News and Articles

Can I still buy a computer with Windows XP? (16th July 2009)
We're tripling the price and reducing the capacity by 3/4, but it's now even better! (15th July 2009)
Windows 7 - Here we go again? (14th July 2009)
What is the best Anti-Virus program? (3rd February 2009)
Small laptops ("Netbooks") at less than £200 - any good? (29th October 2008)
Browsers Wars - Now there is a real choice (27th June 2008)
New Version of AVG Anti-Virus Software released - What You Need to Know (25th May 2008)
Other People Can't Read Your Office 2007 Spreadsheets and Documents? (20th April 2008)
Sony offer laptops without junk software for extra $50! (20th March 2008)
A plug for wired rather than wireless? (12th January 2008)
Brighten up your computer with some new wallpaper (29th November 2007)
Don't forget to check your computer in the year 2117 (24th November 2007)
CTACS Newsletter #2 (Autumn 2007)
The Cheapest Way to Legally Obtain Microsoft Office (17th October 2007)
Have PC World Stopped Selling Computers? (12th October 2007)
Can I Save Money By Refilling Inkjet Cartridges? (14th September 2007)
My High Speed Broadband, Er, Isn't High Speed (1st September 2007)
An Alternative to Adobe Acrobat (20th July 2007)
Time to Go Wireless! The Benefits of Wireless Networking (11th July 2007)
Shutting Down Vista if the Mouse Isn't Working (22nd June 2007)
Wireless Networking: How Secure Is It? (31st May 2007)
CTACS Newsletter #1 (Spring 2007)

Can I still buy a computer with Windows XP? (16th July 2009)

Many people prefer Windows XP to Windows Vista. But, it has become increasing hard to buy a new computer with XP installed. For a while, vendors such as Dell offered a choice of XP or Vista, whilst some manufacturers offered so-called "downgrade" rights whereby the computer came with Vista but you could revert it to XP at no charge (although this was only applicable to business versions of Windows). But, as time as gone by the supply of XP machines has dried up. Not because the stocks have run out, but because of the licensing terms imposed by Microsoft.

However, there still are new computers available with XP rather than Vista on them. The restriction is that the computer shouldn't be too "powerful"; in other words, it should be too anaemic to run Windows Vista at an acceptable pace. Two types of computers fall into this category: small, low-cost Netbooks and cheap desktops. The first wave of Netbooks (see Small laptops ("Netbooks") at less than £200 - any good? (29th October 2008) ) usually came with the Linux operating system installed but didn't sell particularly well. Consequently, most Netbooks now have Windows XP on them, even those costing just £200.

There is also a new breed of low-cost desktop computers equipped with Windows XP. These sell for around the £250-£300 mark and are available from manufacturers such as Compaq, Acer and Asus. Often these computers are physically small, and styled to look good in the home. They are not very powerful - typically they are built around the Intel Atom processor and restricted to 1GB memory. In other words, a specification more associated with home computers from 6 or 7 years ago. This might sound bad, but if all you are doing is checking email, browsing the internet, writing the odd letter and uploading pictures from your camera then it doesn't really matter.

Once Windows 7 becomes available, it is likely that XP will vanish altogether on new computers. So, get it while you can!

We're tripling the price and reducing the capacity by 3/4, but it's now even better! (15th July 2009)
 

Sky Broadband is an extremely popular service. The most basic version is free for Sky television subscribers, making it a no-brainer for people who only use the internet occasionally or for email only. It's Mid (£5 per month) and Max (£10 per month) services have also represented great value.

But things are changing for some people. Sky have recently sent out a leaflet to their subscribers entitled "Sky Broadband now even better. All for the same low price". But get this: for some people the service will be tripling in price, but they will only be able to use it a quarter as much. You could say the new service is therefore only 1/12th as good as it was - an interesting definition of "now even better".

