absolute proof that quality wireless kit doesnt
have to be expensive
B
elkins contribution to the
wireless router world is larger
than most its a chunky, silver-
black plastic brick. The device is still a
better choice for wall mounting than
the 3Com OfficeConnect, though:
cables plug into the bottom of the
unit and an angled display face means
that the LEDs are still visible from a
distance. The news wasnt so good
when we looked at the antenna. There
are two, which swivel around in all
directions to help you receive the best
possible signal, but theyre not
detachable. This means that you cant
easily replace them if youd like something
better (or if one of them breaks).
Belkin has followed the 3Com
installation plan, limiting your printed
documentation to a single quick
installation sheet. Yet as before, if
youre a newcomer to networking
then youre going to need a little more
help or maybe a lot. Fortunately,
theres a 94-page PDF manual provided
on the CD with more in-depth advice,
although beginners may still need
help from their ISP to set up the ADSL
connection properly.
Your connection and network
details are entered through a browser-
based setup utility, either by a Setup
Wizard or by making tweaks manually.
This isnt packed with features (no
SNMP as provided with the 3Com
OfficeConnect), although theres
enough for the average home user.
The specs list does reveal plenty of
extras, though. The router is designed
to support ADSL 2+ and theres support
for 125Mbps wireless connections
with compatible equipment. Our tests
showed regular 54g networking
produced above-average results,
although whether thats good enough
to justify the price is another matter.
ADSL 2+ is coming soon heres one way to
be ready
OfficeConnect ADSL
11g Firewall Router
>MANUFACTURER: 3COM PRICE: 48 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.3COM.COM
FEATURES: ADSL MODEM, 802.11B & 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH IP FILTERING,
MAC ADDRESS FILTERING
Belkin ADSL Modem
Wireless-G Router
>MANUFACTURER: BELKIN PRICE: 82 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.BELKIN.COM/UK/
FEATURES: ADSL MODEM, 802.11B & 802.11G AND 125MBPS WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH
MAC ADDRESS FILTERING
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Some setup
problems but
compensations include
good performance
and features
78
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
125Mbps wireless
may be
useful, but
its still a little
overpriced
70
%
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
AUGUST 2005
89
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
W
hats this? Could Billion
actually be a company
that understands what we
expect from a wireless modem/
router? It looks that way from the
physical design. Theres a large swivel
detachable antenna. A couple of slots
make wall mounting possible, and the
LEDs are clearly visible in either
orientation. Theres also a power
switch to easily turn the device off.
Initial setup is via your browser, as
explained by the competent (but not
exceptional) documentation. Billion
has tried to simplify the process with
an Auto Scan option to automatically
detect our ADSL settings, but that
didnt work for us. No real problem,
though, as a couple of photocopied
pages explained how to get it working.
Move beyond the basic setup
options and youll find an enormous
range of features on offer. Good news
for techies, but perhaps a little
intimidating for everyone else,
especially as there are no Help links to
explain the significance of each step.
This is a problem, as the default
settings arent always wisely chosen.
If youre happy to explore, though,
theres plenty to keep you occupied
here. The 7500GL excels at security and
corporate networking features (VPN,
QoS, SNMP and more), but theres also
plenty for the home user, such as the
option to regularly check your POP3
mailbox (an LED indicates when new
messages arrive). For extra security
youre also provided with a free 60-
day trial of Trend Micro Security
Services (which features anti-virus,
anti-spam and parental controls). This
doesnt help performance much,
which proved only average, but the
exceptional feature set means the
7500GL still gets the thumbs up.
Every networking feature youll ever need, in a
single black box
W
hether youre a networking
expert or not, it helps to
have clear guidance when
youre setting up a new modem/
router. At first we were worried,
because Linksys had provided a
cluttered configuration screen but no
Setup Wizard for the Wireless-G ADSL
Gateway. Yet the worry was
misplaced. Unlike most of the
competition, Linksys has printed a
Quick Install sheet specifically for UK
users. That means theres no need to
ask your ISP what you should put for
Encapsulation, VPI, VCI and so on,
because youre told everything you
need to know. Perhaps everything is a
mild exaggeration, but theres more
help to be found. Every browser-based
setup screen has a Morelink that
displays comprehensive guidance on
the options youve got available.
Theyre an impressive set of
options, including SNMP, UPnP, port
forwarding (single or a range), port
triggering and QoS. Furthermore,
unexpected bonus features include a
Dynamic Domain Name System
(which works with www.dyndns.com
to assign a fixed host and domain
name to a dynamic IP address),
Internet content filters (block cookies,
Java applets, Activex) and multiple
Internet access policies (block access
at particular times of day, by specific
URLs, keywords and more).
Performance wasnt quite so
outstanding, with the Wireless-G
ADSL Gateway only returning average
results in our wireless speed tests
(though the range in results was
small) and theres no accelerated
mode to change this. Wed rather have
the ADSL2+ support offered by the
modem, though, and the product still
offers plenty of power for your money.
Nervous about networking? Heres one
potential answer
Billion myGuard
7500GL
>MANUFACTURER: BILLION PRICE: 82 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.BILLION.UK.COM
FEATURES: ADSL MODEM, 802.11B & 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH MAC ADDRESS AND
PACKET FILTERING
Linksys Wireless-G
ADSL Gateway
>MANUFACTURER: LINKSYS WIRELESS-G ADSL GATEWAY PRICE: 63
MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.LINKSYS.COM FEATURES: ADSL + ADSL2/2+ MODEM, 802.11B
& 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH MAC ADDRESS & IP FILTERING
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Intelligent design,
but feature-
packed firmware
may intimidate
beginners
81
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
An excellent
range of features
makes up for
the average
performance
90
%
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
90
I
f we were handing out awards for
visual appeal, Netgears product
would be a clear winner. Its
compact enough to fit anywhere and
the silver-white colour scheme means
it should find a home in the most
style-conscious of living rooms. Theres
intelligent design beneath the looks,
too. Clip-on plastic feet are provided if
youd prefer to save space and mount
the modem vertically. The single
adjustable antenna is removable and
uses a standard SMA connection, so
its easy to install another. Furthermore,
default settings such as its IP address,
user name and password are printed
on the base of the unit handy if
youve a tendency to lose manuals.
Netgear also appears to be just
about the only company around which
understands that a Setup Wizard is
supposed to be helpful, not just ask
for cryptic settings over a series of pages.
When configuring ADSL it provides an
option to automatically detect your
settings, which worked just fine for us.
There are plenty of other options,
too, but their implementation isnt
quite as good as youll find elsewhere.
Its possible to block Web access at
particular times of day, for instance.
However, this is a global setting for
the entire network and theres no
option to create separate policies per
machine. Theres also site blocking by
URL or keyword, but no content filtering.
Another stumbling block is its
54g wireless performance, which is
fractionally behind the pack at 17Mbps
with WPA enabled (although the
108Mbps mode could lift you to 32Mbps
if youve got compatible clients). Yet
the price is the major disappointment.
We liked this modem, but it needs to
be at least 20 cheaper before wed
recommend it.
A
lmost all of our modem/routers
connect to your PC via a
network port, which can be a
problem if you dont have one. Thats
not an issue if you opt for the SAR-
600EW, though, as it enables you to
connect via USB instead. It wouldnt
be our first choice (USB devices are
likely to be more CPU-intensive and
thus less reliable), but its worth a try
if youre short on other options.
One difficulty of having two
interfaces is that it lengthens the
setup process a little, at least for
experienced users. You cant simply
plug in the SAR-600EW, reboot and
connect to it from a browser, say.
Instead, you must run an installation
program first, choose how youre
connecting to your PC and the Web
and follow the steps that it presents.
If youre a complete network and
PC novice, though, the setup program
proves to be useful guide on what to
do. Meanwhile, the manual explains
details often missing elsewhere, such
as exactly which technical settings
you need to get ADSL working in
the UK.
All this hand-holding early on is
great, but unfortunately it disappears
entirely if you want to do anything
clever. Click Advanced and youre
presented with a mass of more
technical options, with no Help icon to
tell you more. The manuals not
always helpful, either (for example, it
says that IP filter is identical to what
Port Blocking to Access Control), and
overall it cant match the best of the
competition. Theres nothing wrong
with the SAR-600EWs wireless
performance, though, which headed
our tables with 54g speeds of almost
21 Mbps. Add the ADSL2+ support and
this could still be a good buy.
Solwise
SAR-600EW
>MANUFACTURER: SOLWISE PRICE: 62 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.SOLWISE.CO.UK
FEATURES: ADSL & ADSL 2/2+ MODEM, 802.11B & 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH
MAC ADDRESS & IP FILTERING
No free Ethernet ports? Then heres an unusual
USB solution
Netgear Super
Wireless ADSL Router
>MANUFACTURER: NETGEAR PRICE: 84 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.NETGEAR.CO.UK
FEATURES: ADSL MODEM, 802.11B, 802.11G AND 108MBPS WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH IP FILTERING
Its stylish, but are there other reasons to choose
this modem?
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Good basic
setup, excellent
speeds, but lacks
more advanced
features
81
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Neat design,
looks great, but
not enough
power for what
you pay
70
%
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
AUGUST 2005
91
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
S
ome products are easy to review,
and you know almost immediately
whether theyll be good or bad.
This one is less straightforward. Take
the physical design, for instance. Its
bulky so theres no wall-mount option,
and the all-black design wont blend
in with most PCs. Yet on the other
hand it conveniently has two
detachable antenna, and the rare
inclusion of a power switch is
welcome, too. Then theres the
documentation. It looks impressive at
first a full printed book but only 16
pages are in English.
Fortunately, the setup process is
the easiest here for beginners, with
default ADSL settings for UK ISPs,
although experienced users may
find themselves frustrated at times.
Furthermore, theres no obvious way
to avoid it and jump right in with your
own preferences.
Still, once the EasyConfigurator is
complete youll be able to use the
browser-based setup process. Of
course thats when you discover that
the features are a little basic. There are
some good points (inbound and
outbound IP filtering, a wireless
bridge mode, dynamic DNS support
for multiple providers), but theyre
outnumbered by the advanced
features that have been left out
(SNMP, URL and content filtering,
scheduling and more). Factor in the
average 54g performance (18.5Mbps)
and its hard to recommend the
SureConnect, especially at this price.
Theres one last twist, however. As we
write, the 79 asking price (from
www.broadbandstuff.co.uk) includes
a free wireless laptop card, so if you
need one and your network demands
are simple, then it might (just) be
worth a look.
Can this relatively old design keep up with the
latest competition?
Z
ooms X-series modems have
been around for a while, but this
latest top-of-the-range model
introduces a couple of new features.
The X6 is the first Zoom product to
support ADSL 2/2+, and it also includes
a full wireless-G router with Prism
Nitro (a special chipset feature), for
improved performance.
The design is quite simple,
matching the rest of the Zoom family:
all black, only a single curved edge at
the front to take away from the boxy
looks. Theres an internal and external
antenna (the latter isnt removable),
and a power switch at the back.
Theres also a grand total of 13 LEDs,
but unfortunately some are on the
front of the unit, some at the back, so
problems may not be obvious.
Printed documentation is a strong
point and Zoom has produced the
best manual here. You get over 30
pages of genuinely helpful
information that emphasises all the
right points. Theres also Help available
in the browser-based setup tool, but
it still doesnt compete with the best
of the competition. Navigation is
clumsy, with most of the interesting
options hidden behind buttons.
Implementation is poor; who wants
to specify maximum DHCP lease time
as 86,400 seconds? Although the
software strong in some areas, such as
WAN configuration or intrusion
detection, it lacks the more advanced
features that youll find elsewhere.
We have no reservations about its
performance, though, as the X6 made
second place in our plain 54g table
and managed 28Mbps at best when
we optimised our setup for Prism
Nitro. So if youre just setting up a
basic home network, the X6 may be
all you need.
Zooms first 54g ADSL modem router finally hits
the stores
US Robotics
SureConnect ADSL
>MANUFACTURER: US ROBOTICS PRICE: 79 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.USR.COM
FEATURES: ADSL MODEM, 802.11B AND 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH MAC ADDRESS &
IP FILTERING
Zoom ADSL X6
(5590)
>MANUFACTURER: ZOOM PRICE: 70 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.ZOOM.COM
FEATURES: ADSL & ADSL 2/2+ MODEM, 802.11B AND 802.11G WIRELESS SUPPORT WITH
IP FILTERING
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Straightforward
configuration, but
outclassed
elsewhere by the
competition
67
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Good speeds,
easy setup, but
design issues
will annoy
the experienced
75
%
I
s designing a wireless modem
router really that difficult? We
wouldnt have thought so. Our
physical requirements arent exactly
unreasonable: compact size,
wall-mountable as an option,
detachable antenna and a power
switch. That would be sufficient, yet
no-one here managed to achieve all
of them (and some managed none
at all). Then there are the setup
routines. Isnt it fair to expect that
ADSL modems sold in the UK will
come with some guidance as to the
settings you should use? Its really
not difficult and some companies
manage it, but then again others
as we found out dont.
Our tests showed the problems
become even worse when you start
exploring advanced networking
options, as many of the configuration
tools we used had either inadequate
help, or none at all. Oh, and dont
expect the manuals to help you. A
few of them have their good points,
but all too often theyre written with
little idea of what a beginner needs
to see. Our favourite example, from
a troubleshooting section, ran
something like this:
PROBLEM: Ive having difficulty
configuring the TCP/IP properties for
my network connection.
SOLUTION: Take a look at your
Operating System Help files for
more advice.
Thats entirely useless for the
average network novice, who has no
idea which problems relate to TCP/IP
settings or how they should be
configured. Its equally useless for the
more experienced user who already
knows exactly where the TCP/IP
settings are, thanks all the same.
Answers like this may fill the page
and create an illusion of helpfulness,
but in reality no-one benefits at all.
Imperfect winners
In fairness, we cant expect modem/
router manufacturers to document
every aspect of Windows networking
(thats a topic worthy of a thick book
all on its own). Yet up to now theyre
not doing enough and every one of
our review products have flaws with
its manual, setup routine or both. We
have to pick a winner, though, so who
comes out on top?
Beginners want a product thats
easy to set up and so most
manufacturers are trying to simplify
the installation process.
Unfortunately, the results arent
always consistent. Zooms ADSL X6
has a good Quick Start manual, for
instance, but a relatively poor setup
program. Meanwhile, US Robotics
SureConnect isnt so great on the
documentation, but does well on the
setup program for basic things. Still,
if we take a closer look at the results,
a couple of products do look
significantly better than the rest.
The Solwise SAR-600EW really
does make an effort to get you
started, with an installation program
that guides network novices through
every step they need to take. For that,
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
92
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
Winners and losers
Its a grey area when it comes to choosing the best, so which one rises above the fog of pros and cons?
>
LCD FEATURES
3Com OfficeConnect Belkin Wireless-G Billion myGuard
Modem type
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
Wireless support
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
802.11b(11Mbps), 802.11g(54Mbps),
proprietary 125Mbps mode
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
Router
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
LEDs
DSL power, sync, Internet IP,
wireless LAN, Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, ADSL, Internet IP,
wireless LAN, Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, system, Ethernet 1/2/3/4,
wireless LAN, mail, PPP, ADSL
Aerials
Two swivel Two swivel One swivel detachable
Security
NAT, firewall, IP filtering, MAC
address filtering, WPA-PSK,
WPA with Radius, 64/128 bit
WEP, VPN (pass-through IP Sec,
PPTP, L2TP)
NAT, firewall, MAC address
filtering, WPA-PSK, WPA with
Radius, 64/128 bit WEP, VPN
(pass-through IP Sec, PPTP, L2TP)
NAT, firewall, packet filter, MAC
address filter, WPA-PSK, WPA with
Radius, 64/128 bit WEP, VPN
(pass-through IP Sec, PPTP, L2TP)
Dimensions
22 x 13.3 x 3.8cm, 0.55kg 23 x 13 x 4cm, 0.6kg 21 x 14.7 x 3.7cm, 0.4kg
Warranty
3 years 1 year 1 year
Hardware bundle
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 4 x rubber feet
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 1 x microfilter
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast Ethernet
cable, 1 x microfilter, 1 x console cable
Software bundle
None None Trend Micro Security Services (60-day trial)
Rating
78% 70% 81%
The Linksys Wireless-G ADSL Gateway makes a good option
the USB port and ADSL 2+ ready
modem, it wins out as the best pick
for beginners who just want a simple
network setup.
Want more?
However, what if you want more than
that? Then the SAR-600EW may be a
problem, because the help doesnt
extend to more advanced networking
features. For beginner to intermediate
users wed recommend the Linksys
Wireless-G ADSL Gateway instead. Its
Quick Install sheet really does get you
started in a hurry. In addition, theres
plenty of other features to explore,
with in-depth context-sensitive help
to guide you through setting up.
If youre an old hand at
networking or just happy to read up
on the subject, then of course power
and configurability comes top of
your list. Who cares if theres help?
Youll figure things out for yourself.
In that case, you should definitely
opt for the Billion myGuard 7500GL.
Its by no means the easiest to set
up, but theres a mouth-watering
array of features on offer and its
easily the most powerful modem and
router of this batch.
Whatever option you choose, do
be sure to shop around before you
place your final order. Furthermore,
bear in mind that although weve
quoted the best prices at the time of
writing, theyre continuing to fall
rapidly, and there may be even better
deals available online by the time
you read this.
AUGUST 2005
93
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
GROUP TEST REVIEWS
Linksys Wireless-G Netgear Super Solwise SAR-600EW US Robotics Wireless Zoom X6 (5590)
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream ADSL 2
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream
ADSL up to 8Mbps downstream
and 1Mbps upstream ADSL 2
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
802.11b(11Mbps), 802.11g(54Mbps),
Atheoros Super G (108Mbps)
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
802.11b (11Mbps),
802.11g (54Mbps)
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
4-Port Fast Ethernet supporting
RIP-1, RIP-2, static IP routing
Power, wireless LAN,
DSL, Internet IP,
Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, test, Internet IP, wireless
LAN, Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, ADSL, Internet IP,
wireless LAN, Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, ADSL, Internet IP,
wireless LAN, Ethernet 1/2/3/4
Power, LAN, wireless LAN, ADSL,
status, plus port speed, activity,
link for each Ethernet port
One swivel One swivel detachable One swivel detachable Two swivel detachable One internal, one external
NAT, firewall, MAC filtering,
IP filtering, WPA, WPA-PSK,
64/128 bit WEP, 802. 1x with
Radius, VPN (pass-through IP
Sec, PPTP, L2TP)
NAT, firewall, IP filtering, WPA,
WPA-PSK, WPA - 802. 1x, 64/128
bit WEP, VPN (pass-through IP
Sec, PPTP, L2TP)
NAT, firewall, MAC filtering, IP
filtering, 128 bit WEP, WPA,
WPA-PSK, VPN (pass-through
IP Sec, PPTP, L2TP)
NAT, firewall, IP filtering, MAC
filtering, WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA -
802. 1x, 64/128 bit WEP, VPN
(pass-through IP Sec, PPTP,
L2TP)
NAT, firewall, IP filtering, WPA,
WPA-PSK, 64/128 bit WEP,
VPN (pass-through IP Sec,
PPTP, L2TP)
18.6 x 18.8 x 4.8cm, 0.48kg 17 x 11 x 2.54cm, 0.3kg 17.6 x 11.9 x 3.8cm, 0.350kg 14 x 23.4 x 4cm, 0.454kg 19 x 17 x 3.2cm, 0.45kg
1 year 22 years 1 year 2 years 2 years
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 1 x microfilter
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 1 x microfilter
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 1 x microfilter, 2
x plastic feet (vertical mounting)
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 2 x microfilters
1 x RJ11 modem cable, 1 x Fast
Ethernet cable, 2 x microfilters
None None None Norton Personal Firewall 2004 None
90% 70% 81% 67% 75%
S
ecurity suites pop up at an
alarming rate and though
security scares are appearing
even more rapidly, its still the case
that what you really need for
protection isnt necessarily the same
as what youre advised to buy. For
example, the version of the Windows
Firewall supplied with Service Pack 2
may not be particularly great and
certainly falls over in some key areas,
but in most situations its good
enough. Anti-virus programs make a
huge deal of how fast they respond
and how many bad guys they can
catch. Yet most of the time youre
going to be covered for the major
threats regardless of the big-brand
ones you use. All this begs a key
question: is it worth buying a
dedicated suite, or playing mix and
match with individual packages?
BitDefender mixes anti-virus with
firewall, anti-spam and dialer blockers
and almost everything else you could
conceivably need, and it does it at a
Richard Cobbett asks if Pro Plus will stop nasties dead, or just make them a little jittery
BitDefender 8 Pro Plus
>PUBLISHER: EDITIONS PROFIL PRICE: $45 (23) PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.BITDEFENDER.CO.UK
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: PENTIUM MMX 200MHZ OR HIGHER PROCESSOR, MINIMUM 64MB OF RAM MEMORY (128MB RECOMMENDED), MINIMUM 40MB AVAILABLE HARD DISK SPACE
price thats much more reasonable
than the going rate. You get two years
worth of upgrades rather than the
normal one, for example. When it
comes to the anti-virus portion, theres
little to quibble with. There are
automated scans, scanning specific
files and folders and inside archives,
along with a handful of extra touches
such as warning you if anything tries
to slip itself into startup or make
covert plays for your Registry. This part
of things is solid enough, both in
direct operation and staying out of
your way when theres nothing going
on that needs your input.
The firewall, by contrast, is as weak
as beer-flavoured tap water. Its almost
exclusively geared towards program
control: in other words, worrying about
which programs have access to the
Internet. This is something that
Service Pack 2 already does. You can
assign open and closed ports for each,
as well as quash dialers (although
upgrading to broadband will do that
for you), watch out for scripts and
manage your cookies. However, we
wouldnt have the confidence to hide
behind it in the event of a genuine
attack, rather than finicky Trojans that
you really shouldnt be letting onto
your system in the first place.
Letters from Nigeria
Antispam is rather more fully featured.
Almost every mail client has its own
anti-spam system, from blacklists to
Bayesian filtering, and BitDefender
does all of them simultaneously. For
example, you get heuristic filtering to
guess if something is spam, plus
Bayesian to teach the system what
you think qualifies. It wont catch
everything, but in fairness, nothing
does as it stands, even the best filter
can only cut down. Its a good addition
if youre running one of the more
basic clients, such as Outlook Express,
although your mileage may vary if you
already have Thunderbird et al
watching your back.
BitDefender touches enough of
the basics to keep you safe from
anything that youre likely to run into
on a day by day basis certainly, the
most important anti-virus part should
leave you with nothing to worry about.
However, as an overall suite you can
HOWEVER, WE WOULDNT HAVE THE
CONFIDENCE TO HIDE BEHIND IT IN THE
EVENT OF A GENUINE ATTACK
certainly do better, provided that
youre willing to stump up a bit more
cash. We like the interface, we like
the price, but it fails at the one key
hurdle: we wouldnt be comfortable
installing it as our only line of defence,
and these days you should accept
nothing less.
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
A solid buy for
the price, but
not the most
comprehensive set
you can buy
74
%
SECURITY REVIEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
94
Unlike many programs, BitKeeper tells you
exactly what your ports do when you ask
to open and close them
The problem with spam is that the spammers are forever trying to get round the software
that shuts them down. No sense of fair play...
Scanning is suitably easy, staying out of your way unless theres anything to quarantine
or attempt cleaning up
AUGUST 2005
95
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
LINUX DISTRIBUTION REVIEWS
Its Linux that everyone can use, says Richard
Cobbett, and its packed with features
Linspire 5.0
>PUBLISHER: LINSPIRE PRICE: 50 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.LINSPIRE.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 800MHZ OR HIGHER PROCESSOR, 128MB OF RAM, HARD DRIVE WITH
4GB FREE SPACE, SVGA OR HIGHER RESOLUTION AND MONITOR, CD-ROM OR DVD DRIVE,
It looks similar to Windows and acts like it as well a KDE-based distro with lots of
convenient tweaks to make things more familiar
Click and Run removes all the pain of compiling and installing new Linux software,
although not all of it is available for free
THE CATCH IS THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY A
SUBSCRIPTION FEE EVERY YEAR FOR
WHATS ULTIMATELY FREE SOFTWARE
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Never been so
easy, but it still
has ground to
cover before it can
be the one true OS
87
%
Y
ou may have tried Linux before,
or you may not. Either way, if
youre reading this review
rather than simply working away on
Debian, SUSE, Mandrake or another
standard distro, its likely that you
either had a bad experience or simply
dont know where to start.