Not all Sky customers are affected. Sky's basic or "light" service, known as Base, remains unchanged. So too does the Max or Unlimited service. It's the Mid service, now renamed Everyday, where the big hit is. Sky do not provide a breakdown of who uses what, but the Mid service is very popular and it has been claimed that this is what most people have. To date, the Mid service has cost £5 per month and had a download limit of 40GB a month - enough for most people. This is now increasing to £10 per month, but at the same time the download limit is slashed to just 10GB a month. 10GB will still be sufficient for many people, but not for people who use, say, the BBC iPlayer or similiar or who have teenagers in the house. However, those who don't take Sky Talk - Sky's telephone service - will have to pay a surcharge of £5, bringing the total to £15.

Depending on their circumstances, Sky remains an attractive option for some people. But, it is clearly no longer as attractive as it once was. Increasingly, competitive deals are available from other sources, although it is often necessary to take line rental and telephone calls as well. One exception that is generating a lot of interest is O2 Broadband, an unlimited service for just £12.33 a month with a free wireless router and no setup costs.

Windows 7 - Here we go again? (14th July 2009)

The latest version of Windows - known as Windows 7 - goes on sale in October. It replaces the current version, Windows Vista, and will be provided as a matter of course on new computers from that time. It will also be possible to buy boxed copies for the purpose of updating existing computers.

Although it might still seem new to many people, it is two and a half years since Windows Vista came out. A lot of computers have been sold since then, so there are many tens of millions of computers running it. Most of these are home computers - the take-up within the business and educational sectors has been relatively sluggish.

It is fair to say that Vista has not been overwhelmingly popular, in fact, many people despise it. There are three reasons for this: firstly, it looks different. In practice it is not that different, but the perception is that things have changed and many people prefer to stick with what they know. Secondly, a number of existing programmes didn't (and in some cases still don't) work properly with it. Again, this has been somewhat exaggerated but there is sufficient truth in that people became wary. Thirdly, Vista has a reputation for being slow and sluggish. This is because it requires a more powerful computer than its predecessor. Matters were not helped in the early days because many new low cost computers were simply inadequate specified. For instance, Vista needs about 2GB memory (RAM) to run properly. Most new computers come with this much memory today but even a year ago 1GB or just 512MB was the norm and this is totally inadequate. Matters are made worse by the fact that most computers are stuffed with crapware and bloatware - unnecessary and unwanted programs supplied by the manufacturers that serve to slow them down.

Windows 7 is Microsoft's attempt to put matters right. It is described as a brand new operating system, but in practise is Windows Vista with a new name and with many of the problems fixed. Whereas most people can immediately see the difference between XP and Vista, the average person will be hard pressed to spot any difference between Vista and 7 in terms of appearance.

Windows 7 is designed to be "lighter" than Vista, using less memory and generally running faster. This is considered important because the main growth area is in low cost, small laptops known as "Netbooks" and these are not powerful computers. However, the verdict is still out on this one. Some people report it to be faster, others find no differences, others consider it slower.

Should you buy Windows 7 when it becomes available? Well, if you are buying a new computer then you are unlikely to have much choice in the matter. Should you retrofit it ("upgrade") to an existing computer? If your computer is currently running XP then possibly not as it is already likely to be a couple of years old. If your computer is running Vista then the differences are so small it is hard to see the benefits. But there again, if you like to have the latest technology....

What is the best Anti-Virus program? (3rd February 2009)

A common question that people ask is: what is the best anti-virus program? The question often arises after a new computer is bought - many new computers come with a 30-day trial version of Norton Internet Security or McAfee, after which time you need to get out your credit card in order to keep using it. Or, maybe you've been using an anti-virus program for a year and it has now expired: should you renew it, or look for something cheaper/better?

There are plenty of programs to choose from. The most popular are Norton and McAfee. The fact they are so popular is not because they are necessarily the best (as in performance, ability to detect and clean viruses, price) but rather because they are the best marketed. As mentioned above, trial versions often come with new computers. Also, many shops will try to make you purchase a copy of Norton when you buy a computer from them - it is rumoured to offer a very good mark-up! Typical complaints that people have about Norton and McAfee are: they cause the computer to slow down too much; they are effective at detecting viruses but not necessarily removing them; they can go wrong in spectacular fashion, necessitating a lot of work to put the computer right again. To some degree, these charges can be levied at any anti-virus program and are reported here merely to illustrate that these programs are not necessarily "the best" in any real sense.

If you have broadband from BT, Sky or Virgin (maybe some others) you may be offered a free download of anti-virus software. Sometimes this turns out to be a variant of Norton or McAfee, maybe slightly disguised or an older version. Else, there are plenty of free anti-virus programs that can be downloaded elsewhere. The two best known ones are AVG from Grisoft and Avast! For a number of years AVG was the favourite, but since the upgrade to version 8 a number of people have reported difficulties (see the news article dated 25th May for info about AVG). Accordingly, Avast! has become popular for home users - a free edition can be downloaded from http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html.  After downloading simply install and you will be protected for a month or two. After this time you will be prompted to register - this is straightforward, does not involve any money and will enable Avast! to receive updates for another year. After which time, you repeat the process! It really is free, although if you wish you can purchase a so-called Professional version which entitles you to support.

One important thing to remember when upgrading or replacing anti-virus software - but sure to remove the old one first. If you try and run two together your computer may grind to a halt and you can get into all sorts of difficulties. This can be a particular version with older versions of Norton, which sometimes don't want to go without a great deal of kicking and screaming.

Bottom line: the big four are probably Norton, McAfee, AVG and Avast! Most people tend to stick with these and avoid names they haven't heard of. For home users, free editions are just as good and Avast! and AVG are the ones to consider.

Small Laptops ("Netbooks") at less than £200 - any good? (29th October 2008)

If you've been thinking of buying a new laptop - or maybe just shopping in a large supermarket - you may have noticed a new type of small, cheap laptop. Typically priced around £200 (although you can pay more or less depending upon features), these laptops have small screens and are usually described as "Netbooks". They certainly look cute, but what exactly are they and are they any good?

The inspiration for these devices was something called the One-Laptop-Per-Child (OLPC) project, a plan to produce very low cost educational laptops for use in poorer countries in Africa, Asia and South America etc. To achieve the necessary low price, many standard components were missed out or replaced with cheaper alternatives. For instance, instead of a hard disc the OLPC used flash memory, of the sort used in digital cameras and USB memory sticks. It turns out that the most expensive component of a cheap computer is sometimes the licence to use Microsoft Windows, so the original OLPC used a free alternative called Linux instead. Having established the idea of a cheap, simple computer, someone had the idea of producing a more conventional variant aimed at the mainstream consumer market, and the Netbook was born. The first popular one was the Asus EEE PC; a lot of people have never heard of Asus but this Taiwanese company is actually one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world and supplies many of the innards for the brands you have heard of. It is has since been joined by a host of other manufacturers, of the which Acer is the most notable to date.

These Netbooks are all pretty similar in design. They are small, typically with 7" or 8.9" screens (although ones with 10" screens are also beginning to appear). They use low power, low speed processors that often run at 1/2 the speed of a normal laptop or less (this is not really an issue and is done to increase battery life). As might be expected, keyboards are small and cramped. Instead of a hard disc, there is flash memory instead. Storage capacity may be limited, sometimes only 2GB rather than the 80-160GB of a hard disc. However, flash memory uses less power and has no moving parts so is very reliable. But otherwise the Netbooks are quite well specified, with built-in wireless adaptors, webcams, slots for memory cards and USB ports to allow printers to be connected.

The big difference from a "normal" computer, however, is the operating system. Netbooks do not use Windows Vista, as it is considered too "heavy" to run on this type of machine. Some of the more expensive ones run Windows XP, but most run Linux. As mentioned above, Linux is a free alternative to Windows. It does much the same thing, that is, it enables you to interact with the computer and run programs, but there are a number of limitations. Firstly, you can't really install any additional programs - you are stuck with what comes with it unless you happen to be a nerd or hacker. This is not necessarily a problem as you get most of the basics: a browser to go on the internet; an email program; a word processor and spreadsheet (called OpenOffice) that can work with documents created with Microsoft Office. But, adding a printer requires some thought as you can only use models that are supported by the Netbook.