Linspire is something of a rarity in
the Linux community, aiming for novice
users rather than hardcore coders. It
hides all the technical mumbo-jumbo
and packages everything up so that
anyone can get started immediately.
At least, thats the idea. It works in
practice, but theres still some distance
to go. Most notably, the option to try
Linspire out on your home system via
a Live CD seems odd. If youve shelled
out for the box then its a little late for
second-thoughts. The installation is
fast and easy, but watch out for the
set-up program and its attempt to
take over your hard drive. Youll need
dedicated partitioning software to set
up a dual-boot system and this is
recommended for your opening steps.
Dealing with desktops
The desktop interface is customised
KDE, assuming you know what that is,
or a very Windows-style system if the
name doesnt ring a bell. Modern
Linux is very much point and click in
any event, but Linspire puts a more
accessible wrapper over the top, as well
as tweaks such as making OpenOffice
save as Microsoft Word .DOC files by
default, instead of its own .SXW format..
Linspires real party piece,
however, is called Click and Run, and
while Linux fans may claim that you
can do the same thing via programs
such as Synaptic and the apt-get
command, its fair to say that no other
Linux distribution makes it this easy
to get your hands on new software
packages. Ordinarily, youre expected
to download what you need as
program code, drop to a terminal to
compile it up for your machine, and
manually drop the launch options into
your menus. Thats without getting
into making sure youve got all the
right packages, the correct download,
the latest version of the source, the
compiler and a whole host of other
nonsense that you really dont want
to do just to try out some DTP
software. With Click and Run, simply
pick it from a list and youre done. You
can see what youve downloaded in
the past, pull down updated versions
or uninstall to save space.
Free as in Not really
All of this is attached to your user
account, not your computer. You can
install Linspire on all of your machines
and instantly kit them out with your
weapons of choice. The catch is that
you have to pay a subscription fee
every year to download whats
ultimately free software from the Click
and Run Warehouse, but its not
excessive for the speed and
convenience that you get as a result.
Linspire is a distro for specific
needs. If youre into the development
side of Linux or simply want complete
control over every last inch of your OS,
its not ideal. Likewise, its approach
towards using the root logon rather
than individual user accounts by
default (although this can be changed
elsewhere) may not jibe with the way
you choose to work. However, for ease
of use it simply cant be beaten.
Friendly it may be, but all the more complex Linux functions are still available if you need to
make any changes to your system
REVIEWS FILE SECURITY
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
96
You wield complete control over the size and settings associated with the virtual disks you create Private Disk prompts you to supply your password each time you mount your disk
Private Disks intuitive interface makes management and configuration tasks a breeze
I
n a world where hackers are doing
their best to weasel their way into
your system, protecting your
personal files and other sensitive
information is more important than
ever before. Unfortunately, using the
highest level of protection strong
encryption can be a complex maze of
certificates, keys and special techniques.
Many users avoid encryption completely,
choosing to rely on more basic file
security methods or even none at all.
Implementing strong file security
via encryption doesnt have to be
difficult. If you can remember a
password, DEKART Private Disk is all
you need to create and manage areas
of disk space secured by industrial-
strength 256-bit AES encryption. The
tool enables you to interact with your
secured files as if theyre not encrypted
at all. If you can open and save files with
My Computer, you can use this tool.
DEKART Private Disk works by
creating virtual protected disks on
your drives, both fixed and removable.
You dont need any free hard space in
the traditional sense, just space
available on an existing partition, a
removable USB drive, or the like.
Private Disk enables you to define a
size for the new partition, format it
and assign it a drive letter just like
any other disk. The big difference is
that this drive has a password
associated with it that must be
supplied whenever the drive is active
or mounted. Choosing a good, strong
password to protect your disk is a must.
To access your private disk, fire up
the program and choose the option
to connect to your virtual drive. After
supplying the password, you interact
with it like any other drive in My
Computer. Files saved to the disk are
encrypted automatically, while files
you open are decrypted in the same
way. When you disconnect or
unmount the drive, its inaccessible
until you connect to it and supply the
password again. The process is
seamless, and any files stored on the
drive are protected from both outside
users and others who share your PC.
Once Private Disk is installed, other
users can create their own encrypted
Dekart Private Disk
Dan DiNicolo discovers a combination of strength
and simplicity in this file encryption tool
virtual disks to secure their files. Unlike
with Windows XPs Make folder
private and EFS encryption settings,
Computer Administrators wont be
able to take ownership of and gain
access to other users encrypted files.
Without the password used to secure
the virtual drive, everyone is locked
out and the files remain securely
protected including cases where
a drive or computer is stolen.
Helpful extras
Private Disk makes working with
encrypted files seamless and painless,
but its clear that thought was put
into back-up and management tasks
as well. The program interface makes
backing up the entire contents of your
encrypted virtual disk a breeze,
ensuring that its securely encrypted
even when moved to a back-up CD,
DVD, or alternative storage device.
Restoring files is equally simple just
browse to the backup, click OK and
youre good to go!
Knowing that users who forget
their virtual disks password will be
permanently locked out of their files,
Private Disk enables you to export a
password-protected copy of your
encryption key. Theres also a built-in
password-cracking tool to help you
get sorted in cases where you just
cant remember the password youve
assigned. If youre worried about
leaving your disks connected and
unattended, you can tell Private Disk
to unmount it automatically after a
period of inactivity.
DEKART Private Disk is the perfect
encryption program for those who
want strong file protection without
all the usual fuss.
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IMPLEMENTING
STRONG FILE SECURITY VIA ENCRYPTION
DOESNT HAVE TO BE DIFFICULT
>PUBLISHER: DEKART PRICE: $25 (APPROX 14) PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.PRIVATE-DISK.NET
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP, 133MHZ PROCESSOR, 32MB OF
MEMORY, 10MB OF FREE HARD DISK SPACE
TESTED ON: SONY VAIO PCV-RX305, 2GHZ P4, 512MB RAM, WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
An effective
way to encrypt
and protect your
personal and
private les
88
%
T
his software is the Internet-age
equivalent of home taping.
Before live performances on his
Radio 1 show, Simon Mayo used to
pause to enable the avid listener to
cue up his or her tape. However, since
tapes and even MiniDiscs have largely
disappeared from common use, a
strange hole has been left in the
nations custom of taping radio shows.
Until now.
Broadband needed
Lets get one thing out of the way:
youll need to have a broadband-
speed Internet connection to use
Replay Radio. Recording radio shows
over dial-up is an impractical prospect.
Otherwise, this is wonderfully simple
software. Install it, specify your
Internet connection settings and
youre away. The first thing to do is
download the shows and stations
listing. This enables you to select
shows and stations by name. Their
audio streams, such as www.bbc.
co.uk/radio1/realaudio/media/r1livev7.
ram for Radio 1, are pre-programmed.
If youre a BBC radio addict, this
software may be of less interest to you.
Since the advent of the corporations
Web-based listen again facility,
millions have discovered their lost love
of home taping. Its just that, in this
I
f youre wasting time searching
through documents for valuable
pieces of information, you may be
interested in Summarize! Designed to
provide instant document
summarisation, the software lets you
create tailored summaries of long
documents or email for easier
digestion. Results were good being
both pretty accurate and relevant. In
our tests we successfully managed to
generate a 500-word summary from a
5,000-word article and it made
sense, although there were a few
grammatical errors, with the number
2being inserted instead of apostrophes.
Summarize! uses linguistic and
statistical algorithms to extract the
important themes within a document.
It then analyses each sentence to
determine their relevance to those
themes. Finally, heuristic rules are
applied to create a readable summary
that reflects the overall themes of the
document a condensed version of
the original text.
Specialise and Summarize!
Most similar applications only allow
you to have a general summary. With
Summarize! its possible to tailor it to
look for your interests within a
document and to skew the summary,
so that those interests are given
case, its home streaming. For
individual BBC shows then, the
software is only great if you want to
keep the shows on your PC. It only
gains the upper hand through its
ability to record a larger chunk of
audio between preset times. This is
even more useful when you look at
the list of stations from Europe and
the US: there are hundreds.
The Settings option makes it
possible to pick and choose where you
want your recordings to be stored, as
well as enabling you to specify your
sound card options. On initialisation,
the software will run a test with your
soundcard to make sure your speakers
are working properly ensure you can
hear the audio from your speakers. We
found Replay Radio brilliantly simple
and useful to boot.
DAN GRABHAM
increased prominence. For documents
that are read regularly, or where you
have a well-known set of interests,
Profiles can be created with a list of
terms that are given weight to if they
exist within the document.
Theres also a patented Targeted
Summary functionality, which enables
you to skew each summary towards
particular keywords. For instance, you
could get the software to target
recycle, computer, or mobile phone
in Microsoft Word, Outlook, HTML and
PDF documents. These summaries are
then tailored with keywords to your
specific area of interest. If you want a
brief synopsis of a document then you
may find Summarize! is exactly what
you need. However, it doesnt come
cheap, so you may be better off
creating your own summaries.
CHRISTIAN HARRIS
Replay Radio
No more fussing around with home taping
instead, record radio shows legally from the Net
Summarize!
>PUBLISHER: APPLIAN TECHNOLOGIES PRICE: 15
PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.REPLAY-RADIO.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98/ME/NT/2000/XP, 64MB, 1.4GB HARD DISK SPACE
>PUBLISHER: CORPORA PRICE: 240 BUY WITHIN 30 DAYS OF PUBLICATION DATE FOR JUST 200
SEE VERSION ON COVER CD FOR DETAILS PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.CORPORASOFTWARE.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: PENTIUM 4, 512MB RAM, 50MB HARD DISK, WINDOWS 2000/XP PRO
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Summarize!
instantly creates
tailored summaries
of documents for
easier digestion
69
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Simple but
brilliant. If you
want to keep shows
on your PC, this is
the way to do it
82
%
Summarize! promises results that make sense and on the whole we found it pretty accurate
Summarize! promises instant understanding
of long documents. Does it work?
Replay Radio is a real gem, excellent value for money and its legal too, apparently
AUGUST 2005
97
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
UTILITIES REVIEWS
ON THE
CD
ON THE
CD
M
ost scanners come with an
OCR package bundled in the
accompanying software, so
you need a good reason to go out and
spend 100 on another program. The
latest release of Readiris Pro aims to
give you just that reason, with
extreme speed, uncanny accuracy and
extended versatility.
Quick and easy to install, the
program works with most Windows
scanners. For those who dont like to
set up various options manually,
theres a simple OCR wizard, which
reduces tasks to a few ticks and clicks.
The most common use of the
package is to take scanned documents
and turn them in to text files, but
more complex page layouts can also
be read, either through a scanner or
from a text and image file in PDF
format, for example, or even the
latest JPEG 2000 and DjVu files.
Under the spell
The biggest problems with any OCR
package occur when it misreads
characters within text, leaving you
with spelling mistakes to correct by
hand. Readiris made a good job of
newspaper pages in our tests,
although it struggled rather more
with inkjet text pages, even though
they looked pristine to the naked eye.
I
f weve seen it once, weve seen it a
thousand times before: music
software that purports to do
everything. Trouble is, we cant help
but be overcome by simple brilliance
this really is everything youd want
from a rip n burn suite. As well as the
audio encoder which handles MP3,
AAC, OGG Vobis, WMA and WAV
theres a Media Manager and audio
editor, too. Ripping discs is easy. The
first time you run the app youre able
to specify your preferred encoding
options format and quality. Once
done, you dont have to touch it again;
all encoding is performed according to
your initial settings.
Standard add-ons
Magix Media Manager 2004 Silver is a
fairly standard file organiser. The
trouble with this is that the My Music
folders of Windows Explorer are
perfectly good enough for music
organisation. We cant help but feel
that such software is gilding the lily
somewhat. Yet 20 is hardly going to
break the bank and it doesnt matter if
you never use such add-ons. At least
you can feel youve got value for money.
To be honest though, the encoding
element is worth the cash alone.
MP3 Maker uses an Explorer-style
interface, but the real heart of the
In the worst cases, one word in around
20 came out with a mistake in it.
On the plus side, the program
made an exceptionally good job of
breaking down complex magazine
page layouts, preserving even the
colours of text and their backgrounds,
as well as the placement of pictures
on the page, before exporting the
whole thing into a word processor-
friendly file. Another nice touch is that
you can redefine areas of an original
scan and choose what you want
included before converting the recorded
image to a word processor document.
Readiris can also turn its hand to
creating Excel spreadsheets from rows
and columns of text and numbers. In
our tests the accuracy was very good
for laser originals, but you do have to
be extra careful checking your figures.
MATTHEW RICHARDS
software is the applications toolbar
and we applaud little touches such as
crossfading. Youd expect such
refinements to be present in a more
expensive package such as Nero, but
its good to see them in a budget
package as well. Other additions
include the Fun FX dialog, which
enables you to create effects with your
tunes and a Magix Print Studio that
enables you to create CD covers. Again,
its somewhat superfluous, but nice to
have. MP3 Maker makes it possible for
you to record sound direct from your
soundcard such as streaming audio
from the Web. Furthermore, Magix
Audio Editor 2.0 is yet another tool
included on the disc, so you can chop
annoying silences off the beginning of
tracks. You get plenty for your money,
thats for sure.
DAN GRABHAM
Readiris Pro 10
Want speed, versatility and accuracy from your
OCR software? We see if this measures up
MP3 Maker Centurion
> MADE BY: IRIS PRICE: 105 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.IRISLINK.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 486 PC, 128MB RAM, 120MB HD SPACE, SVGA, WINDOWS 98, ME,
2000/XP, NT4
> PUBLISHER: MAGIX PRICE: 20 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.FASTRAK.CO.UK
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98/ME/NT/2000/XP, 600MHZ PROCESSOR, 128MB RAM,
1.4GB HARD DISK SPACE
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
With the
exception of inkjet
pages, Readiris has
fast and accurate
performance
75
%
Is Readiris Pro 10 the OCR software you were looking for? MP3 Maker Centurion enables you to listen to and record audio streams from the Internet
Rip discs, burn discs, manage your media, make
your own CD covers and even more besides
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
You really cant
go wrong at 20
for all this, even if
you never use
half the stuff
87
%
UTILITIES REVIEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
98
>MANUFACTURER: AVERATEC PRICE: 849 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.AVERATEC.COM
FEATURES: PENTIUM-M, 512MB RAM, 13.3-INCH WXGA WIDESCREEN, LAN, 802.11G WIRELESS
THE CLINCHER, IF ONE WERE NEEDED,
IS THAT IT LOOKS BETTER THAN MOST
MACHINES TWICE ITS PRICE
LAPTOP REVIEWS
AUGUST 2005
99
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Easy on the eye,
easy on the wallet Averatecs
laptop has plenty going for it
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Combines
performance,
features and looks
with a surprising
price-tag
86
%
T
here are oodles of sub-1,000
notebooks on the market, but
the general rule of thumb is
that you get second-best with such a
machine. For this price, you can
generally expect yet another faceless
grey box, with yet another faceless
logo adorning the lid as if its a brand
to be proud of.
Whats more, performance-per-
pound at this level is rarely anything
to become doey-eyed about. Clocking
in at under a grand, theres a
surprising number of machines that
still offer a piddly 256MB RAM. This is
fine as long as you dont mind
Windows XP relying heavily on your
hard drive for virtual memory, creating
a massive performance bottleneck,
and subsequently slowing down
everything you do. Who wants that?
Full of surprises
Enter the Averatec 4200.
Itll set you back
849, and for that
price, you really
wouldnt expect
much in the way
of hardware or
aesthetics. Yet a quick scan of
the specs reveals another story
altogether. The 4200 packs in a 1.6GHz
Pentium M and 512MB DDR: a solid
basis for any app-friendly machine. Its
one built with battery life in mind,
given the road-friendly Pentium Ms
low level of power consumption. On a
full charge, you can expect around
four hours of life out of the 4200
less, naturally, if youre spinning up
discs in the DVD drive, or playing
music at a constant, audible volume.
However, you also receive a
surprising host of onboard extras for
your money: a 4-in-1 card reader, DVD
burner, LAN and modem, three USB2
ports, a PC card slot and VGA-out, for
when a desktop monitor becomes
available. How Averatec have
managed to pack all this into
such a tiny chassis, and at such
a low weight, is something of
a mystery.
Excellent screen
The real ace-in-the-hole,
however, is the shiny
13.3-inch WXGA widescreen
display: its as bright as a
button and sharp as a tack,
too. Of course, its no
competition to the
X-Black screens found on
Sony Vaio ultra-
portables, but
its the
next
best thing,
boasting crisp visual
performance and a reasonably wide
viewing angle. Youll find that DVDs
play with pleasing clarity, although to
ensure the best-possible visual
performance, it pays dividends to
spend ten minutes tweaking the
display settings, in particular the
gamma sliders. The native settings
certainly arent optimal for viewing
digital media, and without a bit of
customisation, youll find a heavy level
of contrast in movie playback.
Less impressive are the 4200s
3D-rendering capabilities; in fact, they
leave
plenty to be
desired. The onboard Intel
915Gm chipset is going to struggle
with any seriously modern or
demanding game, so cast aside
any dreams of playing Half-Life 2 on
the train at any reasonable speed.
However, this isnt a gaming laptop
its a budget ultra-portable, and does
what its designed to do admirably,
running apps and media with aplomb.
In short, its a small and capable
machine, with impressive specs for
the price.
The clincher, if one were needed,
is that it looks better than most
machines twice its price and even gives
Apples mini-powerbook a run for its
money in the cute department.
If looks are skin-deep, then this is one
thick-skinned laptop, says Al Bickham
Averatec 4200
REVIEWS HOME SECURITY
I
n these ever more troublesome
times, home security kits are
becoming increasingly popular.
Theyre becoming better value for
money, too. Kits have traditionally
been as much as 300, but as this set
is less than 200, its approaching the
level of affordability.
BT has been
one of the top names in this area for
a couple of years now as it seeks to
find new ways of making cash. This
kit certainly has the BT touch:
everything is well made and
feels like youre getting your
moneys worth. Indeed, the
first thing that strikes you
when you open the box is
just how comprehensive
the set feels. As well as a control
panel that plugs into
your phone line, the
box contains a
personal attack
keyfob (which is
also the remote
control for the kit),
a magnetic door or window detector
and two movement detectors. You
can also buy compatible smoke
detectors, should you wish.
The idea behind the product is
that it can alert you in case of a
security breach. The whole system is
managed through a password-
protected online account, which is
reasonably easy
to configure and set up. You
tally your particular Home Monitor
with BT by giving it the units serial
number and your home phone
number or BT account information.
Youll have to instruct Windows to
BT Home Monitor VP1000
Keeping tabs on your new home is the new trend. Dan Grabham
looks at one of the best kits that enables you to do it yourself
WHAT STRIKES YOU WHEN YOU
OPEN THE BOX IS JUST HOW
COMPREHENSIVE THE SET FEELS
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Its a solid
proposition
providing you only
have a small
property to protect
82
%
>MADE BY: BT PRICE: 180 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.SHOPBT.COM SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS: WEB BROWSER AND INTERNET CONNECTION, BT PHONE LINE FEATURES:
MOTION AND MAGNETIC DOOR DETECTION, REMOTE CONTROL, WEB-BASED CONFIGURATION
remember your username and
password to get into the BT
Control Panel in future, though: it
requires your 16-digit serial number
every time you log in. This is slightly
tiresome and unnecessary.
Its a long way...
Setting up the Home Monitor is fairly
simple, but itll take you an hour or
two to do it properly. The
detectors are
battery operated,
so theres a lot of
unscrewing lids
and removing
pieces of plastic to
activate batteries.
We didnt particularly
enjoy the physical
side of the set-up
process, but its
difficult to see how
it could be made
any better.
We think the kit
does offer good value
for money, but unless
youve got a small
house, youll soon find
that costs escalate youll
need more magnetic
sensors for other doors, for
example. Coincidentally,
the Control Panel supports
up to 28 separate sensors.
Magnetic sensors are 25 a
pop, movement detectors
30 and smoke detectors
60, so wiring up a house
could cost you something
in the region of several
hundred pounds.
So, while the BT system is clearly
an excellent choice, its not a
professional system, merely a way of
keeping tabs on your home if youre
away. For
more information about how the
unit works, check out the excellent
FAQ at www.myhomemonitoring.
bt.com/bthomemonitor/support/
faqs.htm.
Ongoing costs
Youll also find costs continue after
the first year. While the box includes a
years subscription to the BT Home
Monitoring service, subsequent
months of service incur a levy of 5
per month for the connection to the
phone system. The benefit of this
subscription is that your VP1000 will
be able to send you an email, text or
give you a ring in case of a security
breach. This is great, but
the costs all add up.
By now, youll
either be sold
on this system
or somewhat
sceptical of it.
We like it
a lot,
provided
you dont
have an awful lot
of property to protect.
If so, you may be better
off looking elsewhere.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005 100
O
f all the things people have
said that are clearly devoid
of thought, paperless office
has to rank in the upper echelons of
stupidity. The truth is that were
printing as many documents as we
ever have, but even worse than piles
of paper are piles of parcels. These
need to be labelled up one way or
another and theres no simple way
to do that with your usual A4 printer.
You either use multiple A4 sheets of
labels, makeshift folded bits of paper
or simply break out your marker pen.
Little Brother
Brother believes that it has the
solution with the QL-500. Give the
company credit its made a mini label
printer that we dont want to hand
back. A major plus point is its tiny size:
with a footprint around the size of a
DVD case, itll sit innocuously on your
desk. Another thing in its favour is its
speed. This is a black and white, 300dpi,
thermal printer that can spit out
90mm of printed label a second. In real-
world terms, individual labels are
printed almost instantaneously.
Printing media is supplied in the
form of various widths of sticky-back
label rolls, and youll find 62mm and
29mm width labels in the box. When
it comes to buying replacements,
C
orporations are by their very
nature, all-consuming beasts,
always trying to increase sales
and reduce costs at any price, no
matter whether that strategy will
ultimately lead to the destruction of
the world as we know it or not. Its a
pleasant thought but hey thats why
companies such as Shuttle are
continually branching out, ready to
offer new products and services to its
customers (whether we want the
products or not). Yet being good
consumer, ours is not to reason why,
ours is but to buy or die.
Game and watch
The point is, Shuttle has realised that
a main use for its tiny systems are at
LAN parties by gamers. Obviously, if
youre continually lugging your
equipment around then a super-slim,
lightweight LCD display with
integrated aluminium carry handle
and a toughened protective, anti-glare
screen would certainly help fend off
that impeding hernia. So thats exactly
what the XP17 has to offer, making it
perfect for transporting between
venues or anywhere that pleases you.
There are a few drawbacks with
its design, though. The stand is a
compromise of function over form as
youll need to get to used to the angle
these will cost between 10 and 15 a
roll. To create tidy individual labels the
printer has an integrated manual
cutter, which youll need to use after
printing each one. The next model up,
the QL-550, offers an electronic cutter
that can be activated automatically
after each print. Unsurprisingly, this is
necessary if youre churning out a lot
of labels.
Text quality is good, but because
the QL-500 is only capable of black
and white you shouldnt expect
anything from the graphics, as it even
struggles with basic greyscales. This
aside, with integrated Word, Outlook
and Excel features and a
comprehensive standalone label-
creating program that offers plenty of
templates, its certainly a good single
label maker.
NEIL MOHR
it sets the display at. However, the
display is flexible enough to support
portrait mode. Menu controls are easy
to use and theres both DVI and VGA
ports on offer, while its slim design is
made possible because of an external
power supply.
In use we cant complain too
much about the 1,280 x 1,024 display.
It features a new 8ms panel, which
while eliminating any ghosting, even
in Doom 3, still cant remove the
general blurring LCD introduces on
moving scenes. Were also
unconvinced by the vertical viewing
angle as theres clear inversing.
Horizontal viewing is better, but its
still not perfect. So while its eminently
portable, the panel itself simply doesnt
inspire and at this price were walking
away to better display bargains.
NEIL MOHR
>MANUFACTURER: BROTHER PRICE: 140 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.BROTHER.CO.UK
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98SE/ME/2000 PRO/XP, USB FEATURES: DIRECT THERMAL
PRINT TECHNOLOGY, UP TO 300DPI PRINT RESOLUTION, ROLL MEDIA CONSUMABLES
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
A reasonable LCD
panel thats
designed to be
portable, but its
just too pricey
65
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
This is a lean,
mean if rather
expensive
labelling
machine
80
%
Shuttle XP17 Brother QL-500
>MANUFACTURER: SHUTTLE PRICE: 335 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.SHUTTLE.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: VGA OR DVI COMPATIBLE GRAPHICS CARD FEATURES: SIZE, 17-INCH;
RESOLUTION 1,280 X 1,024; CONTRAST RATIO 500:1, RESPONSE TIME 8MS
REVIEWS LABEL MAKER/MONITOR
AUGUST 2005
101
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
We try not to get carried away by Shuttles latest
release, and on the whole, succeed
Question: O brother, where art thou?