On the plus side, most of the systems have a simple menu or front-end that makes them easier to use than Windows - the one above is from the original Asus EEE PC. Another plus is that Linux is widely considered to be more secure than Windows, inasmuch as it is less susceptible to computer viruses and spyware. In fact, you would be quite unlucky to catch a virus on a Linux system.

Because of the nature of these systems, they are best thought of as internet "appliances" rather than general purpose computers. If this is too limiting for you, it is possible to buy a Netbook with Windows XP installed rather than Linux. This typically adds about £50 to the cost e.g. if the Linux version is £200 then expect to pay £250 for the Windows XP version. One thing to be aware of is that Netbooks do not come with CD/DVD drives, making it harder to install programs and impossible to play DVDs or music CDs. This is more of an issue if you buy a Windows version and expect to install programs, although it is possible to buy a separate, plug-in drive for about £50.

Is it worth buying a Netbook? If it is to be your only computer, then the answer is possibly not as many people find them too limiting. But they make great second computers, enabling you to get on the internet and check your email whilst the kids hog the main computer in the living room. Or, if you travel then they are small and light and enable you to keep in touch using wi-fi hotspots and such. Which one to buy? It depends. Your first choice is whether you can live with Linux or must have Windows XP. Then, is the relatively small amount of built-in flash storage sufficient (actually, it is for most people and you can always add a memory stick) or do you need a hard disc version? Is the screen large enough - 8.9" looks quite a bit more substantial than 7", but if you have poor eyes then you might need to wear reading glasses with either! In terms of specific models, the most popular one is the Asus EEE PC, which starts at about £170 for a Linux/flash storage/7" screen version and goes up to about £350 for a Windows/hard disc/8.9" screen variant. The Acer Aspire One is also popular and widely available in supermarkets from about £189: it has a bright, clear screen and a reasonable keyboard, but an odd mouse and poor battery life. If these names are too unfamiliar, consider the Dell Inspiron 9 with Windows XP for £299 direct from Dell. If cost is the main consideration, the cheapest Netbook at the time of writing is the "Minibook" for £139.99 in Maplins, but it is somewhat more limited than the competition.

Browser Wars - Now There is a Real Choice (27th June 2008)

Most people using the internet - maybe 85%-90% - access it using the Internet Explorer browser that is part of Windows. Most people don't realise that they have a choice, but they do and there are a number of reasons why you might want to consider using an alternative browser. Here's the lowdown:

Internet Explorer was not the first browser and for a long time was not the most popular one. But, as it came free with every copy of Windows it eventually became ubiquitous. The current version is Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) and, if you are not already using it, you should download a copy and switch to it. It is faster, more capable, more stable and with better security than its predecessor, IE 6. Many websites are designed with Internet Explorer in mind and look their best using it.

However, Internet Explorer is not without its problems. It is not just popular with users - it is also very popular with the folks who write computer viruses and other malware and who specifically target Internet Explorer. They are able to exploit security weaknesses in Internet Explorer so, for example, they can hijack the home page, interfere with searches or infect the computer with spyware when you visit an infected website.

The main alternative to Internet Explorer is Firefox, also referred to as Mozilla. This does everything that IE does, but is considered less prone to security problems. It is also faster at rendering web pages (in other words, sites are displayed more quickly). Firefox has brought a lot of innovation to web browsing, and it can be argued that IE7 has been merely playing "catch-up". It is frequently the case that a computer that is having problems accessing the internet using IE may be fine using Firefox instead. The current version of Firefox is version 3.

The other alternative is Safari from Apple. This is the standard browser on Macintosh computers, but it is now available for Windows computers as well. Besides a very polished appearance, it has a unique security feature - you can make your surfing private by switching off the history of visited sites. Apple claim that Safari is the fastest browser available.

This choice of browsers is a good thing, as it is forcing innovation and improving security as manufacturers try to compete with one another. Although browsers are free and therefore might not seem to make money, they are such an important part of the computing experience that they constitute a valuable "gateway" that Microsoft and Apple wish to control. Firefox, incidentally, is produced by a not-for-profit organisation but it does finance itself through advertising links.