Answer: Over here, labelling stuff...
I
n a scanning world rife with rotund
CCF (cold cathode fluorescent)
flatbed scanners, slimmer LED
models are hard to find. Yet this type
of scanning technology offers significant
advantages. The relatively slim design
makes them very portable and better
still for laptop use, they dont require
their own power supply, taking all the
current they need from the host
computers USB port. Another advantage
is that unlike CCF models, the scanning
lamps need no time to warm up,
which is a real time-saver if youre only
scanning the occasional document or
image. The downside is that they
dont have such a good reputation for
outright photo accuracy, so how does
Canons new LiDE 500F measure up
against the competition?
With an impressively high 2,400 x
4,800dpi maximum optical resolution
and 48-bit colour depth, the specs look
like they mean business, and because
the 35mm transparency adaptor is
supplied as standard (rare for an LED
scanner), the 500F can turn its hand
to film as well as reflective scanning.
Picture perfect
In our tests, the Canon produced
razor-sharp scans of text documents
with a good turn of speed. A full A4
preview tripped our stopwatch at ten
T
he most common method we
British have of communicating
with those of another tongue is
to speak very slowly and very loudly,
but still in English. Thats pretty
pointless at the best of times, but if
youre trying to decipher a page
written in a foreign language its
completely useless.
Marginally cheaper than a course
of evening classes, the IRISPen
Translator Executive offers a two-pronged
attack on translation. The first comes
in hardware form, with a neat,
lightweight pen scanner. The device
plugs into any USB port and is small
enough to slip into a pocket or bag,
although the quality of switches and
the plastic its made from feel rather
nasty. The second is the cunning
translation software that comes with it.
Translation highlights
The idea of the system is that you run
the scanner pen over lines of printed
text, just as you would with a
highlighter pen. This automatically
loads the text into an application
like Word or Outlook or, better still,
can be diverted to the IRISPens
accompanying translation software,
which translates the incoming text on
the fly, displaying it on screen or even
reading it out to you.
seconds, with a full A4 text scan at
300dpi taking just 15 seconds. Scanning
a full colour 4 x 6-inch photo at
300dpi took 15 seconds, which is
about what youd expect from a
similarly priced CCF scanner, while a
35mm transparency scan at 1,200dpi
was quicker than average at 22 seconds.
The reflective photo scanning
quality of the 500F is surprisingly
good for an LED scanner, with highly
accurate colour rendition and contrast,
as well as good tonal range and
sharpness. 35mm film scans were
comparatively poor, with a lack of
sharpness and, inconveniently, you
have to remove slides from their
frames before scanning. If you dont
need film scanning, the 500F is
nevertheless a very stylish, high-
quality scanner at the price.
MATTHEW RICHARDS
The UK version comes with
options to translate between English
and French, Spanish, German, Russian
and Portuguese. Frustratingly,
however, and in spite of the high
asking price of the package, you can
only install one language pair, rather
than having them all on tap.
Our tests got off to a dodgy start,
with the time-honoured song phrase,
Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?
being translated as You please put to
bed direct current avex me in the
evening? After recalibrating the pen
scanner, taking more care to keep a
steady hand, and a little practice, the
device soon became a lot more accurate,
although not noticeably more so than
some of the free translation sites on
the Web that you can scan, copy and
paste text into.
MATTHEW RICHARDS
CanoScan LiDE 500F
Canons slim-design scanner isnt at all slim
on features
IRISPen Translator
> MADE BY: CANON PRICE: 110 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.CANON.CO.UK
FEATURES: 2,400 X 4,800DPI WITH 48-BIT COLOUR DEPTH, TRANSPARENCY ADAPTOR FOR FILM
SCANNING, FARE LEVEL 3 DUST AND SCRATCH REMOVAL, USB2 INTERFACE
If foreign languages are all Greek to you, this
might help
> PUBLISHER: IRIS PRICE: 159 PUBLISHERS WEB SITE: WWW.IRISLINK.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: P166, WINDOWS 98 OR ABOVE, SVGA, 32MB RAM, 70MB HD SPACE
FEATURES: PORTABLE USB SCANNING PEN, TRANSLATION SOFTWARE, SIX LANGUAGE PR OPTIONS
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
The 500F offers
speedy simplicity
and high-quality
scanning in
reflective modes
82
%
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Small scanning
inaccuracies can
lead to big
translation
errors
48
%
SCANNER/TRANSLATOR REVIEWS
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
102
S
onys new 19-inch LCD PC/TV
monitor can display just about
anything you care to throw at
it. In conventional monitor mode, it
features both analogue and digital
inputs, with easy switching between
the two. However, it also has no less
than three other video inputs, for
connecting anything from camcorders
and digital cameras to games
consoles, with composite,
S-video and component video sockets
around the back, complete with
SCART adaptor. Furthermore, theres a
built-in TV tuner that features Teletext
and wireless remote control.
The neat, crossover styling makes
the Sony look just as at home in the
living room as on the office desk, but
its not just a pretty face. The screen is
based on Sonys X-Black technology,
which was sufficient to take the
companys SDM-HS94PB monitor to
the top of our 19-inch LCD group test
last month. This one also features
surprisingly pleasant-sounding built-
in speakers, complete with SRS WOW
technology for enhanced audio.
Remote control
As youd expect from a monitor that
doubles as a TV, youre supplied with a
wireless remote control. Better still,
this makes for easy adjustment of
T
ired of typing up notes youve
written away from the
computer? Find tablet PCs too
pricey? The DigiMemo might be the
digi-solution to your problems. At first
glance it doesnt seem like anything
special. Theres a notepad resting on a
plastic surface, a pen and thats pretty
much it. Yet write on the paper, hook it
all up to your computer and your inky
scrawls will appear on screen. Magic:
thats what it seems like the first time
you use the product.
Behind the magicians curtain, the
underneath of the pad records your
pen strokes although it doesnt
always pick up the lightest
movements saving everything on to
a page in its 8MB memory. You can
save as many pages as you like until
the memory fills up and even add
CompactFlash cards to the pad if you
run out of room.
Easy as U, S, B
Once the softwares installed, using
the pad is a simple matter of
drawing or writing on the A5 paper,
then using the USB cable to link it up
to the computer. Load the software
up and you can import the pages.
The software is akin to a fairly basic
paint program, as you can select
sections of your work and change
colour, brightness and other settings
even in PC mode, as well as switching
between sources or for setting up
Picture in Picture options.
Impressive specs include a high
450cd/m
2
maximum brightness and
whopping 1,000:1 contrast ratio, as
well as wide 170-degree viewing
angles and a fast 12ms response time.
Switching between optimised picture
modes is made easy with a simple
switch for cycling between PC, game,
movie and auto-brightness set-ups.
For ultimate image quality, the
MFM-HT95 doesnt quite match
Sonys SDM-HS94PB for the
perception of razor-sharp text or spot-
on colour balance in sRGB mode.
However, for a multi-function TV and
PC monitor, its better than anything
else weve seen on the market.
MATTHEW RICHARDS
the colour or even the boldness of
the strokes. However, to do much
more than this youll need to export
the page as an image (such as a JPEG
or GIF) so that you can open it in
another program and play around
some more.
Selwyn also offers handwriting
recognition software to go with the
DigiMemo: MyScript Notes. Yes, its an
extra expense (34), but the software
we tried was pretty good at accurately
rendering our messy handwriting into
oh-so-readable text.
Logitechs io2 digital writing
system does a similar job, but without
the pad. However, its more expensive,
requires digital paper and some
people have found the pen awkward
to use. We think that youd be better
off with the DigiMemo A501.
HELEN FRENCH
>MANUFACTURER: SONY PRICE: 599 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.SONY.CO.UK SYSTEM
REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98 OR ABOVE, SXGA GRAPHICS CARD FEATURES: 1,280 X 1,024 SXGA
SCREEN RESOLUTION, INTEGRATED TV TUNER, HIGH DEFINITION HDTV-READY
>MANUFACTURER: SELWYN PRICE: 94 MANUFACTURERS WEB SITE: WWW.SELWYN.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS ME/2000/XP/2003, USB PORT, CD-ROM DRIVE
FEATURES: 8MB RAM (BUILT-IN), EXPANDABLE STORAGE VIA COMPACTFLASH CARD
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
This is an
affordable
and fun
alternative
to tablet PCs
70
%
DigiMemo A501
> PC ANSWERS VERDICT
Ease of use
Features
Performance
Value for money
Stunning picture
quality and
tremendous versatility
make the Sony worth
every penny
90
%
REVIEWS MONITOR/E-NOTEPAD
AUGUST 2005
103
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Write, scribble or doodle then marvel as your
unique scrawl appears on your screen
Sony MFM-HT95
Is Sonys latest PC/TV a jack-of-all-trades or
does it come up trumps?
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
104
NICK PEERS
Support specialist
WIN!
A HARD
DRIVE
One of five 80GB
USB hard drives
could be yours
page 117
Free tips! www.pcanswers.co.uk/tips
Free support at forum.pcanswers.co.uk
HARDWARE
HELPDESK
>
SECTION CONTENTS
> SATA hard drive
installation
> Restrict USB memory
stick read/write access
> FireWire speed problems
with XP SP2
> Network
troubleshooting
STARTS ON
PAGE 122
My laptop has an
option to recalibrate
the battery. What
does this mean, and is
it something I should
be doing?
NICK'S TIP OF
THE MONTH
If you use Avast! Antivirus
you can set it to scan your
system every time it goes
into screensaver mode. If you
go into screensavers and
choose Avast from the
list you can configure it
to scan every time your
screensaver kicks in.
ASK THE EXPERTS
If you have a problem and no one else can help, then
you need to call in the PCAnswers team of experts.
They return once more with solutions for you PAGE 108
support
YOUR SOFTWARE
PROBLEMS SOLVED!
Scam of the Month P105
Greenzap pyramid scam
Stamp Out Spyware P106
BHOs: what are they?
5 Minute Guide P116
Drive caching
The Clinic P120
Shuttle problems
How it Works P130
Get inside your chipset
Network P132
TCP/IP
Patches & Updates P136
AUGUST 2005
105
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
SUPPORT SCAM OF THE MONTH
A new company aims to take on PayPal by giving $25 to everyone who
pre-registers. Nick Peers thinks GreenZap is too good to be true
I
f theres one thing guaranteed to
pique someones interest, its the
prospect of getting money for
nothing. This is exactly what
GreenZap claims to be offering. Sign
up for the scheme and youre credited
with $25 in your account. Even better,
for each person you recommend youll
receive a further $5, plus a share in
all their referrals. However, this starts
alarm bells ringing. The referral
scheme looks suspiciously like a
pyramid scheme, and GreenZap
claimed it had 200,000 members pre-
registered. At $25 each, thats $5million
the company has to pay out, before
you even consider the referrals.
What exactly is GreenZap? It
claims to be an online payment
system that will eventually rival
PayPal. Any monies you make from
referrals will be deposited in your
GreenZap account, which you can
then use to make purchases. Theres
also a further incentive to sign up:
GreenZap will be creating a
GreenZap Gold account, which
increases the money you receive for
referrals so long as you put $100 in
your account.
It all sounds too good to be true,
and the sad fact is that in all likelihood,
it will be. Even if the company
honours the $25 commitment, you
will be charged $2 to receive money,
be unable to withdraw your Web cash,
and have no fraud protection. PayPal
charges you nothing to receive money,
enables you to withdraw money to
your bank account and offers both
buyer and seller protection.
Watch and wait
The biggest worry about GreenZap is
that if you try to find out more about
the site itself and the people behind
it, they prove surprisingly elusive.
First, the site itself has no security or
encryption applied to it even pre-
registering for the scheme is done on
an insecure server. So whats
happening to your personal details?
Next, visit www.sandiego.bbb.
org/ and do a search for GreenZap.
GreenZaps postal address is in
California, but it hasnt registered as a
corporation with the state. The
companys official contact phone
number is a mobile number;
its mailing address is a box number
in a grocery store
Eventually, the trail points to a
man called Damon Westmoreland,
who has been associated with similar
dubious schemes in the past. At least
one of these ThePayLine.com was
shut down in 2001. He is currently
involved with Mazumah Inc,
which can also be found on
www.sandiego.bbb.org, and there are
five complaints listed here, none of
which have been resolved.
Finally, if youre still thinking of
trying this site out, we recommend that
you at least wait until the site is up and
running and has been successfully
trading for at least six months. For
now, PayPal seems much safer.
SCAM OF THE MONTH
Free money? We think not
Check out www.green-zap.co.uk though
you should be careful before giving away
your email address
> FURTHER INFORMATION
1. FREE MONEY! YEAH, RIGHT!
To register for GreenZap, you need to enter a promo code as
supplied by someone else. That person then allegedly receives $5
for referring you. It smacks of a pyramid scheme.
2. REGISTRATION
Initially, the only things youre asked for are your name, email
address and contact details. Note, however, that you dont provide
this information using a secure server.
3. WHOS RUNNING GREENZAP?
A press release lists Alexander Sonkin and Michael Bernstein as
President and Chief Operating Officer see www.scam.com/
showthread.php?t=2190&page=11&pp=10 for a list of people known
to be connected with GreenZap, but are keeping quiet about it.
4. WAIT AND SEE
As tempting as it is to listen to the hype about getting on board
early, you should never sign up for one of these schemes without
detailed further research. Start at http://greenzapscam.com/.
Here are some steps you should consider taking if
youre seriously tempted by this offer
1
2
3
4
REASONS TO FEAR GREENZAP
SPYWARE SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
106
Add-on toolbars and other enhancements for IE are known as BHOs.
Dan DiNicolo helps you sort the good helpers from the bad
Y
ou woke up yesterday and your
computer was working perfectly.
Today, Internet Explorer features
new toolbars, and your home page has
been mysteriously changed. Whats
that? You didnt change anything?
That may very well be true. In the
world of browser helpers and hijacks,
you dont usually need to do anything
except browse the Web to become
infected by some of the worst
spyware around.
BHO who?
Browser helper objects are add-on
components designed to enhance the
capabilities of Internet Explorer. While
some BHOs are legitimate and
designed for the forces of good
think the Google or Yahoo! Toolbar
here others are designed with
more malicious purposes in mind.
For example, many malware toolbars
(even those with a fancy array of
search boxes and funky buttons) are
designed so that they send details of
every Web page you visit back to the
developers servers for tracking
purposes. Ultimately, and rather
unfortunately in some cases, a BHO
can be designed to do just about
anything, limited only by the
capabilities of the programmers
who created it.
As you might expect, these
toolbars are positioned as helpful
add-ons that integrate all sorts of
wonderful features into Internet
Explorer. The tracking deal is generally
left to the very fine print, if its even
disclosed at all. Making things worse
is the fact that Web pages are
sometimes programmed to include
ActiveX controls which can install
these toolbars silently and without
your consent. If you didnt explicitly
install any toolbars, but see ones listed
in IE, this is usually how they arrived.
However, its also possible that they
were added as part of installing a
supposedly free program. In that
case, the toolbar would be the catch,
so to speak.
Browser hijacking and
browser beware
Things in the BHO world become
blurry when you start to talk about
browser hijacking. Some people
consider the installation of any
toolbar or related object into their
Web browser to be a hijack. However,
a BHO is an object, whereas hijacking
is an act. If you choose to install a
program that includes a toolbar, you
cant really say that youve been
hijacked. You can say youve been
misled or duped, but its your job to
read licensing agreements and tread
carefully. On the Internet, browser
beware is the name of the game.
True browser hijacking is another
story. This is where a Web page is
programmed to add a toolbar to IE
automatically and without your
knowledge it can change your
personal browser settings as well.
For example, visiting an infectious
Web page may result in your Internet
Explorer home page, search page and
related settings being switched to
new values. Unfortunately, these
arent just static changes. When you
try to revert to your old settings, the
STAMP OUT SPYWARE
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
One effective way to search for and rid your
system of an unwanted BHO or browser
hijacking code is to scan with a robust tool like
Microsoft AntiSpyware. These tools can usually
identify and remove the offending items immediately.
If its specifically BHOs youre after, consider
installing BHODemon (www.definitive
solutions.com/bhodemon.htm). This tool identifies
all BHOs installed on your system. Additionally,
BHODemon will prevent automatic BHO installations.
HijackThis (www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/
downloads.html) scans for dangerous items
and creates a log file of the results. You can upload
your file to sites like Castlecops.com, where users
will help you identify and remove your specific pests.
01 02 03
Bye bye BHO!
Follow these steps to bid browser helper objects adieu
Beat the browser blues
ON THE
CD
If your computer has been hijacked by
Coolwebsearch, CWShredder is likely to
be your only hope
SPYWARE SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
107
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
code used to hijack the browser
switches things back yet again,
leaving you to play a rather
permanent and extremely irritating
game of cat and mouse.
The most common and
well-known browser hijack is
Coolwebsearch, a nasty bit of code
that hijacks Internet Explorer and
comes in many variants. Some simply
redirect you to new Web sites, while
others monitor your surfing history.
However, some versions install Trojans
that give a remote user complete
control over your system ugly stuff.
The programming of this particular
family of hijacks is so advanced that
most of the major anti-spyware
programs cannot remove it
completely. Suffice to say, theres no
shortage of systems out there that
have been completely reinstalled for
no other reason than a visit from
Coolwebsearch. The only truly
effective cure is a program called
CWShredder, a free download from
www.intermute.com/spysubtract/
cwshredder_download.html.
Know the signs and
protect your system
Thankfully, browser hijacks and rogue
BHOs tend to be easy to spot. All you
need to do is fire up Internet Explorer
and look for unusual toolbars or
changes to your configured home
page. On the home page front,
a new search-style page may now be
displayed, or what appears to no page
at all (such as the About: Blank page).
Assuming that you didnt make any
recent changes to these settings,
hijacking is almost always the cause.
HELP!
While many BHOs have friendly names that make them easy to identify, only a Class ID (CLSID) number such
as {00000EF1-0786-4633-87C6-1AA7A44296DA} designates others. In cases where you cant identify a BHO
by name, use the CLSID number to search for more details at http://castlecops.com/CLSID.html.
> NEXT MONTH
Foiling key loggers and
preventing identity theft
As for toolbars, some of the
sneakier ones cleverly hide themselves
to avoid detection. A quick way to
check whats currently loaded is to
take a peak at the View -> Toolbars
menu. If you see unusual or unfamiliar
entries here, chances are good that a
malicious BHO has found its way onto
your system.
Finally, if youre running Windows
XP with SP2, click Tools -> Manage
Add-ons. This new tool displays all
BHOs installed in your browser, and
makes it possible to selectively enable
or disable entries.
Taking action
If your system has fallen prey to a
browser hijack or spyware BHO, treat
the issue as you would any serious
virus and take immediate action. The
steps weve outlined show some of
the best tools and methods to get the
job done, while the boxout provides
tips for avoiding a repeat performance.
While there are many techniques
and tools that will help to clean up
your system, most traditional program
removal methods wont get the job
done. First, you can all but forget
about using Add/Remove programs to
uninstall these pests, as it almost
never works even if it appears to.
Additionally, ignore any instructions
that prompt you to visit a particular
Web site as part of the removal
process. While they could be legit,
theres just no good reason to trust
that the person or organisation
responsible for installing the tool in
the first place will actually do the
right thing and help you to remove it
once and for all.
> IN DEPTH
Preventative medicine
A better Internet browser and smarter online surfing
are the keys to staying hijack-free
You can blame the spyware masters for your
browsers hijacking and related BHO adventures,
but trust us when we say that its basically all for
naught. The Internet can be a dangerous place
and its up to you to ensure you stay safe. Even
as malware threats proliferate, its still relatively
simple to protect yourself and your PC from
becoming victims.
Stuck on Explorer
If you still find yourself stuck on Internet Explorer,
give alternative browsers like Firefox, Netscape
and Opera a real chance. Most users wont make
the switch because these browsers arent identical
to IE in terms of how they function. Like using any
new program, getting used to a new browser just
takes some time. Its well worth the effort,
however, as most hijack and BHO issues are
directly related to IE features such as ActiveX.
Give up IE, and surfing immediately becomes a
safer activity.
Regardless of whether or not you decide to
drop Internet Explorer, consider downloading
and installing the special HOSTS file from
www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm. This
file is designed to prevent your computer from
connecting to any Web sites that are known to
install malware on your PC, including BHOs and
browser hijacking code.
Of course, you may not be the only person
using your PC, and not everyone will be as
careful as you while theyre browsing the Web,
so its important to ensure that strong firewall,
anti-virus and anti-spyware packages protect
your system. On the spyware front, opt for
software that protects your system in real-time
(such as Microsoft AntiSpyware), rather than the
free reactive tools that remove existing problems.
The idea is to stop BHOs, browser hijacks and
other spyware threats before they happen. With
the right setup, you should never have to pick up
any pieces.
Use IEs Manage Add-ons window so that
you can selectively enable and disable
installed BHOs
Noticing new and strange toolbars in IE? Welcome to BHO country!
Is Ghost compatible
with McAfee?
Q
I use McAfees Internet Security
Suite on my PC at home, due to
problems encountered on the Web in
the past. Recently, I bought Norton
Symantec Ghost at PC World, but
nobody seems to know if this software
is compatible with the McAfee AV on
my PC. Im reluctant to install Norton
Ghost at present in case it causes
problems with my anti-virus
software. Can you help me? Ive
asked around at quite a number of
computer stores and nobody seems
to know if the two software
packages are compatible or not.
Richard Conley
A
The two are compatible, Richard
we know this because the latest
version of Norton Ghost is based on
Symantecs Drive Image software,
which the company acquired from
Powerquest last year. We currently
have Drive Image 8 and McAfee
Internet Security 2005 installed on our
laptop, and the two co-exist with no
problems. Youd only run into
ASK THE
EXPERTS
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
New software causing havoc?
Internet troubles getting you down?
The experts can help, if you ask
problems if you were attempting to
install two Internet security
products anti-virus, firewall or
another incorporated package
side-by-side, as they would clash
with each other. To ensure there are
no problems during installation,
follow the usual advice: close all
other running applications (you can
leave your McAfee software
running), and then install Norton
Ghost in the usual way.
Is this safe
to install?
Q
PCA145s cover disc includes an
application called NASA World
Wind, which I decided to install.
During installation it asked to install
Managed DirectX. I gather that this is
something of great benefit to
program developers, because it
>
THE EXPERTS
SIMON PICKSTOCK
applications
GRAHAM BARLOW
internet
NICK VEITCH
security
NICK PEERS
windows
ONLINE SUPPORT
NAME: System Restore FAQ ADDRESS: www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/
winxppro/plan/faqsrwxp.mspx. If you run into problems with System Restore,
this little-known article, buried deep inside Microsofts technical Web site, should be your first port of call. Bookmark it now!
SEND YOUR
QUESTIONS TO:
>
CONTACT
PCA.EXPERTS@FUTURENET.CO.UK
OR BY POST:
ASK THE EXPERTS, PC ANSWERS,
FUTURE PUBLISHING, 30 MONMOUTH
STREET, BATH BA1 2BW
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
108
AUGUST 2005
Norton Ghost is compatible with Internet security products produced by competing vendors
reduces the amount of code
required. In your opinion, am I safe in
accepting this installation? In other
words, could this potentially cause
me problems with other applications
or games, which currently I have no
problems with?
Stuart Clarke
A
Youre asking a loaded question
there, Stuart, because any
program installation could potentially
cause problems with the rest of your
system. However, in this case you
should be fine. Managed DirectX is
a component of DirectX 9 as
opposed to a competing product
that makes it easier for programmers
to code using DirectX. Some programs
coded with this require the Managed
DirectX runtime files to be on the
hard drive to work properly, but this
wont affect any other games or
programs that dont make use of
the files.
As with all programs, some
people have reported problems
installing NASA World Wind (see its
support forums at http://worldwind.
arc.nasa.gov/forums/), but this is
usually down to other problems on
their system. If anyone does run into
trouble with the program, try the
forums as your first port of call. In
addition, look for program updates,
which you can download from
http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/
download.html.
16-bit Windows
error in XP
Q
My son recently bought the
game Aliens Versus Predator,
Gold Edition, made by Xplosiv, but
when the disc is put in, a message
pops-up stating: 16-bit Windows
Subsystem: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\
AUTOEXEC.NT. The system file is not
suitable for running MS-DOS and
Microsoft Windows applications.
Please help!
Andy
A
This problem is documented
in detail on the Microsoft
Knowledge Base (see http://support.
microsoft.com/kb/324767). The
solution is to replace the files
mentioned with originals from your
Windows CD and the process is
described in detail at this page,
where youll also find links to two
related sites that may help with
similar problems. A small utility that
may be able to automate this process
for you is referenced at www.kellys-
korner-xp.com/xp_m.htm#16bit, but
when we attempted to access the
link, we were told the site was
currently unavailable, so were unable
to test it.
SP2 doesnt like
Media Player 10!
Q
I have a Tiny 2400 and have been
successfully downloading
Windows updates. As I use a dial-up
ISP, I opted to use the Service Pack 2
disc to upgrade the system. However,
once loaded I was unable to use
either Media Player 10 (previously
successfully downloaded) or the Disk
Defragmenter. I have spoken to
Microsoft which suggested that the
disc supplied was corrupt. It also
advised that I remove SP2 and seek a
new disc. This I did and again loaded
SP2, only to experience the same
Cant create a boot DVD
Q
Ive had a few problems with
one of my hard drives (spare
and in a caddy) and Ive had to
reinstall Windows XP Pro and then
Service Pack 2. This being a bit of a
pain, I decided to try out your
project from issue 140 and
slipstream SP2 into my original XP
Pro. This went well (there were easy
to follow instructions) and Im now
the proud owner of XP Pro SP2,
which works a treat and saves so
much time.
I then decided to go one step
further (or so I thought) and make a
DVD disc that contained all my
most used programs that could
boot and install XP Pro. I did this so
that Id only need the single DVD to
select any of the programs on it for
installation, rather than having to
swap discs.
I made a bootable DVD using
the same method as for the
slipstream project (this may be my
problem) and copied all the files
and folders of the programs I
wanted onto the DVD. However,
when I now try to install Windows
XP from the DVD, I get the usual
Setup is inspecting your hardware
configuration message before it
throws up the following error: Line
1 of the INF file \i386\txtsetup.sif is
invalid. Setup cannot continue.
Press any key to exit. Is the way I
set up the boot DVD the problem?
If so, is there an answer?
Colin Bleasdale, via email
A
Since we published that answer
in issue 140 of PCAnswers, weve
found a far easier way to slipstream
Service Pack 2 into your Windows XP
installation files. The program in
question is called AutoStreamer, and
its a free download at www.
neowin.net/forum/index.
php?showtopic=223562.
The beauty of AutoStreamer is
that it produces a final ISO image file
that guarantees a perfect burn that
will work with CD or DVD all you
need to do is open your burning tool
and choose to create an image from
an ISO file (in the case of Nero,
launch Nero Burning ROM, close the
initial wizard and choose Recorder ->
Burn Image).
You can also put on additional
elements. When you launch
AutoStreamer, make sure you tick the
I want to manually customize my
installation box before clicking Next.
Point AutoStreamer towards your
Windows XP CD and the Service Pack
2 installer file, pick a folder to host
the slipstreamed files (by default
this is C:\$AutoStreamer$) and click
Next. Choose a location and name
for your ISO file and click Next.
AutoStreamer will eventually pause
during the process and you can
manually add any files or folders you
wish to the location you picked
before clicking Make ISO. Once
complete, just create your perfect
DVD boot disc from the ISO image.
>
WINDOWS
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
109
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Dont worry when NASA World Wind asks to install Managed DirectX on your system
ANY PROGRAM INSTALLATION COULD
POTENTIALLY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH
THE REST OF YOUR SYSTEM
Create an XP DVD for all your program
installers with the help of this free tool
problem. Do you have any
suggestions to help overcome this?
Chris Holt, via email
A
We suspect the problem has been
caused by the fact you installed
Service Pack 2 after you installed
Windows Media Player 10, Chris. SP2
shipped with Media Player 9, so the
clash may have been caused by that.
Youre not the only person to have had
this problem, though, and a small
command-line utility has been
written that can help remove the
Registry keys that may block your
attempts to reinstall Media Player 10.
Visit http://weblogs.asp.net/rmclaws
/archive/2004/08/12/213354.aspx for
full details and a link to the file.
If you have problems running
the Disk Defragmenter, we always
recommend you run the Error-
checking tool on your hard drive
from the Tools tab of its Properties
dialog before running Disk
Defragmenter. Its also worth
running the Disk Cleanup tool before
defragmenting. As a last resort, try
running the tool in Safe mode, or
visit www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_
defrag.htm for more help.
OnSpeed
and Linux
Q
Ive installed Mandrake 10.1 and
am running Firefox and
Thunderbird off your cover discs,
and everything is running lovely. Its
dual-booting with Windows XP Pro
without any problems. Ive installed
Wine on Linux so that I could run the
dial-up program called Onspeed
through Linux, which at the present
I run in Windows. Could you tell me
how to use this program, as I cant
seem to find any instructions on
how to access it in Linux?
J Jackson
A
Although OnSpeed doesnt
support Linux directly, it does
Ghost 9.0 and SP2
Q
Recently, I installed Ghost 9.0
on to Windows XP Pro. While
it loaded perfectly, on closing the
computer refused to shut down.
I cannot get anyone at either
Norton or Microsoft to give me a
satisfactory answer to the problem.
My local dealer said it might run
without Service Pack 2, which after
uninstalling it did. However, I dont
want to compromise my systems
security in this way. Im beginning
to despair, so do you have any ideas?
Geoff Piper
A
Symantec has a document in its
support database that refers to
Ghost 9.0s compatibility with Service
Pack 2. It states that for Ghost to
work with SP2 you need to do two
things: modify Windows Data
Execution Prevention (DEP) policy
and change the boot.ini file. If youve
not yet installed Ghost, try the
following to modify the DEP. Open
the System Control Panel, switch to
the Advanced tab and click Settings
under Performance. Switch to the
Data Execution Prevention tab, select
Turn on DEP for all programs and
services except those I select and
click OK, restarting when prompted.
If this option isnt available or
youve already installed Ghost,
restart your PC in Safe mode. Log on
as the Administrator, click Start ->
Run, type cmd and press [Return].
Type the following commands,
pressing [Return] after each:
c:
cd\
attrib -r -s -h boot.ini
Leave the Command window open,
click Start -> Run again, but this
time type notepad c:\boot.ini and
press [Return]. Locate the [operating
systems] section and add the
following line under it:
/NOEXECUTE=OPTOUT
If any other lines exist with /
NOEXECUTE=, delete them. Save the
file and quit Notepad. Now switch
back to the command prompt
window and type the following line,
pressing [Return]:
attrib +r +s +h boot.ini
Restart Windows and you should
now be able to use or install Ghost
9.0 with no problems.
>
APPLICATIONS
ONLINE SUPPORT
NAME: Adobe Reader support ADDRESS: www.adobe.com/support/products/
acrreader.html. The program once known as Acrobat Reader is a vital part of
any PCs toolkit, so if you have problems using it, turn to this site. It has troubleshooting links, plus tutorials and other resources.
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
110
AUGUST 2005
provide instructions for accessing it
in Wine, which youll find at www.
onspeed.com/en/help/pc/pre_
purchase.php?id=14. Youll be glad to
know the instructions assume youre
using Firefox, so you should have few
problems getting it to work.
Combining old
and new accounts
Q
For some years Ive been using
Tiscalis dial-up pay-as-you-go
service, but decided in January to
upgrade to broadband, again with
Tiscali. After a few problems and a
change of equipment I was online
and am very satisfied, but I do have a
query. All of my broadband friends
send their emails via broadband, but
I still have to use my original pay-as-
you-go service. I was asked for a new
address when I initiated broadband,
so that now I have a new address
with tiscali.co.uk at the end of it, but
I also still have my old address,
which had a lineone.net extension.
As these are both Tiscali, how can I
combine them? I dont want to lose
my old address as thats what my
contacts use.
Eric W Kirk, via email
A
You should be able to access
your LineOne account through
broadband with no problems, Eric.
Because youre still with Tiscali, both
accounts should be fully accessible
through your Tiscali connection, which
means you can use them side-by-side
without having to worry about
combining them.
Having said that, if you prefer to
work with a single email address,
you can phase one out with the
Problems getting Ghost 9.0 to run with
XPs SP2? We have the fix
Service Pack 2 should be installed on your PC before Windows Media Player 10
following tips. First, choose which
email address you want to keep as
your main account. In your case, Eric,
we recommend you move to the
Tiscali.co.uk address you were given
as part of your switch to broadband.
Once youve set up both email
accounts in Outlook Express, choose
Tools -> Accounts, select your Tiscali.
co.uk account and if its not already
set as the default account click Set
to Default. This ensures that all new
messages you create will be sent
from your Tiscali address. Next, send
a group email to all your friends
informing them of the change to
your email address. Hopefully, most
Alternative media
questions
Q
I have downloaded but not
installed Real Alternative and
QuickTime Alternative after hearing
about spyware and adware in the
official programs. Id like to know if
these programs are free from these
intrusions. Furthermore, will they
alter my current file associations
that Windows Media Player uses?
As these come with Classic Media
Player, does this make Windows
will change over to your new address
ask them to remove your old email
details as part of this process.
For those who dont immediately
switch, or for anyone you havent told,
your LineOne account is still active, so
you wont lose touch. However, it
makes sense to get them used to your
new email address and you can do
this by tweaking your LineOne
account settings. Choose Tools ->
Accounts. Select your LineOne account
and click Properties. On the General
tab change the Email address entry to
your new Tiscali address (dont worry
this merely changes what address is
displayed when you send an email)
and also put this address into the
blank Reply to: box before clicking OK.
Now when someone sends an email
to your LineOne account and you click
Reply, all future correspondence
will be made through your Tiscali.
co.uk address.
If youd switched ISPs this process
would be more complicated, but still
do-able. We covered this in issue 145s
Ask The Experts flowchart.
Cant remove Aurora
Q
Im running Windows XP
Home with SP2 installed. My
anti-virus is up to date and so are
Microsoft AntiSpyware, Ad-Aware,
XoftSpy, Spybot, Spyware Protection
from AOL and McAfee Firewall.
Every time Ive scanned my
computer with each of those
programs above, some threats
have been found and then
removed. Unfortunately, one such
threat Aurora is still somewhere
on my PC. I hope that you can help
me as you and your magazine did
many times before. I really dont
know what to do with it.
R Zierik
A
Youll be glad to know that
theres a removal tool for
Aurora that will work download it
from www.mypctuneup.com/
evaluate.php?b=aurora. Once
downloaded and run, restart your
system and run system scans with
all of the products you have
installed above to verify its gone.
On the subject of your
protection, were interested to see
that you have XoftSpy installed on
your system. This software package
has a dubious past its listed at
www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_
anti-spyware.htm under Rogue/
Suspect Anti-Spyware products,
although an addendum notes that
its parent company has reined in
some of its affiliates, and produced
a new version (4.0) that doesnt try
to trick people into purchasing it
based on false positives.
The simplest way to avoid
most browser hijacks in future
despite your impressive protection
portfolio is to switch browser
from IE. We recommend Mozillas
Firefox, and youll find the latest
version on the cover disc.
>
SECURITY
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
111
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
PETER NOLAN HAS AN IMPORTANT
TIP FOR GHOST 9.0 USERS
Drive cloning
in Ghost
If you want to use Ghost 9.0s
Drive Copy function to transfer
the contents of an old hard
drive to a new one, beware. If
you install your hard drive and
then boot into Windows to copy
the drive from there, Windows
assigns a Registry key to that
drive that gives it a drive letter.
When you copy the drive, then
switch the jumpers, youre
unable to boot into Windows
from your new drive.
The fix is convoluted, but
works: first power down and
disconnect your new drive. Go
into Registry Editor, browse to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
MountedDevices and delete any
values starting with \DosDevices\
that refer to the drive letter
assigned to your new drive in
Windows. Power down,
reconnect the new drive, boot
from your Ghost CD and perform
the drive copy from there.
> READERS TIPS
If youre plagued by Aurora pop-ups, be glad to know theres a removal tool that works
Want to combine email accounts? We show
you how
You dont have to install the Classic Media
Player with Real Alternative
MOST OF YOUR FRIENDS WILL CHANGE
OVER TO YOUR NEW ADDRESS
ASK THEM TO REMOVE THE OLD ONE
Media Player redundant? Is it possible
to simply download the codecs as a
plug-in for Internet Explorer?
Dave Williams
A
You may be interested to hear
that neither RealPlayer nor
QuickTime actually contain any
spyware components, but there are
good reasons for trying the
alternatives you suggest, not least of
all because both applications are
rather bloated in our opinion (why
do they both insist on starting
portions of themselves with
Windows, for example?).
Both of the alternatives that
you mention are spyware-free, and
they basically consist of the codecs
required to play Real and QuickTime
movies and audio. They both come
bundled with Classic Media Player,
but theres no need to install this.
Instead, youll find that you can view
content directly through your browser,
there. I go through the procedure
again of ridding myself of the Trojan,
but the same boxes keep popping
up and the whole thing goes round
again. Behind all this is a big black
box telling me to either input a
registration code or register it for $30
from Your-Soft.
I get the feeling that the Trojan
has gone, but that Your-Soft would
like to cash in on me and why not?
However, its an obtrusive way
of doing it, isnt it? Do you have
any advice? Ive had no other ill-
effects before this Trojan was done
away with, nor since its allegedly
been removed.
Brian Draycott
A
Youve learned a hard lesson
about where you get your
Internet security protection from,
Brian. Thankfully courtesy of the
HijackThis! log Brian sent us we were
able to verify that his system was
completely clean.
Weve received an increasing
number of HijackThis! logs over the
past few months as readers struggle
to deal with stubborn Trojans and
other annoying nasties. We
as the plug-ins are bundled with the
packages. You can download both
from www.free-codecs.com youll
find both listed under Tools.
Trojan keeps
popping back up
Q
I somehow picked up a Trojan
or virus called eliteuev32.exe.
I searched the Net for a program to
rid me of it and came up with
AntiVirus and Trojan, which has a trial
option. However, although Im pretty
sure its done its job, now and then
I see a pop-up that suggests its still
Why cant I access my images?
Q
I have a large collection of
digital pictures: holidays,
weddings, grandchildren and so
on, which I store on a Maxell
DVD+RW disc. My DVD writer is a
Sony DVD-RW DRU-510A. I tried to
access the disc to add some
pictures, but received an error
from the Windows Fax and Picture
Viewer, which said it cant
determine type.
I also tried to view them using
the HP software that came with
my printer, but it also throws up
an error: Format not supported.
The disc was created using Roxio
Easy Media Creator 7 and Drag-to-
Disc. My PC is running Windows XP
Home Edition and has plenty of
RAM (1GB), two internal hard
drives, a CD writer and the
aforementioned DVD writer.
Any suggestions why this has
happened, and more importantly,
can I recover?
Gerry Hendry
A
When it comes to data
recovery, theres a fine line
between success and failure,
Gerry. When it comes to images,
its actually easier to recover an
image from a formatted drive than
it is to rescue an image thats had
its header information wiped. The
bad news is that its practically
impossible to recover a JPEG image
that has lost its header
information. As youve discovered,
no image editor will recognise the
image, even if that file itself
appears to be the correct size
when youve copied it from your
DVD drive to the hard drive.
When we contacted Gerry
with this bad news, we were
heartened to hear that he had
backups of most of his images on
other discs. How and why the
DVD suddenly corrupted in this
way is impossible to say: it could
be a software problem when he
copied a batch of files across,
dodgy media or a faulty drive. Its
something to monitor, and until
Gerry knows exactly what the
problem is we recommend that he
takes advantage of his two large
hard drives to store copies of all his
pictures on there, too. In the
meantime, though, if youre in
Gerrys position you may like to try
one of three software recovery
tools that can help restore images.
>
WINDOWS
PC Inspector Smart Recovery (www.
pcinspector.de/smart_media_recovery/uk/
welcome.htm) will be of most use to those who have
accidentally wiped or deleted images from their hard
drive or flash media. It wont help with files that
have lost their header information, though.
01
ISO Buster (www.cdrecovery.net) is a
fabulous tool that boasts data-recovery
features for those discs youve suddenly had
problems accessing so long as theyre not
UDF-formatted, this functionality should be free.
02
CD Roller (www.cdroller.com) is a good
choice if you think your burning tool is at
fault. Its capable of reading CDs and DVDs that
become corrupt during a file-copy process, and
might offer Gerry his best hope for recovery. The
full version costs $30, but you can download a trial.
03
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
112
AUGUST 2005
NEITHER REALPLAYER NOR QUICKTIME
CONTAIN ANY SPYWARE, BUT THERE ARE
REASONS FOR TRYING ALTERNATIVES
HijackThis! is a vital tool for checking that
nothing nasty is running on your system
recommend that you use this as a last
resort if your existing security
software is unable to remove the
malware in question. Always make a
note of the files or Registry entries
your security software identifies, as
you may need to remove them
manually a little later.
Now you should download
HijackThis! from www.spywareinfo.
com/~merijn/, extract the program
file and run it. Start by clicking the
Open online HijackThis! QuickStart
button to go online and read some
useful instructions about how
HijackThis! works. You can also view
this Web site at http://tomcoyote.
org/hjt/#Top.
Next, perform a system scan and
make a log file, which will appear in
Notepad. Now go through this list
looking for suspicious entries youll
find quite a few entries will appear
suspicious, but you can find out
what they all refer to by typing in the
filename (for example, gearsec.exe,
which is a legitimate file) into a
Google search.
Most searches will probably refer
you to the www.liutilities.com site,
but some may also point you
towards security forums and other
peoples HijackThis! lists. Unless the
advice on these sites specifically
refers to removing the filename in
question, assume its safe.
Once youve identified what
malware is currently running on your
machine, its time to remove it. The
safest way to do this is to boot into
Safe mode and run HijackThis! from
there. You can then run a system
scan only, go through the list ticking
entries youve identified as malware
and clicking Fix Checked. Once done,
restart Windows normally and run
full system scans with your security
software that will hopefully indicate
your system is now clean. For good
measure, run HijackThis! once more
and check to make sure all the
nasties you removed have vanished.
Norton cant
remove a DLL
Q
Every time I run Nortons
AntiVirus 2004 Pro it gives my
machine a clean bill of health all
except for something called
MEDIAPASSX.DLL. I follow the
instructions to delete, but it always
seems to fail. Any idea why this wont
delete and more importantly, how I
can get it removed?
Peter Raynor
A
We think that a Windows
process or program is trying to
use the file in question, Peter, and
the file itself may be responsible for
this, to make it more difficult to
remove. Try rebooting into Safe
Mode (see Unwanted Incredimail
Installer if youre not sure how) and
performing a file search for
mediapassx.dll. Dont be surprised if
it exists in more than one location.
Once located, delete all instances of
the file you find. Now restart back
into Windows normal mode and run
a final check with the AV software to
make sure the threat has been
completely removed.
Cant change
screen settings
Q
I bought myself a Toshiba A60
series laptop running Windows
XP Professional, which I have to
use for work. My problem is that I
have no options to change my
display, which is currently stuck on
Windows classic (which is rubbish!).
The D variant of the Zafi virus
has been the most prevalent
virus in 2005. It spreads by email
and peer-to-peer networks and
when its triggered, it copies
itself to your System folder as
Norton Update.exe, then adds
the following entry to the
Registry to ensure it runs with
Windows: HKLM\Software\
Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Run\Wxp4.
It creates eight randomly
named files with DLL extensions
in the same folder, and tries to
terminate anti-virus processes
by targeting filenames that
include such letters as syman,
viru and secur. It will attempt
to open Task Manager, Registry
Editor and msconfig to make
them inaccessible. Then it looks
for folders that it thinks may
be peer-to-peer shared folders
and harvests email addresses
from files (it skips addresses
that originate from certain
domain names, including
Symantec and Microsoft).
When it comes to redistributing
itself, the virus is clever enough
to construct its email in a
language based on the region-
specific part of the email
address (for example, .uk). It
comes with the virus as an
attachment and a Christmas
greeting, which is probably its
only weakness and proof that
even the author didnt think it
would last as long as it has.
As the virus is well-known,
it should be caught by your AV
tool, but if you need additional
help visit www.sophos.com/
support/disinfection/zafib.html.
Sophos has produced a manual detection
and removal tool for the Zafi virus
HELP!
SPELL-CHECK ERRORS IN OUTLOOK EXPRESS This Microsoft KB article is essential reading for anyone who is
having trouble getting their Microsoft Word spellchecker working in Outlook Express. If you dont have Word
installed, see last issues Experts for a free tool you can use instead. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/178238.
Q
Im having problems running
ScanDisk. Ive tried closing
all programs in Task Manager
except Explorer and Systray, and
Ive also tried running it in Safe
mode. Unfortunately, my
computer freezes up and wont
run it. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.
Mickey
A
When you cant run ScanDisk
in Windows, try running it
from MS-DOS the easiest way
to do this (and the only way if
youre running Windows Me) is
to create a Windows startup
floppy and boot from that.
Choose to start without CD
support and when the A:> prompt
appears, type scandisk and press
[Return]. Hopefully, the tool will
now run and fix whatever
problems it finds.
>>
QUICKIES
ScanDisk wont run!
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
113
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
ZAFI-D REIGNS SUPREME
Group Policy Editor is only available in Windows XP Professional
Security tools can identify threats, but cant
always remove them without extra help
If I open the Display Control Panel
from the desktop (I cant access it
from the Control Panel) I only get
two tabs, which are Desktop
and Screensaver.
Reformatting isnt an option,
because Ill lose all the programs
that were pre-installed by my works
IT department, which Id charitably
describe as being as PC literate as
a thousand monkeys and a
typewriter! Im told they merely
clone a particular machine and
then distribute that image around
the company.
Roger
A
If this hadnt been Rogers own
laptop wed have pointed out
that it might be a breach of his
company policy to fix this problem,
because its related to a security
setting. As its Rogers own PC,
however, we were happy to help.
The settings that you need to
alter can found in the Group Policy
Editor, which is unique to Windows
XP Pro. Click Start -> Run, type gpedit.
msc and press [Return]. Then, from
the left-hand window, you should
open Administrative Templates
under Local Computer Policy\User
Configuration and browse to
Control Panel\Display. Youll notice
that theres a list of all of the
available tabs in the right-hand
window and some of them will be
set to disabled. Double-click an
affected tab, change its Setting to
Not configured and then click OK. In
addition, you can check the Desktop
Themes folder and set Remove
Theme Option to Not configured if
thats necessary.
You should also browse to the
following folder under
Administrative Templates: Windows
Components\Windows Explorer.
Look for the Turn on Classic Shell
entry and if its currently set to
Enabled double-click it to set it to
Not configured, then click OK.
Registry
still bloated!
Q
I followed your advice and
downloaded NTREGOPT as
instructed (see Experts, PCA147).
Although it claims to have reduced
my Registry from 52MB to 27MB
after successive uses, if I export
the Registry files using Registry
Editor, they claim the file size
remains at 52MB. Am I doing
something wrong?
John Wreford
A
Ultimately, we wouldnt
recommend using Registry
Editor to back up anything other
than individual keys or branches of
the Registry, John. Its not an
accurate tool, and it wouldnt help
you if Windows became unbootable.
The best way to back up the Registry
is to use ERUNT, a companion
program to NTREGOPT, which you
can download from the same
location (www.larshederer.
homepage.t-online.de/erunt/).
If you view the Registry files
directly youll find that theyre a
much closer match to the new size
of your Registry. Yet rather than
scrabble around your hard drive
looking for the files, take a look in
the WINDOWS\ERUNT folder
instead. Youll find a folder with
todays date on it, and the size of
that will be a true reflection of the
Registrys size.
NTREGOPT compacts the
Registry so that its file size is smaller,
but if you want to go a step further
and actually defragment the Registry
files themselves (theyre ignored by
Windows own Disk Defragmenter
tool because theyre in use and are
inaccessible when Windows is
running), you need another free
program. This applications called
PageDefrag, which you can download
from www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/
freeware/pagedefrag.shtml do
consider giving it a whirl.
Q
Im using a Dell Dimension 4500
with Windows XP Home
Version. While Ive been away
someone has been interfering with
my computer and I can no longer
see or access the Start button in
the bottom left of the screen.