You can download the latest browsers from here:

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7
Mozilla Firefox 3
Apple Safari 3 for Windows

New Version of AVG Anti-Virus Software Released - What You Need to Know (25th May 2008)

The producers of AVG - Grisoft - have released a new version of their popular anti-virus software. Known as Version 8, this version has additional features, offers better protection and replaces the previous version. If you are running an earlier version (most likely you have 7.5), then you HAVE to upgrade to this new one in order to continue to receive updates and be properly protected. As previously, AVG comes in two flavours. There is a FREE version for home users, and a paid version for business users. The paid version gives additional flexibility and offers more protection, but the free one is fine for most home users.

You might well receive a message on your computer saying that you need to upgrade to this latest version. It will give you a choice of upgrading now or later. Choose 'now' and basically follow the instructions. Or, you can choose to download the new free version from http://free.grisoft.com/ww.download?prd=afe

When you download or upgrade, you will constantly be encouraged to switch to the paid version. If you are a business user you should be paying for it, but if you are a home user stick to your guns and make sure you choose the free version. Installation is basically a matter of following the instructions, but note the following:

1. You will be prompted to install the "AVG Security Toolbar". You don't need to do this - it largely duplicates features already built-in to Internet Explorer 7, Firefox or provided elsewhere (CTACS do not advise installing ANY toolbars).

2. During installation, you will have to configure the "Regular scans and updates". By default, a daily scan will take place at 12 noon. You may not want to do this as it will slow you down for an hour or two each day, so remove the tick box. However, if you disable it then you should still manually scan your computer on a regular basis (once a week, once a month, whatever).

3. You do not have to register the software for it to work and continue working. If you do register you are likely to receive emails about "special offers" i.e. switching to the paid version.

4. Once installation has completed and AVG has been configured you should restart your computer.

The installation is relatively straightforward compared to most PC security products, but if you get stuck or simply want it done for you then just give CTACS a call.

Other People Can't Read Your Office 2007 Spreadsheets and Documents? (20th April 2008)

If you have Office 2007 - the current version of Microsoft Office - on your computer then you may get complaints from colleagues, friends and contacts that they cannot open the documents, spreadsheets and presentations that you send them. What is happening is that they have earlier versions of Word/Excel/PowerPoint (for instance, those from Office 2003) and Microsoft have "thoughtfully" changed the file formats with Office 2007, such that they are not compatible.

Fortunately, there are some simply remedies. Firstly, when you save a file don't just "Save" it. Instead, choose the "Save As" option. On the dialogue box is an option marked "Save as type", with a drop-down arrow on it. Click on it and you can then choose the "old" formats. For Word, choose "Word 97-2003 Document". For Excel, choose "Excel 97-2003 Workbook". For PowerPoint, choose "PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003". That's it! You can now share these documents with just about anyone, safe in the knowledge that they can read them no matter what version of Microsoft Office they are using.

Or, you can make the change permanent such that Office 2007 will always use the old (or rather, universal) formats without you ever having to worry about the matter again. Go into Word 2007 and click on the Office Button. Click on "Word Options". Click on "Save". Towards the top of the panel is a field marked "Save files in this format". It will currently be set to "Word Document (*.docx)". Change it to "Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)" on the drop-down. Click on Okay. For Excel 2007, do the same sort of thing and change it from "Excel Workbook" to "Excel 97-2003 Workbook". For PowerPoint 2007, change the default of "PowerPoint Presentation" to "PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003".

Sony offer Laptops without junk software for extra $50! (20th March 2008)

Home computers generally come stuffed with lots of unnecessary programs: demos, trials, useless utilities and things that duplicate the functionality already built in to Windows. These programs are generally referred to as "bloatware" or "crapware" and they can make using a new computer a misery: having just forked out on a brand new one you find that it is actually slower than the one you have just replaced! Quite a bit of time, effort and expertise is needed to remove this junk and make the computer usable. This process can be difficult for a non-expert, who is unlikely to know what it is essential and what is not.