Please help.
Ian Matthews
A
The simplest way to fix this
problem as well as a raft of
other pesky Taskbar-related woes
is to download a tool called Taskbar
Repair Tool Plus! from www.kellys-
korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm.
It comes in two versions. One is a
limited free version, whereas the
other is a fully functional version
for just $5.
In your case, Ian, were pretty
sure that you should be able get the
missing Start button back without
having to pay for the full version.
First, download and run the program
and once thats completed, select
Hide or Show the Start Button from
the Taskbar Problems drop-down
menu. Youll then see two large
buttons: click Show Start Button and
at last you should find that the Start
button is once again accessible. Q
Wheres my Start
button gone?
GEORGE BAXTER DISCOVERS
A CLEVER SHORTCUT THATLL
SAVE YOU TIME AND ENERGY
A quick copy
and move
files solution
It can be really annoying
having to copy or move files in
Windows, so when I discovered
this trick I thought Id share it
with you all. If you go to www.
kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_
tweaks.htm and click the Copy
to/Move link (its number 45 on
the list), save it to your desktop
and then double-click it, itll
create Registry entries that add
two useful options to the menu
that appears when you right-
click a file.
One option is Copy to folder
and the other is Move to folder.
Select either of these and a
dialog pops up that enables
you to quickly choose the folder
you want to copy or move the
selected file(s) to.
> READERS TIPS
HELP!
HAS YOUR PROGRAM BEEN UPDATED? Not all software tools let you know when a newer version of the
program has been released. Rather than manually wade through a variety of Web sites on a regular basis,
how about using just one VersionTracker to keep an eye on whats new? www.versiontracker.com
Q
This isnt an important
question, but what does the
pushpin in the bottom right-hand
corner of the Send/Receive dialog
box in Outlook Express do?
Christina Williams, via email
A
It may not be an earth-
shattering discovery,
knowing what the pushpin does,
but Microsoft has given over an
entire Knowledge Base article to
it, which you can read
at http://support.microsoft.com/
kb/q182438/.
Put simply, the pushpin
can be clicked to make sure that
the Send/Receive dialog doesnt
close when its completed its
task, enabling you to review it
at your leisure.
>>
QUICKIES
Whats the
pushpin for?
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
114
AUGUST 2005
If you want to defragment your Registry
files and paging file, with relative ease,
this is the tool to use
Lost the Start button? This clever little
tool can take it out of hiding and bring
it back again
WE WOULDNT RECOMMEND USING
REGISTRY EDITOR TO EDIT ANYTHING
OTHER THAN INDIVIDUAL KEYS OR
BRANCHES OF THE REGISTRY
Q
Im about to reformat my drive
and reinstall Windows XP from
scratch. Ive armed myself with all the
back-up tools I need, and after buying
a large external hard drive Ive also
used a drive-imaging tool to take an
image of the hard drive in case I forget
something. Ive managed to sniff out
tools that cover just about every base,
but one thing Id like to port over with
my backups are my saved games, as I
dont particularly want to have start
them again from scratch! What advice
would you offer on locating where
these files are kept?
Andy Purse, via email
A
Its sometimes difficult to find
game files, and its easy to forget
to back them up before reinstalling
Windows a bit like your Office
settings and preferences. To rescue the
latter, run the Office Save My Settings
Wizard its built into Office XP and
2003; Office 2000 users can download
it through http://office.microsoft.com.
Its a good idea to make a drive
image of your system tools like
Norton Ghost 9.0 enable you to
mount your images as if they were
actual drives, so if you forget to port
across a file you can grab it from the
drive image. You can retrieve forgotten
Registry settings with a program called
Resplendent Registrar (www.
resplendence.com/download), which
we covered in issue 144. We recommend
that you copy your Registry files from
the drive image to a folder on your
hard drive before opening them with
Resplendent Registrar.
All of this is quite fiddly so prepare
yourself as best as possible by backing
up what you can before you reformat.
In the case of saved game files, weve
compiled this flowchart to help you
track down the files you need.
Backing up
saved games
YES
NO
NO
START HERE
Q
ARE YOU PROMPTED FOR A LOCATION
TO SAVE YOUR GAMES TO?
YES
NO
NO
YES
YES
Q
TRY BROWSING THE GAMES PROGRAM
FOLDER, WHICH IS TYPICALLY FOUND
IN THE PROGRAM FILES FOLDER (RIGHT-
CLICK THE GAME SHORTCUT AND SELECT
PROPERTIES IF YOURE HAVING TROUBLE
LOCATING IT). LOOK INSIDE ANY FOLDERS
FOR FILES THAT MIGHT SIGNIFY GAME-
SAVE FILES
NO
Q
IF YOURE RUNNING WINDOWS 2000
OR XP TRY SEARCHING THE
DOCUMENTS AND SETTINGS FOLDER.
MAKE SURE YOU CAN VIEW HIDDEN FILES
AND FOLDERS (ENABLE THIS FROM THE
VIEW TAB OF THE FOLDER OPTIONS
CONTROL PANEL). START YOUR SEARCH
IN THE {USERNAME}\LOCAL SETTINGS\
APPLICATION DATA FOLDER. DID YOU
FIND ANYTHING?
YES
Q
TRY THE WEB SITES SUPPORT AREA OR
USER FORUMS. IF YOU HAVE NO LUCK,
TRY A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE NAME OF
YOUR GAME AND THE WORDS BACKUP,
SAVED AND GAMES. IF YOU STILL HAVE
NO LUCK, TRY THE GAMES NAME AND
SLIGHT VARIATIONS ON THE WORDS (FOR
EXAMPLE, SAVE RATHER THAN SAVED).
DID YOU FIND ANYTHING?
ASK THE EXPERTS SUPPORT
A
Make a note of this location the next
time you save a game, then browse
to it in Windows to verify that all your
saved games are stored here. Add this
folder to your back-up utility.
Q
TO SAVE TIME, GO ON THE WEB AND
VISIT YOUR GAME MANUFACTURERS
WEB SITE. WERE YOU SUCCESSFUL IN
FINDING ANY CLUES?
A
Make a note of where the saved
games are stored, then verify this
when you log off the Internet. Back up
these files or even the entire folder
and remember to place this folder back in
its original location when you wish to
restore the saved files.
AUGUST 2005
115
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
A
Back up this folder, and make sure
you remember where it was
originally placed so you can copy it back
after youve reformatted and reinstalled
the game. You might want to verify that
this is the correct location by searching
the Web for the folder name and seeing
what comes up.
A
Youll need more help. Either try
contacting the games technical
support department or posting the
question on a user forum preferably one
dedicated to the game in question.
Locating your games saved files can be
quite tricky if theyre buried deep
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
H
ard drives take time to
retrieve and write data. When
you save something, your PCs
performance can drop while the
information is transferred to the disk.
To get around this problem, drives can
use a small cache of memory located
on the drive itself. This stores the data
while its physically written to the
magnetic disk. Windows can also pitch
in and uses some system RAM where
available to store files waiting to be
written to disk.
Risky improvement
This improves performance, but it
means that even after youve clicked
save, the file might not be safely
stored on the disk. If theres a power
loss before the data is committed to
disk, it could be lost. This isnt a major
concern if you have an uninterruptible
power supply or if your PC is reliable
and you have internal disks. However,
if you use a removable drive, its worth
considering disabling the write-cache
feature, as you could disconnect the
drive before its completed the write
operation. Some ultra-careful folk opt
to disable write caching even if they
have fixed drives, because they believe
that the hit on performance is worth
it for increased reliability.
The step-by-step guide below
demonstrates how to find out your
drive-cache status and how to disable
write caching in Windows XP. In
Windows 9x, you should right-click
My Computer and choose Properties.
Then, move to the Performance
tab and click File System ->
Troubleshooting. Put a tick in the box
next to Disable write-behind caching
for all drives. Click OK twice.
Drive-by
drive caching
Hard drives have a RAM cache to improve performance.
Joe Cassels demonstrates how to make the most of it
Next, you should click Device Manager and
search for the icon marked Disk drives. Click
the minus sign to the left of this to examine each
drive that you have. Right-click one of the drives
and choose Properties.
This dialog enables you to modify a number of
key settings in your system. From the seven
available tabs, select the one marked Hardware. This is
concerned with the physical devices in your PC.
To see your drive-caching status, youll need
to open up the System Properties dialog.
You can do this by clicking Start, right-clicking
My Computer and choosing Properties from the
resulting context menu.
The Drive Properties dialog opens and
provides access to a wealth of information
about this particular disk drive. To find out about
caching, move to the Policies tab of this dialog.
By default, your drive should be optimised
for performance. This uses its onboard
RAM cache to speed up access time, although
power loss can result in lost data. This is the best
setting for a fixed drive.
If your drive is removable, using write
caching isnt a good idea, as you might
lose data when you disconnect it. In this case, you
can select Optimize for quick removal, which
disables this feature.
Discovering drive-cache status
You can also disable write caching in Windows XP
01 02 03
06 05 04
5 MINUTE GUIDE SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
116
THE CLINIC SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
120
>
THE EXPERT
ALAN DEXTER
Upgrade expert
C
L
IN
IC
Ive lusted after a
tiny Shuttle system
since I first saw one, so
it was only a matter of
time before I bought
one for the living
room. The idea is to
use it as a media
centre PC, so I selected
one of the quieter, less
power-obsessed
models, the SB18P.
Now for the bad news:
no matter what I try
I cant get this stylish
box up and running.
Whenever I power up
the machine it lets out
an awful beep, and
nothing comes on the
screen. I havent even
got as far as installing
Windows XP yet...
ARTHUR IRWIN
Small machines are great
if theyre built correctly
S
mall form-factor machines,
typified by this Shuttle
chassis, are cool and funky
once theyre up and running, but
they can be fiddly to build. As the
motherboard is such an integral
part of the chassis, there isnt room
to manoeuvre in the same way you
can with a desktop machine. Taking
out the motherboard to test on its
own isnt an option due to the
convoluted cooling system used.
Sorting out problems on these
machines is a challenge, but
certainly not impossible.
Once we received the machine,
we checked that everything was
installed correctly. Releasing the
thumbscrews on the rear of the
system gave access to the innards,
and everything appeared to be in
place. However, flicking on the
power produced the same results
that our reader had experienced a
long series of beeps and a distinct
lack of life from the monitor.
Having worked with many
motherboards and systems, we soon
deduced that this was a problem with
the processor. Another check of the
cooler revealed that it wasnt seated
on top of the CPU correctly: the
speedy 3.0GHz chip that our reader
had built his machine around was
overheating when it was turned on.
Weve outlined how to resolve this in
the step-by-step guide opposite.
The assumption was that once
the core components were sorted,
installing Windows would be a
relatively straightforward experience,
but it soon transpired that this
machine hadnt quite finished
throwing up problems just yet. In
order to install Windows XP, it should
just be a case of sliding the disc into
the drive and restarting the machine.
Unfortunately, the default boot order
for this system meant that the
unformatted hard drive was causing
system while booting, protecting the
electronics on the underside of the
drive by placing it on an antistatic bag.
Windows XP doesnt ship with a
bootable disk, as it installs straight from
the CD, so we had to turn to a second
machine to create the diskette needed.
Format a floppy disk under Windows
XP and the check box at the bottom of
the screen defines whether the disk is
bootable or not. Unlike emergency
boot disks of previous versions of
Windows, theres a reasonable amount
of room on the disk for the files needed
to get this machine working. Even so,
the size of BIOS images continue to
grow as machines become more and
more complex, with 512KB files now
pretty much the norm. This means that
you wont have room on the disk for a
backup of the current BIOS image, so
youll need a second disk in order to
do this.
One thing to note about this
Shuttle machine is that while we
the machine to fall over before it got
this far.
It shouldnt be complex
The solution to such boot problems
should just involve nothing more
complex than popping into the BIOS
and changing the boot order so that
the CD drive is referenced first. This is
where we hit the machines main
problem each time we tried saving
the BIOS settings in the CMOS
configuration utility the machine
crashed. This was regardless of whether
any settings had been changed.
A BIOS upgrade is obviously in
order here, but the default
configuration offered no way of
performing such an operation, as
there was no floppy drive present, or
room for one. It may not be pretty, but
the answer was to connect a drive to
the machine and leave it on top of the
If youve got one of these you
need to make sure that the processor is
properly cooled...
Compact, bijou, broken
THE CLINIC SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
121
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Keeping cool
If the processor is overheating before you get through the POST, the cooler may not be seated properly
Shuttles use a non-standard cooling system
to keep the processor cool, which makes
reseating the processor tricky. On a positive note,
you dont need lots of space to sort out problems.
01
To reach the cooler, youll need to remove the
drive caddy. Release the screws, and then
slide the caddy out of the way, remembering to
disconnect the cables first.
You should now be able to access the cooler.
In this particular model its held in place on
the rear wall of the case by a couple of screws:
release these and itll come free.
You may as well release the processor from
the socket and reseat it to make sure that
there are no problems with the way the processor
has been installed.
Clean the top of the processor with a tissue
paper to remove any residual thermal paste,
and then apply a small amount of the conductive
goo to the top of the chip.
Check the bottom of the heatsink is clean and
then slide the cooler back into place. Make
sure its seated correctly, and that theres no
movement when screwed in place.
03
04 05 06
AN ANCIENT LEGACY
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Surely its safe to throw out your floppy disks and drive? Maybe not...
Small form-factor machines dont
have room for all of the devices
that typically fit into PCs, and one
device that often finds itself left
out of the party is the floppy drive.
Wed be happy to see these
relegated to little more than a
footnote in the annals of PC
history, but there are a couple of
reasons why its worth hanging
on to those clunky devices for now.
Floppy drives still have a use
when it comes to resolving
problems with the BIOS. Most
systems are configured to boot
from the floppy drive if present,
which means that if you cant
change the boot order, you
should be able to do some form
of workaround using a floppy
drive. If you flash your BIOS with
the wrong image, a backup of the
original BIOS image on a floppy
disk can mean that you dont
have to buy a new motherboard.
If you have some control
over the BIOS settings, and you
have access to a USB pen drive,
then such devices are a far better
option. Modern motherboards
support booting from numerous
devices, including external USB
devices, and a USB memory stick
is a far more versatile option
than a floppy disk, thanks to
their speed and capacity. This is
definitely the way that the
industry is going, but support isnt
quite universal yet.
The other reason to hold on
to your floppy drives and disks is
for RAID controllers. Windows XP
wont recognise the RAID
controllers used on motherboards,
and youll need to provide the
drivers for such configurations
during the boot process. Such
drivers are provided with the
motherboard or, failing that, are
available from the motherboard
manufacturers Web site.
02
didnt have a problem finding the
BIOS update it can be found under
the support section of the companys
Web site the flash utility isnt
included in the download. Its available
on the site elsewhere, but if youre
performing a similar operation
yourself its something you need to
remember to download when
gathering the necessary files.
Actually flashing the BIOS is a
straightforward process of passing the
flash program the latest binary image.
If you have the correct file you should
find that your machine is fixed, although
you should clear the BIOS settings
after the utility has finished using the
jumper on the motherboard. In this
case, the new update did indeed
resolve the save problem we were
experiencing, and so we were able to
save BIOS changes and configure the
machine so that we could boot from
the CD drive.
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
122
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
Send your questions to:
pca.hardware@futurenet.co.uk
>
CONTACT
SATA HARD DRIVE
INVISIBLE DRIVE
Q
Ive just finished building my first
computer and everything has
gone smoothly. I then decided that
Id like to add a SATA hard drive. Ive
installed all of the relevant drivers
but I cant access it from My Computer.
If I look in Device Manager, Im told
that the device is working properly.
Why cant I use it?
John Meers
A
The most likely cause is the fact
that the drive has yet to be
formatted. The easiest way to do this
is to launch the Disk Management
console by clicking Start -> Run and
typing diskmgmt.msc. In the list of
disks displayed, you should be able
to see your new SATA hard drive.
Right-click and select the Format
option. When this process is
complete, you should be able to
access the drive as normal.
their efficiency dramatically. Do
everything you can to help increase
airflow through your case: tie cables
back out of the way and consider
investing in new or larger fans. Youll
find a great selection of cooling
devices at www.overclock.co.uk.
FLOPPY DRIVES
NON-READING DRIVE
Q
When I bought my computer
from Dell about a year ago, I
didnt think I was going to need a
floppy drive so I decided to leave it
out of my system configuration.
Twelve months down the line Ive
changed my mind and Ive tried to fit
one by myself. I have the drive in my
case, but the read light is permanently
on. If I try to access a disk from within
My Computer Windows tells me to
insert a disk. The drive shows up in
Device Manager. Any idea whats
happening?
Deborah Fry
BIOS
SETTINGS BACKUP
Q
I have quite an old computer
running at a mere 800MHz. Due
to the age of the system, Im guessing
that I should think about replacing
my CMOS battery soon. When I do
this, will all of my BIOS settings be
lost? If so, how can I get everything
back to how it is now?
Matthew Horn
A
Unfortunately, theres no quick
and easy way to back up your
BIOS settings, but youll be pleased to
hear that if you replace your CMOS
battery before it fails completely, your
settings should be retained for long
enough for you to make the switch.
However, its still a good idea to make
a manual backup in case you ever
need to restore your settings. In this
instance, your back-up tool is a pen
and paper just work your way
through each of the screens of the
BIOS and make a note of the key
settings. A quicker method is to take
your digital camera and shoot each
screen so you can refer to them in the
future. In some cases you may find
that youre still able to use your printer
to generate hard copies of your BIOS
screens just press [Prt Scr] (or [Print
screen] on your keyboard.
PROCESSORS
OPERATING
TEMPERATURE
Q
I have had a few problems with
my computer recently with
random shutdowns and restarts.
After ruling out the possibility of
spyware, I thought that perhaps the
problem was caused by overheating. I
downloaded a copy of SpeedFan from
www.almico.com and this is
reporting a temperature in the 90s. Is
this normal for a 3GHz P4 or should
I be looking to lower this figure?
Alex Jones
A
Ninety degrees is a high
temperature for a CPU, so its not
surprising that your computer has
been shutting itself down. A normal
temperature can be anything from
40 to 50 degrees, so your system is
overheating spectacularly. Ensure that
your heatsink is properly mounted
and that you have sufficient thermal
compound to help transfer heat away.
You should also check that all of your
fans are working correctly. It might be
worth giving them all a thorough
clean, as the dust and dirt that can
build up on them over time can reduce
Hardware
helpdesk
PCANSWERS PRESENTS
All of your hardware problems
solved by the PCAnswers experts
Newly added hard drives must be
formatted before you can access them
from within Windows
The easiest way to back up your BIOS
settings is to simply write them down or
photograph them
If your case is getting hot, Overclock.co.uk
offers a wide range of cooling solutions
JULY 2005
123
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
A Repair installation of Windows XP can help fix any problems that you experience after
adding new hardware
A
The fact that the read light is on
all of the time would seem to
indicate that you have connected
the ribbon cable the wrong way
wrong. Detach it and turn it around
before reconnecting and your drive
should work.
MOTHERBOARD
REPLACEMENT BOARD
Q
My motherboard recently gave
up the ghost so I replaced it. Now
whenever I start up my computer all
I see is a blue screen. How do I boot
into Windows XP?
Neil Graham
A
Youll need to perform a repair
installation of Windows. Start
your computer with your Windows
installation CD inserted and boot your
computer from the disc. When you
see a message about installing
Windows, press [Return]. The setup
routine will scan your hard drive and
should detect that you already have
Windows installed. Select your
installation, press [R] and follow the
on-screen instructions. When the
repair is complete youll need to
reinstall any updates you had before.
MULTIMEDIA
MEDIA CENTRE PC
Q
Is it possible to make a computer
into a multimedia centre? I have
a old desktop PC with a 1.2GHz
Celeron processor, 256MB RAM, a
DVD drive, 128MB nVIDIA card with
TV-out, and a motherboard with
onboard sound. I need to be able to
play music, so do I need to add a
soundcard? Also, do I need a TV card?
I have Sky TV and want to be able to
record programmes. Is this possible
and if so, is it hard to set up? Id also
like my children (and me) to be able
to play games on the TV. Could you
point me in the right direction?
Alan
A
Unless you find that youre having
specific problems with your
computers onboard sound, theres
probably no need to add a separate
soundcard. That said, if your children
are using your PC to play games, they
may well have a different opinion.
When it comes to connecting your
computer to the TV, you need an
S-Video to SCART converter cable.
These can be bought very cheaply
for example, the PC to TV Cable Kit
from www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/
tvcables/PCTOTV2.html costs 10.
Plug the S-Video connection into the
back of your TV card and connect the
audio and video plugs at the other
end to the SCART unit supplied with
the kit. You can then plug this straight
into the SCART socket on your TV.
Alternatively, you could ignore the
SCART side of things and plug the
audio and composite video
connectors into the front of your
video (the red, white and yellow
plugs). The SCART unit that comes
with the kit can work as an input or
output device, so you could plug it
into the back of your Sky box to be
able to watch satellite TV on your PC.
BOOTING
TROUBLESOME
STARTUP
Q
When I turn on my computer,
boot up stops and I see the
following error message: CPU is
unworkable or has been changed.
Please recheck CPU soft menu.
Pressing [F1] enables the boot-up to
proceed normally into Windows.
The machine sometimes freezes
temporarily or runs very slow. Task
Manager frequently shows CPU
usage at 100 per cent, even when no
applications are running other than
background programs. Ive scanned
for spyware and none was found.
I havent changed anything in terms
of hardware or software besides
installing updates for Windows -
which is when the problem started.
Sometimes the computer
wont
Broadband may not have not
have spread to the entire
country yet, but were pretty
close to 100 per cent coverage.
Just as were getting used to
connection speeds of between
512Kb and 2MB, theres a new
breed of broadband on the
horizon. ADSL2+ promises
download speeds of 24Mbps, but
just as with the current system,
the speed end users will
experience depends on a
number of factors, including line
quality and distance from the
telephone exchange.
BT is working with a number
of ISPs to trial ADSL connections
up to 8Mbps, but these trials are
currently only available in a very
limited number of areas of the
country, including London.
ADSL2+ isnt likely to see the
light of day
until 2006 and
this technology
will again have
to go through
something of
a trial period
before being
unleashed
nationwide.
Despite its
popularity, the
existing and
planned ADSL
systems are far
from the fastest technologies
when it comes to high-speed
Internet connections. A system
based on fibre optics could
outpace even ADSL2+ by four or
five times, but
theres one
major
disadvantage.
In order for
such a system
to be put in
place, fibre
optic cabling
would have to
be networked
around the
country. As
ADSL uses
existing
copper telephone lines that have
been in place for decades, it
would seem that this is going to
be the system of choice for the
foreseeable future.
Cable providers such as NTL
may offer a glimmer of hope, as
theyve already laid many miles
of cable around the country to
those subscribing to its cable
services. These lines can support
speeds of 18Mbps. If Britain is to
keep pace with other broadband
countries around the world, BTs
21st Century Network plan to
upgrade the telephone network
may be the way ahead (see
the Consult21 section of
www.btwholesale.com).
ASDL2+
Understand key hardware terms and concepts
There will be faster broadband speeds
when BTs 21st Century Network sees the
light of day
HARDWARE HELP
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
124
SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
boot at all unless I switch it off at the
mains and wait a while. This can
happen if the machine has been
switched off for hours, so its unlikely
to be an overheating problem. I hope
you can help.
Mary Ambrose
A
The most likely cause of this
problem as you have ruled out
spyware and viruses is that your
processor is overclocked. Enter the
BIOS and lower the clock speed to its
intended setting. If youre determined
to gain a little extra turn of speed, try
raising the bus speed or multiplier by
tiny increments at a time. It might
also be worth seeing if there are any
updates available for your BIOS that
you can use to flash it.
CUSTOM CDS
XP INSTALLATION DISC
Q
Ive copied Windows XP into a
folder on my desktop, adding
drivers for my printer, modem and so
on. Then I opened the folder and
copied its contents to DVD. However,
I dont seem to be able to boot from
it. My first boot disk is my CD drive.
Do you know what Im doing wrong?
Am I missing some hidden files from
the original XP CD? Please help me
Im fed up of making coasters. Ive
tried Nero, Roxio and various other
copying programs.