Sony have a reputation for producing good laptops that are crippled with useless software. But now, in the US at least, they are offering computers without the bloatware - for an extra $50! If you buy a laptop from their website you can opt for "Fresh Start", whereby the laptop is provided without the junk that, er, Sony normally adds. In their own words: "Fresh Start safely scrubs your PC to free up valuable hard drive space and conserve memory and processing power while maximizing overall system performance right from the start". Why do you have to pay? Well, in a sense all that bloatware subsidises the cost of the computer. For instance, "Acme" might pay Sony/Dell/HP/whoever, say, 50p to have a 30-day trial copy of their sluggish Internet security program pre-installed. As a consumer, you think you are getting something for nothing so everyone is happy (until you try to use the computer!). This isn't about Sony bashing - most of the computer manufacturers do this sort of thing, with the notable exception of Apple.

P.S. If you have recently purchased a new computer or are about to do so and are worried about its performance, CTACS can optimise its performance for you.

P.P.S. On the 21st March, Sony announced that they are to drop the $50 charge, possibly in response to unwelcome publicity.

A Plug for Wired rather than Wireless? (12th January 2008)

Wireless technology has made a huge difference to networking in homes and small businesses. Instead of being tethered to the wall, you can place your computers pretty much anywhere you want within the house or office (or garden!) and use the internet, print, access files and so on. Wireless routers also enable you to easily share your internet connection between all your computers; for example, the family PC, the kids' laptops and the Playstation 3 in the living room can all use the internet simultaneously. But wireless technology isn't without its problems: it is subject to interference, performance can be poor, plus some locations have "dead spots" where it simply won't work reliably at all. So what can be done in these circumstances?

The main alternative to wireless is its predecessor - wiring! Networks were traditionally connected using wires in the form of so-called Ethernet cables. Wired Ethernet can be many times faster than wireless, is practically 100% reliable and does not have the security issues associated with wireless. For anything other than a small office, it is generally a far better solution. But, in the home, it is not usually practical to have wires all over the place. Or, in a temporary office or an office located in a listed building it might also be impractical to install cabling. So what is the solution then?

The answer is to use the wiring that is ALREADY in the building - the mains electrical wiring system. A special adaptor plugs into the back of the internet router and in turn is plugged in to a nearby electrical socket (the standard 3-pin socket). Then, where the PC to be connected is located, another adaptor is used to plug in to the mains socket there. As there is invariably an electrical socket close to a computer, this arrangement works very well. Using the mains in this way might sound potentially dangerous, but of course it is no different than using any other electrical appliance. It is not just one computer that can be connected - in theory you can use as many as you have mains sockets. Security is catered for via passwords built-in to the adaptors, so if you live in (say) an apartment block your neighbours cannot hack in or "borrow" your connection. A particularly nice feature of these network adaptors - which often go under the name "Homeplug" or similar - is that they do not require any software to be installed. Consequently any computer with an Ethernet socket can be used and that means just about any PC or Macintosh made during the last 5 years or so. You can also use them to connect a gaming console such as a PlayStation 3 or XBOX 360 to the Internet.

It all sounds good, so what if any are the disadvantages? Firstly, they are more expensive than wireless or conventional wired adaptors, typically around £40-£50 each and you will need a minimum of 2 in addition to your router. Secondly, you are tethered to the wall, at least when you want to use the internet. Thirdly, this is fairly new technology and there aren't that many big name manufacturers involved yet. But, it does provide a reasonably good alternative to wireless - at least as fast, more secure and with the ability to work reliably in situations where wireless might not. One to watch!

Brighten Up Your Computer with Some New Wallpaper (29th November 2007)

Chances are that you have changed the background picture ("wallpaper") on your computer to something more interesting. For instance, by default Windows XP comes with a picture of green hills and a blue sky, commonly referred to as the "Teletubbies" picture. However, Windows XP, Windows Vista and the Macintosh all come with a selection of wallpapers, or you can add your own photo.

Alternatively, take a look at www.interfacelift.com. It contains thousands of free, high resolution pictures suitable for all computers and screen sizes, with new ones being added each day. Most of these are extremely high quality photographs, but there are also some examples of abstract art and computer generated images. The screen shot about gives some examples. As mentioned, they are free and there are no catches. 