Alan White
A
This query followed on from one
we covered last month, in which
we looked at creating a bootable
slipstreamed disc. In order to make
your disc bootable you need to extract
the bootable image file from your
original Windows XP CD. Download
and install IsoBuster from www.
smart-projects.net and launch it with
your original XP CD inserted. Click the
Bootable CD entry in the list to the
left and right-click the .img file you
can see to the right. Select the Extract
option and save the file to your hard
drive. When you come to burn your
disc, select the option to create a
bootable CD and select the extracted
.img file as well as the setup files you
have copied to your hard drive. When
the burn is complete you should find
that you have a bootable XP CD.
LAPTOPS
TROUBLESOME
TOUCHPAD
Q
My Advent 7003 notebook boots
up and appears to load Windows
XP without a hitch. The problem is
that the touch pad is no longer
functional. The pointer remains
frozen in the centre of the screen. Ive
tried starting in Safe Mode and
applying the various options,
including Last Known Good
Configuration. No response, and the
Command Prompt fails to open the
dialog. I called the Advent helpline
and was advised to launch the
Recovery CD-ROM. This should fix
the problem but will wipe out my
stored data, which I dont want to
lose. Any ideas?
Richard Morrison
A
As well as your recovery CDs, your
laptop should have been supplied
with a disc full of drivers. If you search
through here you should find that
theres a driver for your touchpad. If
this isnt the case, youll need to find
out the make of touchpad you have.
Take a look in the Device Manager to
see if its listed there, or try
downloading a copy of SiSoft Sandra
from www.sisoftware.net. You
should then be able to find out who
makes the touchpad and search for a
suitable driver. Alternatively, you may
have to bite the bullet and use your
recovery CDs. If you have a CD or DVD
burner, you can use this to back up
your important data, but if not you
could invest in a USB key drive to
transfer everything to another
machine. This done, you can set
about the task of reinstalling
everything from scratch before
restoring your files.
POWER SUPPLY
SELF TURN ON
Q
Ive just installed a new hard
drive in my ancient but much-
used PC following the failure of the
old one. Having reinstalled the
Windows Me OS Im faced with a
slightly bizarre problem. If I shut the
PC down using the software, it
As Ive just spent the past
few days trying to track down
the source of an infuriating
networking problem, I
thought Id share the solution
with other readers in case
anyone else is having the
same problem.
I have a broadband
connection and a modem
that can be connected using
either a USB or Ethernet
cable. As I needed to free up
a USB port for a new scanner
Id bought, I decided to switch
my modem to Ethernet
mode. After simply swapping
over the cables I found that I
was unable to connect to the
Internet. Using a friends PC I
downloaded the latest driver
for my modem and
reinstalled it. Still no luck.
Worried that I may have
been infected with a virus or
spyware, I ran the relevant
scans and everything came
up as being clean. I decided
to put my scanner to one side
until I could work out what
was up with the modem and
proceeded to search high and
low on the Internet for a
solution.
Most of the suggestions
advised me to download the
latest drivers and reinstall,
but as Id already tried this I
knew that it could not be a
driver problem. I wondered if
there was something wrong
with my network cable it
was quite old, so I thought
perhaps there was a break in
it as it hadnt been stored
very carefully. After a quick
trip to the local PC shop I had
a brand new network cable,
which produced exactly the
same result: no Internet
connection.
My friend, whose
computer I borrowed to
download drivers, suggested
that perhaps my network
card was disabled. I realised
that I had in fact never used
it, and on opening up Device
Manager, I found that the
card was indeed disabled.
A few clicks later and I could
connect to the Internet!
Readers tips
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Do you run into similar problems as those seen in
these pages and find different solutions? Let us
know and we can share our expertise.
A networking no-no
Before you give up on a troublesome piece of hardware, check that it hasnt been
disabled in Device Manager.
If youre not sure who makes some of your
hardware, SiSoft Sandra may just have
the answer
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
125
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
powers down only to turn itself on
again a couple of hours later. There
dont seem to be any other problems.
If you simply turn it off at the switch
without closing down properly, the
problem doesnt occur. It seems that
the only way to turn it off so it stays
off is to switch it off at the mains.
Guy Pitchon
A
As youre using an older computer,
its likely that you have an ATX
case featuring a power supply that is
never truly off. Its possible that youre
experiencing a small power surge,
which would be enough to bring the
computer to life. It may be worth
investing in a surge protection multi-
way adaptor, which may help solve
the problem.
You can buy a six-socket
SurgeMaster adaptor from Dabs
(www.dabs.com) for under 20. Before
you part with any cash, however, have
a quick check in the advanced settings
of your BIOS. You may find that your
PC is configured to wake on LAN. If
this option is enabled, switch it off, as
this may also be causing the problem.
ADSL
INVISIBLE PORTS
Q
Ive just set up a wired network.
There are two subsidiary PCs
(running Windows 98) that are
connected by Ethernet cable to a
principal PC (running Windows XP),
the latter being connected through
an ADSL modem to broadband. I
believe that the modem has a built-in
hardware firewall. In addition,
ZoneAlarm (free version 5.5) is
installed, but was disabled on the
advice of a friend because it appeared
to be preventing the network from
functioning until it was disabled.
Ive attempted to unravel the
mystery of network security, which
appears to be an important concept,
but I admit defeat. I constantly read
about ports in connection with security
issues but I cannot locate any visible
ports on my PC apart from serial and
parallel ports. Where are these other
ports referred to located and how do
I know if they are open, closed and
whether they're a security risk?
Myer Green
A
The ports youre referring to are
not physical connections that
youll be able to see on the side of
your modem. Rather, they are the
communication channels through
which Internet traffic travels, much
like radio and TV signals are broadcast
on different frequencies. HTTP traffic
used for ordinary Web browsing
uses port 80, while FTP transfers are
conducted via ports 20 and 21. A
firewall works by restricting traffic
through various ports to prevent any
unwanted activity and a ports open
or closed status indicates whether
its in use or not.
You dont say which modem you
are using, but check in the manual or
on the manufacturers Web site for
details of the built-in firewall. As you
already have a copy of ZoneAlarm, you
can safely disable the built-in security
measures and rely on the program
instead. Whenever traffic tries to leave
or reach your computer, ZoneAlarm
will ask you whether it should be
permitted or not. Based on your
response, the program can build up a
series of firewall rules that indicate
what types of traffic should be
allowed through. In doing so, the
necessary ports will be opened while
those that present a security risk will
be closed for you. A great resource for
networking help is the wonderful
Practically Networked (www.
practicallynetworked.com).
TV CARD
RECORDING VIDEO
AND AUDIO
Q
I have recently purchased a home
PC along with TV card. When I try
to record a live TV programme video
is being captured, but when I replay
the file theres no audio. Other audio
files are playing without any difficulty
except for this live audio recording.
Can you help me out please?
Narendra Chandra
A
While many TV cards are capable
of capturing audio on their own,
others need to be physically
connected to a soundcard, and it
sounds like this is the case with your
card. The TV card should have been
supplied with a short standard,
double-ended audio cable: plug one
end into the line-out port of your TV
card, and attach the other to the line-
in port of your soundcard. All things
being equal, your recordings should
now boast both pictures and sound.
PRINTER AND MONITOR
CALIBRATING
OUTPUT DEVICES
Q
Despite learning much from you
recent and excellent series on
editing digital photos, I keep running
into one fundamental problem that
often spoils my efforts when I print
out my masterpieces: how does one
allow for the brightness and contrast
settings on the monitor? Sometimes
my efforts come out much darker (or
lighter) than expected and it seems
to me that this is because the
brightness control on the monitor has
been turned up (or down). Is there
any alternative to trial and error?
Matthew Taylor
A
While theres no automatic
process for ensuring that what
you see on your screen is the same as
whats printed out, theres an
alternative to trial and error. Try
DisplayMate (www.displaymate.com/
prtcal1.html).
BROADBAND
ADSL TWEAKS
Q
Ive had a broadband connection
for a couple of years now
starting off with a 512K connection,
moving up to 1MB, and more recently
a 2MB line. Whatever speed
connection Ive been using, Ive always
searched the Web for any tips to
ensure that Im getting the maximum
possible speed from my line. My
upgrade to 2MB has only just
happened, and its so long since
I had to tweak my setting, that Ive
forgotten what I changed in the past.
Could you recommend the best
settings to use for a 2MB connection?
Jane Jackson
A
The settings youre likely to have
changed in the past are MTU and
RWIN. RWIN (Receive Window)
dictates how much data your
computer can receive before an
acknowledgement is sent to the
sender, while MTU (Maximum
Transmission Unit) control the
amount of data that can be
transmitted as a single chunk. Fine-
tuning both of these settings can
have quite an impact on the
performance of your Internet
connection, so its well worth
investigating the possibilities.
The easiest way to change these
settings is using DrTCP, which you can
download from www.dslreports.com/
drtcp. While you can jump straight in
and experiment with different
settings of your own, its quite easy to
have a negative influence on your
connection, so its a good idea to get
some advice first. The Broadband
Reports Web site that provides DrTCP
also features a connection tester,
which will suggest the settings you
should use for maximum
performance. Pay a visit to www.
dslreports.com/drtcp and click the
Start button (you may have to
Almost any sort of networking problem can be solved by paying a visit to Practically
Networked (www.practicallynetworked.com)
The DisplayMate Web site and software can
help you to calibrate your screen and printer
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
126
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
download a Java plug-in if you cant
see this). A line test will be
performed and youll then be asked
to enter details of your Internet
connection. Enter the information
requested, click the Recommend
button, and in the Notes And
Recommendations section of the
page that appears youll be provided
with some suggested settings. Fire
up DrTCP and make sure that your
modem or network card is selected
from the Adapter Settings drop
down menu. Enter the suggested
MTU figure in the upper MTU box.
Youll notice that a range has been
suggested for the RWIN setting, and
here a little experimentation is
required. Start by entering a value in
the middle of this range into the TCP
Receive Windows box, click Save and
restart your computer. Use your
connection for a while and then try
increasing the RWIN value within
the range you were given. With a
little trial and error youll soon hit
upon your optimum settings.
SCANNER
TEMPERAMENTAL
DRIVER
Q
I have a Memorex scanner
(model 6136U) that I inherited
from a friend of mine some time ago.
It had been working perfectly under
Windows XP for many months, but I
recently decided to format my hard
drive and reinstall everything from
scratch. When I installed my scanner,
everything seemed to go as planned
and it appeared in the Scanners and
Cameras section of the Control Panel.
Despite this, none of the image-
editing packages Ive tried seem to be
able to recognise the device. Ive tried
Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop and
Fireworks all to no avail. Can you
suggest anything?
James Carlton
A
Theres a compatibility problem
with the drivers supplied with this
scanner, which has been reported by a
number of users. Pay a visit to www.
nodevice.com and either browse by
device type or manufacturer until you
come across the Memorex 6136U
page. The driver you can download
here has been reported to work under
Windows XP.
DVD-RW
MISIDENTIFIED DRIVE
Q
Im in the process of putting
together my first self-built
computer. On the whole, everything
has gone pretty well, but Im have
trouble with the DVD rewriter Ive
added. While Windows XP can see
that the drive is attached, it seems to
think that its a standard CD drive
theres no sign of a burning option.
Ive installed Nero and this agrees
that the drive is just a CD-ROM drive.
Ive searched the Internet and Im
already using the latest drivers and
firmware for the DVD rewriter, so
what could be the problem be?
Terry Holden
A
This problem can arise if the IMAPI
CD-Burning COM Service is
disabled this will prevent you from
performing any form of disc burning
and may cause Windows to
incorrectly identify the sort of drive
you have. Try re-enabling the service
by clicking Start -> Run and typing
services.msc. Locate the entry
labelled IMAPI CD-Burning COM
Service in the list, and double-click it.
From the Startup Type drop-down
menu, select Automatic before
clicking OK and then restarting your
computer. With this service now
running, you should find that your
DVD writer functions as it was
intended to.
PRINTERS
UNRECOGNISED
CARTRIDGES
Q
I changed the black cartridge in my
Epson C3200 printer today, but it
wasnt recognised. I thought that
maybe it was the chip, so I tried
another cartridge by a different
manufacturer, but it still wont
recognise it. Although its not an Epson
cartridge Ive had no problems with
them before. I also changed the colour
cartridge but that was OK. Any
answers please?
Stuart Parker
A
Epson is just one of many printer
manufacturers that have come
under fire for restricting printer owners
to using only Epson cartridges in its
printers. The procedure used to block
third-party cartridges doesnt always
work, so you may well find that you
have no problems with some brands
while others will refuse point blank to
play ball. Some people have found that
the following technique enables them
to successfully use a non-Epson
cartridge in their printer. Turn off your
printer and then shut down your PC.
Power up your printer again and then
restart your PC with the printer already
switched on. You may well find that
when you come to print out a page a
warning screen will appear, informing
you that youre using a different
cartridge, but youre given the option to
continue with printing anyway.
CD BOOTING
CANT CHANGE
BOOT ORDER
Q
Id like to reinstall Windows XP,
and I have my installation CD
along with all of my drivers ready and
waiting. The problem is that my
computer doesnt seem to be able to
boot from my CD drive. Looking in
the BIOS, I can see no option to
change the boot order, so Windows
loads automatically as soon as I hit
the power button. How am I
supposed to perform a fresh
installation?
Robert Harrison
A
Microsoft has already thought of
this potential problem and has
produced a couple of sets of boot
files that you can download. Go to
http://support.microsoft.com/
default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310994,
scroll to the bottom of the page and
click the link that refers to the
version of Windows XP that youre
using. Run the downloaded program
and youll be prompted to insert six
floppy disks. The boot files will then
be copied across.
When you restart your PC with
disk one inserted, youll then be asked
to insert the others one by one. When
youve made your way through the
set of disks, you can access the setup
routine on your installation CD to
start afresh with Windows. Although
you say you cant change the order of
boot devices in your BIOS, your PC
should automatically detect that you
have a bootable floppy inserted and
boot from that rather than your
hard drive.
LAPTOPS
BATTERY POWER
Q
My laptop has an option to
recalibrate the battery. What
does this mean, and is it something I
should be doing?
A
Over time, as your battery is
charged a number of times, it
gradually becomes less efficient and
holds its charge for less time. This can
result in the battery level meter
providing you with inaccurate reading.
You may find that while your
computer reports that your battery
DrTCP makes it easy to get the most from
your ADSL connection without having to
delve into the Registry
If you cant boot directly from your Windows
XP CD, download a set of boot floppies
An incorrectly configured IMAPI service can cause your optical drives to be recognised
incorrectly by Windows
AUGUST 2005
127
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
should last for an hour, in reality you
get much less use out of it. By
recalibrating the battery you
computer can better judge the charge
remaining and therefore give you
better estimates of how much power
you have left.
HARD DRIVES
UNWANTED PARTITIONS
Q
I have created a partition on my
hard drive that I no longer need.
Is there any way of merging it back
with the rest of my disk? Ive heard of
Partition Magic, but Im not sure how
reliable it is.
Ranjit Mann
A
Partition Magic is universally
regarded as being the quickest
and easiest way to work with
partitions. You can grab yourself a
copy by going to www.symantec.
com. Before you start using the
program, make sure that the partition
youre talking about really is not
wanted any more check that there
are no important files left on it, and
move them to the partition youre
going to be keeping if there are any.
With the program installed and
running, youll see a bar to the upper
left of the screen representing your
hard drive and any partitions its made
up of. Simply right-click the partition
youre no longer interested in and
select the Delete option. If this
partition was contained within an
extended partition which it would
have been if you could access it from
Windows youll need to delete this,
too. You can then resize your
remaining partition so it occupies all
available drive space.
REMOVABLE DRIVES
DRIVE SCANNING
Q
I have a 250GB external hard
drive that Ive connected to my
computer via the FireWire port. I
dont always have the drive attached,
but when I plug it in Windows XP
insists on spending a good couple of
minutes scanning its contents before
asking me if I want to browse the
contents. Ive learnt that I can bypass
this process by holding down [Shift]
when I plug the drive in, but is there
a better way to achieve this?
Maxwell Jones
A
This option is appearing because
of Windows autoplay feature,
which you can disable on any drive
you want. In My Computer, right-click
the drive and select Properties. Move
to the Autoplay tab and select the
option labelled Do Nothing before
clicking OK. You should now be able to
plug in your external drive without
being pestered with questions.
SECURITY
USB DRIVES
Q
I run a small business employing
four people. We deal with some
fairly sensitive customer information
and Id like to make sure that this is
not transported home by employees
with USB keys. Is this possible under
Windows XP?
Barry Law
A
The route you need to go down
depends on whether your want
to completely block USB drives or not.
To disable USB drives, log onto the
machine in question and launch the
Registry Editor (Start -> Run ->
regedit). Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Services\USBSTOR
and double-click the key named Start
in the right-hand pane. Change the
value of this key to 4 and USB storage
devices will have been disabled. Your
other option is to make USB drives
read-only so that no files can be
copied from your computers to them.
Log onto the machine youd like
to restrict, open up the Registry Editor
and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_
MACHINE\System\
CurrentControlSet\Control\
StorageDevicePolicies. Locate the
DWord value WriteProtect. Double-
click this entry and change the value
to 1 to make it read-only.
NETWORKING
WIRELESS
MANAGEMENT
Q
My laptop has just been added to
my home network using a
wireless network card, although I
also take the machine into work from
time to time. Im a bit confused about
which software I should be using to
make network connections. When I
installed the card it came with a CD
of software, which I also installed.
Ive found that its a bit random as to
which program takes control of my
networking: sometimes Windows
XPs built-in tool will take over and
other times its the software that
came with the card. Invariably, this
leads to occasional error messages,
and I was hoping that youd be able
to point me in the right direction.
Daryl Holmes
A
Windows is often quite keen to
take over the management of any
piece of hardware you may add to
www.fujifilm.co.uk/technical
SUPPORT
Each month we look at the top current issues from a
leading hardware manufacturer
Fuji
F
o
c
u
s

o
n
.
.
.
How can I use my Fuji digital
camera as a Web cam?
On your camera, access the Setup menu and select
USB Mode. To configure the camera to transfer data
to your computer, select the DSC option. To use it as
a Web cam, select the PC CAM option. You should
then find that the Fuji Web cam software starts
automatically. You can also use Netmeeting in
Windows to perform video chats.
When I connect my camera, Im
faced with a message informing
me that a high-speed USB device
has been connected to a non
high-speed hub
This message appears if you connect a USB2 device
to a USB1 port. If this is not an option you can
prevent the message from being displayed by
clicking Start -> Run and typing devmgmt.msc
before clicking OK.
When the Device Manager opens, click the plus
sign next to Universal Serial Bus Controllers and
locate the entry relates to the port your camera is
connected to and double-click it. Move to the
Advanced tab and tick the box labelled Dont tell
me about USB errors. This will also disable error
messages for all of your other USB ports.
HARDWARE HELP
Get help for your digital camera
problems from the FujiFilm support site
Stop Windows from scanning your removable drives by disabling the Autoplay feature
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
128
AUGUST 2005
your system, so youre probably not
alone with this particular networking
problem. In theory, it shouldnt matter
whether you use Windows
networking utilities or the one
supplied by your wireless card
manufacturer theyre designed to do
precisely the same job. As you say that
you use the laptop both at home and
at work, it may be a good idea to stick
with the configuration tool that came
with the card, as this is less likely to
lead to problems. In order to avoid
conflicts between the two programs,
youll need to disable Windows
management of your wireless network.
To do this, open this Network
Connections Control Panel to disable
the option labelled Let Windows
manage my wireless connections.
Alternatively, run the utility that came
with your card and you should find
an option to give full control to this
program rather than Windows.
iPOD
SLOW FIREWIRE
Q
Having put it off for as long as
possible, I finally decided that it
was time to install Service Pack 2 for
XP. I have an iPod connected to my
computer via the FireWire port. I may
be imagining it, but it seems to me
that file transfers from my computer
to the player are much slower than in
pre-SP2 days. Have you heard
anything similar to this?
Rod Winchester
A
Other XP users have complained
of slow FireWire connections
after installing Service Pack 2, but its
relatively easy to remedy with a quick
Registry edit. Open up the Registry
Editor and make your way to HKEY_
LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\
CurrentControlSet\Enum\PCI\1394_
hc_hw_id\1394_instance_id\Device
Parameters. In the right-hand pane
you should see a value called
SidSpeed, and you need to modify this
value to 3. If this value doesnt exist,
create a new DWord value called
SidSpeed and set its value accordingly.
DIGITAL TV
CAPTURE DRIVERS
Q
I decided to upgrade my old
analogue TV card and delve into
the world on digital television on my
computer, with the intension
of creating my own media station.
Ive bought a relatively cheap card
from Jetway, which comes with
what can only be described as
troublesome drivers and software.
I was hoping to be able to use
the card in conjunction with the
ShowShifter program, which I want to
use as the heart of my media centre.
When I run through the configuration
wizard, no channels are found,
although Ive been watching digital TV
for a couple of months with the cards
own software. Is there any way to get
this card to work with the program?
Anna Hawkwell
A
You should start by making sure
that youre using the latest drivers
from Jetway, which you can download
from www.jetway.com.tw/evisn/
download/driver/tvcard/DVBT_V211.
zip. It seems that other users of your
card have been similarly disappointed
with the bundled software, but the
new version offers some
improvements. When it comes to
ShowShifter, unfortunately, your card
is not guaranteed to work with the
program. The programs Web site
(www.showshifter.com) features an
exhaustive list of the cards that are
known to work and yours is not listed.
As recommended on the site, your
best bet is to try installing generic
WDM capture drivers, which you can
find at http://btwincap.sourceforge.
net. This is far from being a sure-fire
solution, but you stand more chance
than with your existing drivers.
DUAL DISPLAY
MULTIPLE
MONITOR SET UP
Q
I live in a two-PC house and I
decided that my wifes screen
PC MECHANIC
www.pcmech.com
A site packed with
how to guides,
news and tech
forums. There are
also useful buyers
guides.
PC STATS
www.pcstats.com
Get help from
thousands of
dedicated
hardware
enthusiasts and
unravel the world
of hardware jargon
with the Tech
Glossary.
HOT HARDWARE
www.hothardware.com
Dozens of forums
ensure that
hardware help is
properly
categorised. Youll
also find reviews of
all the latest kit.
Online
Hardware Help
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Top resources
on the Web for
p
helping you solve your
hardware problems
p gg
HARDWARE ANALYSIS
www.hardwareanalysis.com
All the latest
hardware news, as
well as a series of
forums covering
everything from
hardware problems
to overclocking and
modding.
By turning to generic WDM capture drivers
you may be able to use your TV card with
third-party software
SOME WINDOWS XP USERS HAVE
COMPLAINED OF SLOW FIREWIRE
CONNECTIONS AFTER INSTALLING SP2
HARDWARE HELP SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
129
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
was due for an upgrade. We both
now have wonderful 17-inch TFT
monitors and as I have a Radeon
9600 graphics card with two monitor
connectors, I thought Id give myself
a multiple monitor computer. I have
17- and 15-inch TFTs connected and
Ive stretched my desktop to fill both
screens (15-inch on the left, 17-inch on
the right).
Im using the larger screen as my
primary display, but when I drag a
window or program to the left of this
screen I cant make it appear on the
other monitor I have to drag it across
to the right instead. Surely this isnt
how such a configuration is meant
to work. How can I set things up
correctly? I want my monitors to stay
in their current positions.
Jonathon Wilkinson
A
The fact that you can see a
picture on both of your monitors
is a good start, you just need to use
Windows built-in tools to adjust the
arrangement of your screens. Right-
click the desktop and select Properties
before moving to the Settings tab.
Here youll see two blue screens
representing your monitors.
From what youve described, you
should notice that the screen to the
left is labelled 1, and the other is
labelled 2. All you need to do is drag
and drop one of the screens to a new
position so that it reflects the
arrangement of your monitors - drag
monitor 1 over to the right. After
clicking OK, you should be able to
drag a window across the left-hand
side of your main monitor and see it
appear on your secondary screen. Its
also worth noting that you can adjust
the vertical positioning of the
monitors to compensate for any
height differences in their stands.
NO
TROUBLESHOOTING NETWORK PROBLEMS
YES
Q
CAN YOU SEE THE OTHER COMPUTERS
ON YOUR NETWORK AT ALL?
Use the Display Properties dialog to
rearrange your multiple monitors to reflect
how they sit on your desk
YES
YES
NO
Q
HAVE YOU ENABLED FILE
SHARING SO THAT YOU HAVE
SOMETHING TO CONNECT TO?
A
Finished
YES
Q
ARE YOUR COMPUTERS
RUNNING DIFFERENT
VERSIONS OF WINDOWS?
A
Windows 98/Me
cannot access files
stored on NTFS formatted
drives
NO
Q
ARE THE MACHINES PART OF THE
SAME WORKGROUP?
A
Configure
the
Workgroup
option from
the Computer
Name tab of
the System
YES
A
Check that all cables are
properly connected and that
your firewall is not interfering
NO
Q
ARE ALL
MACHINES
USING THE
SAME IP
NUMBERING
SYSTEM AND
SUBNET MASK?
A
Configure IP address by
right-clicking the
System tray network icon
THERES MORE TO A CHIPSET THAN
SIMPLY COUNTING THE NUMBER OF
SERIAL ATA PORTS IT OFFERS
S
hopping for a new motherboard
(or complete PC) is a complex
business, and most people try to
simplify the process by comparing
features. You might start counting
items such as Serial ATA ports, for
instance, or looking at the speed of
any integrated network controllers.
Initially, this appears to be an
objective way to weave your way
through the maze of options on offer,
but theres a problem: it doesnt
always work.
You might find a system that has
two Gigabit LAN ports, for instance,
which would seem to beat a PC that
has one Gigabit LAN and one Fast
Ethernet. Yet what if the Gigabit LAN
controller on your first system uses
the PCI bus to transfer data, which
hasnt got enough bandwidth to
properly support one Gigabit LAN
port, let alone two? If the second
bypasses the PCI bus then its likely to
offer better performance, even with
one Fast Ethernet port.
Unearthing this information is
easier than you think. Motherboards
are typically defined by their chipset,
a design that covers the features they
will include, and how theyll all be
connected together. If you discover
that one chipset doesnt suit your
needs, then youre likely to rule out
every other board based on the same
chipset. The research could end up
saving you more time than it takes.
Best of all, it only takes a little
background knowledge to understand
most of the chipset documentation
youll find online.
North/South divide
Theres nothing more important than
the chipset in defining how a
particular motherboard works.
Chipsets are responsible for
connecting every major component
together, in particular the
CPU, graphics card, memory and
system bus. As a result,
they also
define all the
important
speed issues
that youll need
to consider
when buying a
system: CPUs
supported, Front
Side Bus (FSB) speed, type and
quantity of RAM supported, and more.
All these bus-related tasks are
traditionally handled by a component
called the Northbridge, but thats not
all a chipset does. You can also expect
to find a Southbridge, including
controllers to handle all your PCs
communications with the outside
world: USB, FireWire, serial and parallel
ports, audio and hard drive support
(IDE and/ or Serial ATA, often with
some form of RAID option).
nVIDIA uses a similar layout in
its nForce boards, but the Northbridge
becomes a system platform processor
(SPP), while the Southbridge is called
a media and communications
processor (MCP). Although Intel hasnt
used the Northbridge/Southbridge
architecture for a while, it still
defines its chipsets by two separate
controllers that perform similar
tasks. The Memory Controller Hub
(MCH) takes responsibility for the
processor, graphics and memory,
while the I/O Controller Hub (ICH)
handles general I/O,
along with the PCI and perhaps PCI
Express bus.
What makes life a little more
complicated is that boards sometimes
use a different Southbridge (or ICH)
with the same Northbridge (or MCH),
so just seeing that the board uses a
925XE chipset, for instance, may not
precisely define its capabilities.
What can be more useful is to see
something like 82925XE MCH/ICH6R,
which defines the particular type and
version of MCH and ICH on offer with
your board. Then a single visit to the
manufacturers page (www.intel.com/
design/chipsets/linecard.htm) will tell
you all about its capabilities.
Speedy
communications
Theres more to a chipset than simply
counting the number of Serial ATA
ports it offers, of course. How its
designed can also influence the
performance it will provide. Covering
this in depth would fill several books
(and probably require a degree in
electronics to understand), but
theres one relatively
straightforward example thats
worth considering. If a chipset is
split into a Northbridge and
HOW IT WORKS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
AUGUST 2005
130
It carries out lots of different
motherboard tasks, but at its heart
the chipset is really just a couple of
chips and the connections between
your main PC components
HOW IT WORKS
How chipsets
really work
Think of the chipset as the brain and central nervous system of your
PC, involved in literally everything it does. Mike Williams dissects its
functions and tells you what to watch out for
Southbridge, then how do the two
components communicate with the
system and each other?
To share or not to share,
that was the question
Years ago, the various parts of a
chipset used to share data over the
PCI bus. That was fine for a while,
but the bus has limited bandwidth
and eventually could no longer
handle the traffic from faster CPUs,
RAM, disks and USB ports. This left
chipset designers free to come up
with their own technologies, and
everyone had a different idea of what
was best.
VIA, for instance, has the Ultra
V-Link. This is a 16-bit connection
that offers 1.066GB/s of bandwidth.
SiS utilises a 1GB/s MuTIOL
connection, and employs something
it calls HyperStreaming which
supposedly makes better use of the
bandwidth on offer. Intels latest
contribution is the Direct Media
Interface (DMI), delivering 2.0GB/s of
bandwidth between memory and the
ICH, while AMD chipsets now typically
use HyperTransport (so bandwidth
varies according to the number of
allocated lanes).
Its interesting to research this
kind of thing and the fine technical
detail may offer more reasons to
choose a particular chipset, but you
should still be careful when it comes
to making your conclusions. Intel may
offer 2GB/s of chipset interconnect
bandwidth as against SiSs 1GB, say,
but if you only actually use 500MB/s
then it wont make any difference at
all. Dont put too much weight on
individual figures, unless youre sure
these relate to capabilities youre
going to need.
Adding value
Weve described how a chipset
defines the features youd expect to
find on a motherboard, but thats not
a rule which comes with a 100 per
cent guarantee. Manufacturers often
play around with the feature set to
try and make their product stand out
and so ultimately youll have to check
the small print to find out what
theyve done.
For example, although this
doesnt happen often, boards may not
offer everything youd expect from a
chipset. Although on paper it supports
eight USB2 ports, a manufacturer
keen to cut costs could decide to only
implement six or even four. This kind
of trickery tends to get slammed in
reviews, but it does happen and you
need to be aware of it.
Fortunately, whats far more
common is that manufacturers will
add extra components bonus
features to build on whatevers
provided by the native chipset. This
might result in FireWire capability on
a chipset that only supports USB2, or
youll often find support for extra hard
drives or SATA ports. Additional
features such as these arent always
quite as good as they seem, though,
and this is where a little exploration
can really help.
Visit the board manufacturers
Web site, locate the documentation
and look for a diagram that shows
you how these components relate
both to each other and the chipset.
What youre looking for are high
bandwidth features such as Gigabit
LAN or Serial ATA that havent just
been run off the PCI bus. Granted, its
the easy, cheap option, but theres
limited bandwidth available and itll
soon be swamped. Its far better to
use a dedicated connection with more
bandwidth such as PCI Express
thatll deliver the best performance
your system can provide.
>
NEXT MONTH
Graphics cards: up close
and in-depth. We tell you
how they work
HOW IT WORKS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
131
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Chipsets are often defined by block diagrams such as this one. Look for details such as the
features on offer, how theyre laid out and the bandwidth of the various connections
Find out more
Heres how to become a chipset expert
The small print on a motherboard box
will probably only give you the minimum
of chipset information, such as Intel
915P. A quick visit to the Intel site (www.
intel.com/products/chipsets/index.htm)
will tell you more. Its a great resource
with feature lists, chipset diagrams and
in-depth electrical specifications.
The competition are equally happy to
tell you about their chipsets, of course,
and theres plenty of information
available from VIA (www.via.com.tw/en/
products/chipsets), SiS (www.sis.com/
products/product_000001.htm) and
nVIDIA (www.nvidia.com/page/mobo.
html). Look out for links to comparison
pages, too, listing a bunch of chipsets
together in the same table.
Most of this information is quite
straightforward, even if youre not that
technical, but theres so much data
around you still might feel a little
overwhelmed. Fortunately, the top
hardware review sites often carry out
group tests aimed at evaluating
a particular chipset, so its easy to get
some help in figuring out which one
is best. Toms Hardware (www.
tomshardware.com) and AnandTech
(www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets) are
good places to start, and youll also find
plenty of chipset information in news
and reviews at AMDZone (www.
amdzone.com), HEXUS.net (www.hexus.
net) or Digit-Life (www.digit-life.com/
platform.html).
> FURTHER INFORMATION
Every chipset developers Web site has a host of helpful
information available for download
unique TCP/IP settings. So your
wireless network card might be
configured with one group of settings,
while your wired connection uses
different settings entirely. The settings
used by a particular network card
directly related to the network to
which its connected.
If the TCP/IP settings youve
configured for a network card dont
match the settings in use on a
particular network, your PC wont be
able to communicate on that
network. When it comes to following
the rules, TCP/IP is very much a my
way or the highway kind of protocol.
For details on accessing and
configuring TCP/IP settings on a
Windows XP system, see the three-
step walkthrough below.
A
sk the average Internet user to
explain what an IP address is
and youll get all sorts of
answers: Its a phone number for your
computer, Its like a house address on
the Internet, and the classic I havent
the foggiest, but I know it needs to
be there!
The truth is that all of these
answers are correct. On the Internet,
IP addresses act as the identifiers
that separate one computer (or
network) from others. Like phone
numbers, all IP addresses are unique.
In the same way that a street address
consists of a number and street
name, IP addresses also consist of
two primary parts. An IP address
pretty much always needs to be
there if you want to be able to do
anything useful on TCP/IP networks
like the Internet, that is.
Were sure that many of you will
be relieved that you dont need to be a
TCP/IP expert to use the Internet.
However, having a basic
understanding of its primary settings
goes a long way, especially if you ever
need to troubleshoot a problem or set
up a home network. With the quest
for network knowledge in mind, let
the pings begin!
Network connections
The configuration of TCP/IP settings
on a Windows system begins and
ends with the Network Connections
tool in the Control Panel. Every
network card installed on your
system including those of the
wired and wireless variety is
assigned a connection icon in
this tool.
As distinct network objects, each
connection can also have its own
Configuring TCP/IP settings
>
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Follow these steps to configure IP address settings manually or to use DHCP
Open Control Panel -> Network Connections,
then right-click your network cards
connection icon and select Properties. On the
General tab, scroll down and then click Internet
Protocol (TCP/IP). Click the Properties button to
access the TCP/IP configuration settings.
01
By default, Windows XP configures all
network cards automatically, by adjusting
the IP address and DNS server settings. When in
doubt about the settings required to connect to a
network, try these options first. If a DHCP server is
available, itll assign the settings you need.
02
In cases where you need or want to
configure static IP address and DNS server
settings, click the Use the following IP address
radio button, and then fill in the appropriate
settings for your IP address, subnet mask and
default gateway, as well as DNS servers addresses.
03
NETWORKS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
132
From IP addresses and subnet masks, to default gateways and DNS servers,
Dan DiNicolo gives you the lowdown on those cryptic TCP/IP settings
ON BIG CORPORATE NETWORKS, SPECIAL
CUSTOM MASKS ARE USED TO BREAK
THE NETWORK INTO SMALLER PIECES
Why you need to
know about TCP/IP
Configuration options
Thankfully, the world of TCP/IP does
include features that make it easier to
use. Chief among these is a feature
known as the Dynamic Host
Configuration Protocol (DHCP). When
a DHCP server is configured on a
network, any network card set to
obtain its IP address setting
automatically will do just that. DHCP
server functionality is built into
popular home networking products
such as broadband routers and even
Microsofts Internet Connection
Sharing (ICS) feature. Ultimately, DHCP
helps to turn the world of TCP/IP into
an almost plug-and-play experience
for the average user, enabling them to
ignore the basic details of the protocol
almost completely.
Of course, there may be times
when you want or need to configure
your TCP/IP settings manually. For
example, you may wish to connect to
a network without a DHCP server, or
quickly create an ad hoc wireless
network between your laptop and a
friends. Its also possible that you just
dont want your PCs address to
change, making static settings more
reliable. This is especially true in cases
where other users need to connect to
your system regularly, such as when
youre hosting a Web or FTP server, or
even a multi-player gaming setup for
that matter.

IP addresses
IP addresses act as the unique
identifiers for individual computers
(and sometimes whole networks) in
the TCP/IP universe. If two PCs on the
same network are assigned the same
address, both will run into
communication problems. As long
as you give each PC on your network
a unique address in the correct
network range, everything should run
along smoothly.
On most home networks, a valid
IP address will look something like
192.168.1.3, and theres a good chance
that your neighbours network is
using similar (if not the same)
addresses. While this appears to
violate the rules, its actually quite
legitimate. IP addresses starting with
192.168 are reserved for use on private
networks, meaning that anyone can
use them. These addresses are not
valid on the public Internet and thus
cause no conflicts. A technology
included in routers (and the Windows
ICS feature) known as Network
Address Translation (NAT)
automatically translates requests
between your private network and the
public IP address assigned by your ISP.
On the configuration front,
however, its vital that your IP
addresses are assigned correctly. In the
case of an address like 192.168.1.3, the
192.168.1 part designates the network,
and every computer on the same
network must start with this same
network number. The 3 part
represents a unique computer (host)
on the 192.168.1 network. On a
network like this, you could have up to
254 computers with unique IP
addresses all addresses from
192.168.1.1 up to 192.168.1.254 would be
valid. Note that in most cases,
however, the address ending in .1 is
already assigned to your router or
Windows ICS system.
As long as you dont start
arbitrarily mixing and matching IP
addresses, you should be fine. For
example, if you assign the address
192.10.10.10 to one computer and the
address 192.168.1.3 to another on the
same network, they wont be able to
communicate properly via TCP/IP: their
network numbers are different. If you
assign both PCs IP addresses starting
with 192.168.1, however, theyll get
along just fine.
Subnet mask
An IP address is not an island. At a
minimum, it requires the
companionship of a subnet mask.
Thankfully, this isnt usually much
of a hassle: if you press [Tab] after
entering an IP address, Windows fills
in the subnet mask address field
automatically.
Windows assigns whats known
as a default subnet mask based on
the IP address you configured. So, if
you entered 192.168.1.100 as your IP
address, the subnet mask
255.255.255.0 would be assigned
automatically. In simple terms, this
subnet mask informs the PC that in
the address 192.168.1.100, the 192.168.1
part represents the network number,
and that all computers starting with
192.168.1 should be considered part of
the same network. However, if this
mask were changed to a custom
value like 255.255.0.0, every computer
starting with 192.168 would
considered to be part of the
same network.
Computers use the subnet mask
value to figure out which PCs are on
its own network, and which are on
different networks. It does this via a
calculation where it compares its own
IP address and subnet mask to the IP
address of the computer its trying to
reach. When the results of these
calculations are the same, it
recognises that the destination PC is
on the same network. When the
results are different, it knows that the
destination computer lies on another
network. Ultimately, this calculation
determines whether one PC will try to
communicate directly with another, or
whether it should forward the request
to a router.
Consider an example where you
have a network with two computers
using the IP addresses 192.168.1.100
and 192.168.2.100. If you use the
default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0,
both computers would consider the
other to be on a different network
(192.168.1 and 192.168.2). However, if
the subnet mask were changed to
255.255.0.0 on both computers, each
would consider the other to be on the
same network (192.168).
On large corporate networks,
special custom masks like 255.255.240
are often used to break the network
up into smaller pieces known
(suitably) as subnets. However, this is
almost never necessary on smaller
networks, such as those with less than
50 PCs. These smaller networks use
the default mask to have the entire
network identified as a single entity,
and you should, too.
To keep configuration problems to
a minimum, always ensure that the
network portion of IP addresses you
assign is always the same, and that
the host portion is unique. Then use
the default subnet mask that
Windows assigns. In cases where
youre connecting to someone elses
network, you now know that you cant
just arbitrarily choose any old IP
address and subnet mask
combination. Settings that work for
one network wont necessarily get you
anywhere on another.
Default gateway
Although its technically not required,
you wont get very far on a TCP/IP
NETWORKS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
133
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
If youve got a home network, theres a good chance that your router allocates IP addresses
to your PCs automatically
The Properties window for a network
connection is your gateway to configuring
TCP/IP settings
Configuring TCP/IP settings is not a guessing
game those numbers actually mean
something!
network if you dont configure a default
gateway address. This is the local
network address of your router, which
is acting as the gateway to another
network. On home networks, this
other network is usually the Internet.
When a computer on one
network needs to communicate with
a computer on another, traffic must
be forwarded to a router. Windows
systems can be configured to send
traffic destined for different networks
to different routers, but this is
seldom necessary on small networks.
Rather than bog desktop systems
down with the job of trying to figure
out where traffic should be sent next,
a default gateway address is
configured instead. In effect,
Windows uses this address as a type
of network catch-all. In cases where it
knows that a destination computer is
on a different network, it simply
sends this traffic to the router
configured as the default gateway.
In a nutshell, the default gateway
address for your home network is the
IP address assigned to the LAN
interface on your router. If youre
using a broadband router or Windows
ICS feature to share an Internet
connection, this address is usually
192.168.1.1, but the one assigned to
your router model may be different.
The key thing is that you get this
address correct. If you dont, your
client computers wont be able to
communicate beyond the safe
boundaries of your home network,
and thats not terribly exciting.
DNS servers explained
Configure valid and correct IP address,
subnet mask and default gateway
values and the world of TCP/IP is your
oyster. Neglect to configure correct
DNS server addresses, however, and
youll need to remember an awful lot
of numbers.
PCs on TCP/IP networks rely on
Domain Name System (DNS) servers
to translate friendly names like www.
pcanswers.co.uk into IP addresses. If
you neglect to configure the IP
address of at least one DNS server in
your TCP/IP setting, youll be limited to
reaching other computers by their IP
addresses alone. Thats impractical on
a network like the Internet, unless you
have an extraordinary ability to
remember 32-bit numbers!
NETWORKS SUPPORT
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
134
IF YOU NEGLECT TO CONFIGURE CORRECT
DNS SERVER ADDRESSES YOULL NEED TO
REMEMBER AN AWFUL LOT OF NUMBERS
Troubleshooting TCP/IP settings
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Follow these steps to isolate the source of TCP/IP communication programs using ipconfig and ping
On its own, the ipconfig command will list
details of a computers IP address, subnet
mask and default gateway. However, it wont reveal
how TCP/IP settings are configured (statically or
via DHCP). To gather this information, use the
ipconfig /all command.
01
The ipconfig /all command provides the
easier way to examine all key TCP/IP
configuration settings on your PC. Issue this
command to review a systems IP address, subnet
mask, default gateway and DNS server addresses, or
to determine how address settings are acquired.
If you cant connect to PCs on the Internet
using names like www.pcanswers.co.uk, it
may be a DNS issue. Use the ipconfig /all commands
to check your DNS server addresses to ensure
theyre correct. If incorrect, change the addresses in
the properties of your network connection.
If you cant reach the Internet at all, start by
trying to ping an Internet server by name and
then IP address. If both attempts fail, try pinging the
default gateway. If the default gateway doesnt
respond, its possible that your router is powered off
or you have the wrong address configured for it.
If youre having trouble connecting to other
PCs on your private network, try pinging
their IP addresses. The problem could be the
configuration of your PC, or the others. Check that
IP address and subnet masks settings are correct for
all computers on your network.
If you move between networks with a laptop,
then its possible to carry an address obtained
via DHCP from one network to another. To obtain a
correct address for the new network, issue the
ipconfig /renew command. This will force your PC to
obtain a valid address from the local DHCP server.
02 03
04 05 06
The Repair button in the network
connection status window makes it easy to
obtain new and correct TCP/IP settings from
a DHCP server
When at least one DNS address is
configured, your computer will query
this server to resolve the IP address
associated with name youve
provided. So, you get to fire up your
favourite Web browser and type in
www.pcanswers.co.uk. In the
background, your PC sends a request
to the configured DNS server asking
for the IP address associated with this
name, obtains the information and
can then get down to the business of
communicating with the server at
address 212.113.202.52.
Youve probably noticed that
Windows enables you to specify both
primary and secondary DNS server
addresses. This is for fault tolerance: if
the first DNS server is unavailable
or doesnt answer, the second is then
contacted. If you dont configure a
secondary DNS server address and the
primary server goes offline, you wont
be able to reach other computers by
name until the situation with the
first is rectified.
Alternate configuration
If youre running Windows XP, then
you may have noticed the Alternate
Configuration tab in the properties
of network connections. As the name
suggests, this tab enables you to
configure alternate TCP/IP settings,
but these only apply in certain
situations.
Specifically, the settings you
configure on this tab dictate how a
given network adapter will react in
cases where a DHCP server cannot be
contacted for the purpose of obtaining
required TCP/IP settings. In other
words, settings on the Alternate
Configuration tab dont apply (and
arent configurable) in cases where
youve specified your main IP address
settings manually.
By default, this tab is configured
such that an Automatic private IP
address (APIPA) will be assigned in
cases where a DHCP server is
unavailable. APIPA is a technique
that assigns PCs IP addresses
beginning with 169.254.
Unfortunately, clients configured
with these addresses can only
communicate with other APIPA
clients, limiting what they can do
significantly. Making things even
more difficult is the fact that APIPA
settings dont include a default
gateway address, meaning that
clients cannot communicate beyond
their local network.
A more common use for the
Alternate Configuration tab settings
is to specify settings for a different
network. For example, if you primarily
use a laptop at work and that
network uses DHCP, you could use
this tab to specify user configured
settings for your home network. Of
course, you could just as easily use
DHCP at home and obtain the
correct settings for your network by
that method. For another approach
for switching network settings when
you move between networks, see
the boxout above.
TCP/IP troubleshooting
Along with making it easier to
configure network settings manually,
having a better understanding of
what the key TCP/IP setting are used
for also helps when a little
troubleshooting is in order. For
example, if you cant contact any
server on the Internet by name, its
likely to be a DNS problem. If you
cant reach the Internet at all, the
problem may be your default
gateway address. If you cant ping the
PC beside you, then it may be an IP
address or subnet mask problem on
either system.
Thankfully, Windows systems
include two essential command line
tools for troubleshooting TCP/IP
issues: ping and ipconfig. For details
on using these tools to isolate TCP/IP
problems, see the walkthrough on the
left-hand page.
NETWORKS SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
135
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
> FURTHER INFORMATION
MultiNetwork manager
If you often move between networks, this tool puts
an end to the TCP/IP configuration changin blues
If youre a laptop user and roam
between different networks
regularly, then youll have had
to make changes to your TCP/IP
settings. Unfortunately, you
have no say in which addresses
are used on other networks, or
how these address settings are
configured.
Perhaps your network at
home uses DHCP, but the one
at work relies on static settings.
It may even be that you need to
connect to different networks
constantly, as part of visiting
client locations. The need to
change (and effectively
remember) your TCP/IP settings
to those required for different
networks can be annoying.
Thankfully, a solution does
exist in the form of
MultiNetwork Manager from
Globesoft (www.globesoft.
com). This tool enables you to
create network profiles and
then prompts you to select the
settings you need before you
log on. The latest version even
remembers the networks that
youve connected to in the past,
making the transition between
networks seamless.
Its probably not a
worthwhile investment if
youre only switching between
home and work networks, but
if youre very diversely
connected MultiNetwork
Manager certainly makes the
configuration blues disappear.
MultiNetwork Manager makes switching
between different IP address settings easy
Unless youre setting up a dedicated server, you probably wont need to venture into the
configuration of advanced TCP/IP settings
If you specify alternate TCP/IP settings,
these will be used when you cant obtain
an address via DHCP
If you specify alternate TCP/IP settings,
these will be used when you cant obtain
an address via DHCP
Every network connection on your system
has its own unique TCP/IP settings
Patches & updates
Your security and privacy are important to us. Thats why Caroline Lyons suggests you should
protect yourself with the latest definitions
PATCHES & UPDATES SUPPORT
AUGUST 2005
136
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
Spyware Blaster 3.3
Spyware Blaster 3.3 has been released
to include 3449 items in its database.
The new version provides improved
support for Firefox and Netscape.
Various problems have been fixed
that are caused by certain firewalls
and the installation file is now
digitally signed. Prior to upgrading,
launch the program and click Disable
All Protection. Click Start -> Control
Panel -> Add/Remove Programs,
uninstall version 3.2 and restart the
computer. Spyware Blaster still
provides free updates, although for an
annual subscription of 5 you can
benefit from the AutoUpdate feature.
Youll be sent a Serial Number via
email. Click Start -> Programs ->
Spyware Blaster -> Spyware Blaster
AutoUpdate Configuration, enter your
name and Serial Number and click
Finish. Restart the program to register
AutoUpdate and click Updates ->
AutoUpdate -> Click here for
AutoUpdate! Set the AutoUpdate
Preference to Automatic Updates
and select AutoUpdate for the
Startup Preference.
www.javacoolsoftware.com/
spywareblaster.html
McAfee AVERT
Stinger v2.5.4
McAfee AVERT Stinger v2.5.4 is a
standalone virus removal tool and the
latest version includes detection of
the W32.Bropia, W32.Bagle and W32.
MyDoom worm variants. The
installation file has been renamed s-t-
i-n-g-e-r.exe to circumvent part of the
payload of the W32.Sober.P worm that
prevents download and execution of
the removal tool. Before launching the
tool, Windows Me/XP users should
disable System Restore, because the
contents of the Restore folder cannot
be cleaned. In Windows Me right-click
My Computer, select Properties and
switch to the Performance tab. Click
File System -> Troubleshooting and
tick Disable System Restore, click Apply
and OK. In Windows XP right-click My
Computer, select Properties and
switch to the System Restore tab. Click
Turn Off System Restore On All Drives,
click Apply and OK. Launch Stinger
and if necessary, click the Add button
to include additional drives in the
scan. Click Scan Now to being the
detection and cleaning process.
http://vil.nai.com/vil/stinger/
ZoneAlarm Security Suite
5.5.094.000
ZoneAlarm Security Suite includes
firewall, anti-virus, instant message
security and a pop-up blocker. Its Spam
Blocker continues to be plagued by
behavioural issues. Typically, the
control panel indicates the Junk E-mail
Filter is turned off, although messages
are filtered into the folder. Until the
software has been used for a while, its
important you monitor this folder
carefully, as its likely to send
legitimate email to the Junk E-mail
folder. ZoneLabs has provided a
workaround until a patch is released
to overcome this problem. Open the
main control panel and turn the Junk
E-mail Filter on. Launch your email
client and go back to the control panel
to turn the Junk E-mail Filter off and
restart your email client.
www.zonelabs.com
Firefox 1.0.4
Firefox 1.0.4 has been released to
patch vulnerabilities. Prior to
upgrading, ensure the installation
directory is clean and doesnt contain
remnants of a previous installation.
User data is stored in C:\Documents
and Settings\{Username}\Application
Data\Mozilla\Firefox on Windows
2000/XP systems and in C:\Windows\
Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox in
Windows 98\Me. Linux operating
system stores the information in the
~/.mozilla/firefox folder. To update the
software, either use the built-in update
utility or install from our cover disc.
During installation, Extensions and
Themes will be temporarily disabled
to distinguish compatibility with the
new version. This new method also
circumvents a recurrence of problems
that arose with XBL Binding for
Browser errors when version 0.8 was
released. Linux users also need to be
aware that [Ctrl] key combinations no
longer support readline-like text-
editing shortcuts. More information
can be found at http://kb.mozillazine.
org/index.phtml?title=Emacs_
Keybindings_%28Firefox%29.
www.mozilla.org/products/firefox.
Windows
Update
>
WEB RESOURCES
Stay safe,
stay up to date
Microsoft strives to keep
abreast of critical security
vulnerabilities by releasing
monthly security-related
updates via the Windows
Update Web site http://
v5.windowsupdate.microsoft.
com/v5consumer/default.
aspx?ln=en-us. Despite
Windows 98 no longer being
supported, archived critical
updates can be downloaded
from http://www.microsoft.
com/windows98/downloads/
corporate.asp.
Windows Me introduced
an Automatic Updates feature
that is configured to check for
updates every 24 hours when
an Internet connection is
established. The default
setting automatically
downloads updates and
notifies you via a System Tray
balloon, but it can be
customised via control Panel ->
Automatic Updates.
Automatic Updates feature
is also included with Windows
XP and is enabled by default,
accessible via Start -> All
Programs -> Windows Update.
Version 5 uses advanced
features to ensure only
applicable updates are
delivered, with optional Express
or Custom installation. The
updates are prioritised
depending on the security
risk. If SP2 is installed,
Automatic Updates can be
configured through the
Security Center. Double-click
the System Tray icon and select
Manage security settings for
Automatic Updates.
Use AutoUpdate or check for updates regularly
to ensure you have maximum protection
McAfee AVERT Stinger shouldnt replace
real-time anti-virus protection
ZoneAlarm Security Suite protects against a
multitude of malicious Internet activity
Ensure you have the latest version of Firefox
to prevent vulnerabilities being exploited
TREVOR WITT
CD Editor
AUGUST 2005
137
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
THIS
MONTH
>
SECTION CONTENTS
> Stay on top of
your busy schedule
and never forget
important dates
> Build yourself an
online shop
>Move all your
data safely and
quickly to a new PC
> Burn CDs, DVDs,
playlists, MP3s and
anything else that
you can think of
If you have a query about using your
discs interface or its content, please
visit our reader support Web site
at www.futurenet.co.uk/support/
where you can find solutions to
many common problems. If youre
still experiencing difficulties, then
please email our reader support team
(support@futurenet.co.uk) for further
assistance, or call 01225 442244 and
ask for CD support.
RedBox Organizer
V6 OEM
Keeping track of appointments, birthdays and
anniversaries can be tricky. RedBox Organizer
enables you to store all your important dates,
so you need never be embarrassed by your poor
memory again PAGE 138
ShopFactory 5 Light
If you have something to sell online then you
need a Web presence. With ShopFactory thats
exactly what you can generate and its so easy to
use, too PAGE 140
Acronis MigrateEasy
7.0 Personal Edition
If youve bought a new PC it can be tedious
moving your data and programs from one
system to another. MigrateEasy does what it
says on the tin by making it easy PAGE 141
Roxio RecordNow!
Deluxe LE
Fed up with the limited options your current
CD and DVD burning software? Then we have
the definitive answer. RecordNow! is so easy to
use that youll wonder how you ever managed
without it PAGE 142
140
142
Whether you want to create
your own audio or data discs,
youll find all the tools you need
Create a professional online
shop for up to 50 products
On the CD
TREVOR WITT
CD Editor
CONSTRUCT AN
ONLINE SHOP
138
BURN CDS & DVDS
ON THE CD
T
he leather-bound personal
organisers of the 1980s are,
thankfully, no longer with us.
However, we all still have a large
amount of information we need to
keep track of: names and addresses of
friends and colleagues, important
dates, birthdays and much more.
Paper-based solutions to the problem
are far from ideal; any book you decide
to use will invariable run out of space
and pages quickly become unreadable
webs of ink as constant revisions are
made to plans.
With this in mind, its not surprising
that many people turn to computer-
based personal information managers
(PIMs) to help keep everything in order.
RedBox is one such PIM that comprises
a number of components to help you
organise many different aspects of
your life. There are six main elements
to the program: calendar, to do list,
address book, planner, notes and
anniversary reminders all of which are
tied neatly together with a centralised
home page.
Making the switch
Dont worry if youre already using a
different program to manage your
address book and calendar. RedBox
enables you to import existing
information in a few steps so you
dont have to manually re-enter your
data. If youre using Microsoft
Outlook, you can import everything
in one go, but for other PIMs youll
have to first export your data as a
text file before importing it into
RedBox 6.0 OEM
>PUBLISHER: STUDIO V5 CONTACT: WWW.STUDIO-V5.COM SUPPORT: EMAIL SUPPORT@STUDIO-V5.COM
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98/ME/2000/NT OR XP LIMITATIONS: NONE FULL PROGRAM
Get your life in order with this comprehensive personal information and contact manager
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
138
Open the RedBox
> QUICK TIPS
Heres a whistle-stop introduction to the programs features
RedBoxs calendar makes it easy to remember
upcoming appointments. Use the miniature
calendar to navigate to a date and then double-
click your selected day to add an appointment or
reminder. You can then set an alarm, mark an
appointment as a recurring event and attach notes
you may need to read in the future.
When adding events to your To Do list they
can be organised in two ways. By
categorising events you can quickly filter different
types of task, but by assigning priorities you can
see what you should be working on next. Use the
coloured menu bar to the left to sort your tasks
into a variety of views.
When working with contacts you can assign
a category to everyone in your address book
to make them easier to locate in the future. You
can change the way contacts are displayed, ranging
from sorting them alphabetically to grouping them
by location. You can locate contacts using the
search box or using the quick navigation letters.
>
If you need to see the bigger picture, turn
to the Planner. Here you can see what the
next 12 months hold. As time progresses, each of
your planned events will be marked with a
percentage to warn you how long remains until the
completion date.
>
RedBoxs Notes have a number of uses. You
can use them to organise ideas and notes for
projects, and they also serve as a useful alternative
to a pen and paper when talking on the phone. You
can filter your notes by date or title so you can
home in on related items or a particular note.
>
The Anniversary section can be used on its own
or in conjunction with the Calendar to provide
you with reminders for annual events. The three-
month view means that you can always see whats
coming up in the near future and eye-catching icons
can be used to identify different types of event.
>
>
>
ON THE CD
AUGUST 2005
139
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
RedBox. Either way, the program does
an excellent job of maintaining any
categories and field names that you
have been using.
One of the great things about the
program, besides the sheer volume of
information you can store in one
location, is the multiple database
option. You can create as many
separate databases as you need, and
each can be password protected
meaning that a number of people can
store information and yet keep it
private. This is ideal for a shared-
computer in a family environment.
Make a date
The calendar component of the
program works like a versatile
electronic diary. When you add an
appointment you can allocate a time
slot to help ensure that any other
appointments you make dont result
in clashes. By default, the calendar
shows you todays date along with
any reminders you have set up, but
you can also view the current week or
months worth of dates. Whichever
view youre using, the small calendar
to the right of the screen enables you
to quickly jump to any date that you
want to check your schedule for.
Adding appointments is a simple
matter of double-clicking the
relevant date and filling in the blanks.
Should your schedule need
amending, you can double-click an
appointment youve already created
to make adjustments or drag an entry
to the bin at the bottom right of the
screen if something is cancelled.
Just as with Windows Recycle Bin,
deleted appointments can be
restored if necessary.
The To Do list works as
something of an extension of the
calendar where you can list all of the
tasks you need to complete. Rather
than specify a date and time for
completion, you can instead assign
different levels of priority to different
tasks. Tasks can relate to a single day
or even several months, and can
overlap. The option to set priorities
makes it easy to see what you should
be focusing your attention on, on a
particular day.
Keeping in touch
These days we all have countless
people that we need to contact and
the address book element of RedBox
makes it easy to do so. There are a
number of pre-defined fields for you
to fill in, such as home and business
phone numbers, but you can also
create your own custom fields if you
want to store additional information
about people. As with the calendar
you can attach notes to individual
contacts in case you need to remind
yourself of something.
RedBoxs Planner provides yet
another spin on the calendar idea and
is best suited for keeping track of a
number of longer term projects over
the course of a year or more. You can
view your schedule a year at a time
and colour-coded bars are used to
represent any projects you have
added. Some colours and common
categories have been pre-defined,
such as holidays and meetings, but
you can change these or add your
own. The Planner can be used for any
number of purposes, yet the way it
works means that you can use it to
track the holidays or working
schedules of several people to
avoid clashes.
Forget me not
The Notes section of the program
works like a combined spike and
sticky notes pad. You can create
virtual sticky notes to remind you of
anything you have a tendency to
forget such as passwords (your
database can be password protected,
remember), Web links and much
more. Your notes can be organised
into ten customisable categories and
individual notes can be colour-coded
for easy identification.
Rounding off the package is the
anniversary section. Anyone whos
forgotten a loved ones birthday or
another important event will
appreciate the value of this feature. A
simple series of icons can be assigned
to anniversary reminders so you can
quickly see whats coming up in the
future. When you have added an
anniversary, you then have the option
of creating a related calendar entry to
remind yourself to buy a present or
carry out any necessary preparation
in advance.
RedBox is a truly powerful tool
that really can help you to get things
in order. If your desk is awash with
address books, notepads and
scribbled notes, this is the program
you have been looking for. Should you
ever want to share any of the
information youre storing with
others, you can use the programs
Publish option to create HTML pages
from your list of contacts, to do list,
calendar or planner. These pages can
then be uploaded to an intranet or
even posted on a Web site for others
to access. This is a versatile program
that will prove its worth in next to
no time.
>
UPGRADE TO REDBOX RETAIL
The OEM version of RedBox that youll find on this months cover disc
is a powerful tool in its own right, but if you need a little extra you
may be interested in the retail version of the program. If you work
with people in different countries, a three-dimensional globe can
remind you of time zone differences and theres also an expenses
component to help you to keep track of finances.
When youre working on a large project with several other people,
the reports that the retail version of the program can generate
provide a quick and easy way to draw information from different
sections of your databases. You can also synchronise data with your
hand-held computer and take advantage of the mail merge feature
when producing documents. You can upgrade to this version of the
program for just 20 by clicking the Upgrade button in the RedBox
toolbar, or by paying a visit to www.softwair.co.uk.
The RedBox home page reminds you of all of your upcoming appointments at a glance
If you dont want to use the Home screen, you can use General Options to configure RedBox
to open in a particular section
You can customise your home screen by
choosing from a number of styles and
adjusting font size to improve legibility
O
nline shopping is the fastest
growing retail sector in the
UK, so theres never been a
better time to set up your own Web
store. ShopFactory Light makes it
possible for you to do just that, with
the minimum of hassle, quickly
creating a professional online shop for
up to 50 products, which is then ready
to host anywhere (no expensive
server-side technology required).
Youd expect ShopFactory to
provide wizards, ready to walk you
through the shop creation process,
and sure enough its got plenty.
Attractive templates to give your
site a stylish look are important,
and it delivers there, too. Payment
options? PayPal, World Pay and Protx
are all supported.
Whats really important with any
e-commerce package, though, is the
control it provides over your product
listings. Having the freedom to add
your own custom text and images,
purchasing options and discount deals
is vital. We look at just a few of the
ways ShopFactory can help you
market your products.
Register ShopFactory 5 Light at
www.makemeashop.com/
covermounts/pcanswers/0506.
ON THE CD
ShopFactory 5 Light
>PUBLISHER: 3D3.COM CONTACT: WWW.SHOPFACTORY.COM
SUPPORT: HTTP://SUPPORT.SHOPFACTORY.COM/
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: 350MHZ PENTIUM, 256MB RAM, WINDOWS 98/ ME/ 2000/ NT/ XP, INTERNET EXPLORER 6, 100MB DISK SPACE
LIMITATIONS: NONE REGISTER AT WWW.MAKEMEASHOP.COM/COVERMOUNTS/PCANSWERS/0506
Want an online shop, but dont know how to go about setting it up?
Have one already, but dont know how to improve it? Look no further
>
UPGRADE
The latest version of
ShopFactory comes in four
different flavours. The starter
package, eTrader+, is an updated
version of ShopFactory 5 Light.
You can use it to create as
many shops as you like for
your own use, but theyre
limited in size to 25 pages or
50 products.
Next up is ShopFactory
Professional. This removes the
page and product limitations,
and adds the ability to import
product data in simple text
formats (CSV, TXT). Theres
also support for Flash graphics,
while a Theme Designer helps
you customise the look of
your store.
The Developer version of
ShopFactory can import product
information in many additional
formats, from XLS to a SQL
server database, and it enables
you to create shops for other
people, as well. ShopFactory
International includes all these
features, then adds automatic
language detection, and
multilingual Web site
navigation on top of that.
The regular prices range
from 100 to 659, but readers
of PCAnswers can save 20
per cent by ordering directly
from ShopFactory UK. Read
more about the range at
www.makemeashop.com,
then call the sales line directly
at 01959 578383.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
140
Set up shop
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Creating an online shop has never been so easy
Launch ShopFactory, then click Create a new
website or shop to start the Website Setup
Wizard. Add a page title, some introductory text and a
site logo. Click Next, then choose a theme and display
style. Complete the remaining pages with your details.
01
Your products are in the My Shop folder. Right-click
Department 1 and select New Product. Fill in the
first Product Properties screen, then you can add a separate
headline for product details and an in-depth product
description. You can go back and edit this later. Click next.
02
Click Edit product options and you can define
some of the variations that your product supports.
Select one, then click in the table to start adding the
options youll support. Its also possible to add customised
options of your own.
03
Not selling as many products as youd like? Then
maybe its time to cut your prices. Click Set
product discounts in the Product Setup Wizard to begin.
You can set a discount price, which overrides the main
price you entered earlier, or even quantity discounts.
04
>
REGISTER ONLINE
Register online at
www.makemeashop.com/
covermounts/pcanswers/0506
AUGUST 2005
141
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK
ON THE CD
T
he day will come when your
once spacious hard drive begins
to fill up and you realise that its
time for an upgrade. While the
relatively low price of hard drives as
well as the prospect of additional
storage space and perhaps an extra
turn of speed are enticing, theres also
a downside. The process of reinstalling
all of your favourite programs and
setting them up to your liking can be
a long and daunting process, but
Acronis Migrate Easy Personal Edition
offers a quick and easy solution.
Hard drive duplication
The program enables you to make an
exact copy of your old hard drive and
transfer all of the files and settings it
contains to your new drive. You then
have a number of options. You can
leave your old drive as it was so you
have a back-up copy of your current
system setup, but use your new drive
to benefit from additional space. You
can also create a new partition layout
if you feel that you want to adjust the
sizes of any partitions you have
already created. Finally, you have the
option of destroying all of the data on
your old drive, which is a great option
if you want to pass it on to someone
else and want to ensure that the data
cannot be recovered. When it comes
to destroying data you have two
options: quick or normal. The former
overwrites your data just once, while
the latter is more secure overwriting
everything twice.
If you want more control over the
cloning process and want to take
advantage of any of the options
outlined here, youll need to run the
program in Manual mode. You do also
have the option of using Automatic
mode that results in the
program analysing your hard drive
and selecting the best options for
you. Whichever route you decide to
go down, Migrate Easy can
compensate for differences in hard
drive sizes and automatically resize
partitions proportionally or you can
specify new sizes of your choice.
Register the program
Before you can start using Acronis
Migrate Easy, youll need to register
the software. Pay a visit to www1.
acronis.com/mag/pcanswers-mepe,
enter the relevant details and an
email will be sent to you. Click the
verification link in the message and
youll then receive a second email
containing the serial number that
youll need to enter during the
installation of the program.
At the end of the installation
process, youll be invited to create
rescue media. This option is not
applicable to the Personal Edition of
the program and can be (if you try to
create rescue media the process will
fail). The boot disks referred to are
required by the full version of the
program for performing tasks that
arent available in the Personal Edition.
Acronis Migrate Easy 7.0
>PUBLISHER: ACRONIS CONTACT: WWW.ACRONIS.COM
SUPPORT: WWW.ACRONIS.COM/OEM/SUPPORT/ SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98, NT,
2000, ME, XP LIMITATIONS: REQUIRES ONLINE REGISTRATION AT
WWW1.ACRONIS.COM/MAG/PCANSWERS-MEPE
Ease the problem of transferring all of your files from one
hard drive to another
>
UPGRADE
PCAnswers readers can take
advantage a special upgrade
offer. After installing the
software from this months
cover disc, youll be aware of
what the Personal Edition of
Migrate Easy can do. The full
edition of the program boasts
even more features such as the
option to add extra hard drives
while leaving the OS on the
current drive. To upgrade, click
the links in the pop-up window
that appears when you launch
Acronis Migrate Easy Personal
Edition. You can also click Help
-> Upgrade Now from within
the program. The normal price
of the program is $40 (around
22), but PCA readers can save
40 per cent and upgrade for
just $25 (around 14).
You have the option of automatically
wiping your original drive if you are going
to donate it to someone else
Moving data between machines
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Heres how you do it with ease
With your new hard drive added to your
system, launch Acronis Migrate and skip
past the upgrade notice. In the Operations column
click Start Now -> Next. Select the Manual option,
click Next again and youll see a list of hard drives
which have been located. Select the one you want
to make a copy of and click Next.
You then need to select your new hard drive
from the list before clicking Next. We want
to change the partition options so select Create a
new partition layout and click Next. Then select
Manual -> Next. Tick the box labelled Proceed
Relayout and click Next once more.
Select the partition you want to resize and
click Next, then move the end of the
partition to a new size. Click Next, making
adjustments to other partitions if necessary.
Untick the Proceed Relayout box and click Next.
Click Next, select a format for your new drive,
indicate what type of drive it is and click Proceed.
>
REGISTER ONLINE
Register online at www1.acronis.
com/mag/pcanswers-mepe
1 2 3
B
ecause the majority of PCs are
now equipped with CD writers,
the idea of burning self-compiled
discs is commonplace. There are so
many programs you can use to do the
job that it can be hard to know which
one to choose. Yet once youve tried
RecordNow Deluxe LE from this
months cover disc, we think youll
have found the answer.
Accessible interface
The program benefits from an
instantly accessible interface. From
the startup page you can choose the
type of project you would like to
create before being guided through
the whole process. If you opt to create
an audio CD, there are a number of
different files formats you can work
with. Select a series of MP3, WAV or
WMA and in a matter of minutes you
can convert them into a standard
audio disc. You can also add playlists
youve created to save having to
search your hard drive for the music
files youre interested in. In fact,
RecordNow can automatically search
your folders and list all of the music it
finds. You can configure the program
to ignore any files that are below a
particular length, so you dont have to
filter through sound effect files you
may have stored on your computer.
Creating a custom data CD is a
similarly simple process, whether you
want to back up your personal files,
create a disc full of digital photos or
any other type of file. You can either
use the built-in file browser to select
the files and folders you want to
include on your disc, or drag and drop
elements from My Computer or
Explorer. You can finalise a disc from
the offset so that no further data can
be added, or you can burn in sessions
if you feel that there may be more
files to include at a later date. If you
have a DVD writer you can also burn
your own data DVDs in the same way.
If youve created a photo disc, you
may want to pass on copies to friends
or family. Rather than having to select
the same files and folder all over
again, you can turn to RecordNows
Exact Copy feature to complete the
process in a couple of mouse clicks.
Dont worry if you only have one
optical drive attached to your system:
the program can temporarily copy
files on to your hard drive before
burning them to a second blank disc.
All of these options can be
accessed from the opening screen of
the program, or you have the option
of working your way through the
various tabs. If youve created a disc in
a number of sessions, youll need to
finalise it before it can be read on
other machines. This option is available
from the startup screen and will mean
that no further data can be added to
your selected disc regardless of how
much capacity has been used up.
ON THE CD
RecordNow Deluxe LE
>PUBLISHER: ROXIO CONTACT: WWW.ROXIO.CO.UK
SUPPORT: HTTP://ROXIO.COM/EN/SUPPORT/INDEX.JHTML
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS: WINDOWS 98/2000/ME/XP, 128MB RAM, 300MHZ PROCESSOR
LIMITATIONS: NONE, FULL PROGRAM. REQUIRES ONLINE REGISTRATION AT WWW.ROXIO.CO.UK/KEYS
Create home-made CDs and DVDs with ease using this powerful burning package
>
UPGRADE
RecordNow Deluxe LE is a
powerful and versatile tool, but
if youre looking for a few extra
features you could take
advantage of one of several
upgrade offers. Upgrading to
RecordNow Deluxe will unlock a
number of features of the LE
version of the program
converting CDs to MP3s,
creating disc images and
backing up your computer. The
normal selling price of this
program is 20, but readers of
PCAnswers can upgrade for just
18 by paying a visit to www.
roxio.co.uk/adban/cd-
upgrade/upgrade_en.jhtml.
Here youll also find details of a
number of other upgrade offers
including Easy Media Creator 7.5
Supersonic, BackUp MyPC
Deluxe and Roxio PhotoSuite 7
Platinum. You can save ten per
cent on any of these products
when you decide to upgrade.
PC ANSWERS.CO.UK AUGUST 2005
142
RecordNows opening screen should be your
first port of call no matter what type of disc
you want to create
Create your own discs
> STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
Burn your own audio and data discs with ease
Run the program, enter the address of your
Web site, click Next and select your
connection speed. You can then search terms that
are relevant to your site, and theyll be used to test
your sites ranking with search engines.
01
Click Search Engine Submitter on the main
screen, then Next. Select your site, click Edit
and fill in the information requested of you. Back
at the main screen, select the search engines youre
interested in and click Next to start submitting.
02
Click the Top 10 Optimizer button. Select
your Web site and specify the search engine
you want to query. Enter keywords and click Next.
Select any of the top ten listings that are displayed,
click Next and choose your analysis options.
03
>
REGISTER ONLINE
Register online at
www.roxio.co.uk/keys