Don't Forget to Check Your Computer in the Year 2117 (24th November 2007)

Never let it be said that computers don't have a sense of humour. The following message was displayed by Windows Vista whilst copying a file from one computer to another - it reckons it is going to take "About 40498 Days and 14 hours" to copy a file. That's about 110 years... In reality, it should take only a couple of minutes (and fortunately it did).

The Cheapest Way to Legally Obtain Microsoft Office (17th October 2007)

Most people use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc) and naturally want a copy for use on their home PC. Office is not part of Windows and does not normally come supplied with a new PC; instead, it has to be purchased separately. The price can come as something of a shock - you can buy a basic computer for as little as £300 these days, whereas a full copy of Office comes in at over £350! So, what can be done to reduce the cost to make it more palatable?

The thing you cannot do is simply "borrow" a copy or use a copied (pirated) version. Firstly, it is illegal. Secondly, it may not activate and work properly. Thirdly, it may contain some sort of spyware or virus, putting your computer and data at risk. You need to purchase your own copy of Office and the name of the game is how to lower that cost.

Office comes in a variety of flavours: Standard edition, Professional edition, Small Business edition and so on. The cheapest one is Home and Student Edition 2007 - this retails at around £100 and comprises Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Even better, you can legally install it on up to 3 computers in your household. As the name implies, this software is for use in the home only and commercial use (i.e. using it in a business environment) is prohibited. It is worth shopping around if you are thinking of buying Home and Student Edition as, despite its relatively low cost, special deals are sometimes available e.g. free USB memory stick, free anti-virus software, etc.

If £100 is too much, consider Complete Office from Tesco. This is a clone or lookalike to Microsoft Office, largely compatible and very similiar in operation. For instance, you could create a document at work using Microsoft Office and bring it home to edit it using Complete Office. Complete Office costs just £19.97, but Tesco often has a "buy-one-get-one-free" offer so you could buy it in conjunction with another Tesco program such as their Internet Security Suite or Anti-virus program.

£19.97 too expensive? How does something for absolutely free sound? OpenOffice is a workalike to Microsoft Office and can be downloaded free of charge from www.openoffice.org. There's no catch - it really is free and does pretty much everything that Microsoft Office does. The menus are slightly different, but the documents and spreadsheets it creates are totally compatible. OpenOffice is also available for the Apple Macintosh, too.

Another reason besides cost for using OpenOffice or Complete Office is that you might not like Microsoft Office 2007. With Office 2007, Microsoft changed the menu system in a quite radical way, replacing it with the so-called Ribbon. If you don't like this system you will find that OpenOffice and Complete Office are more similar to the "old" system that you may be accustomed to if you have used Microsoft Office previously. 

Have PC World Stopped Selling Computers? (October 11th 2007)

Well no, not exactly. But based upon this story, they are certainly making it harder for people to buy them. Read it and see what you think.

Miss M needed a new computer as her old one had recently died. She'd only recently bought a new, flat screen and still had her wireless keyboard and mouse - it was just the main box (the system unit) she needed. So off she went to PC World in Stevenage. As a fairly experienced computer user she knew exactly what she wanted; after a few minutes she found something suitable and took it to the till. "Oh, you can't pay for that here" said the girl, "You need to see the manager first". "Sorry? I didn't see the sign saying that" replied Miss M, slightly sarcastically. "Don't worry - I'll take you to him" was the response. Off they went to find the manager. "I'd like to buy this" explained Miss M. "Oh no, you can't" said the manager, looking slightly outraged at the mere suggestion, "You'll need to see a customer advisor first". "No thank you, I don't need any advice" replied Miss M, "I just want to pay for it". "No, I can't let you do that until you've seen a customer advisor. You'll have to join the queue and there are 3 people in front of you. This isn't Tesco you know!" said the Manager. "Very well" replied Miss M. She wanted to tell him where he could stick his computer but it was what she wanted and it was a good price. "How long will that take?" she asked. "Can't say" said the ever helpful manager. "OK, I'm willing to wait 5 minutes" said Miss M and shuffled off to join the queue at the back of the store.

Having to wait gave her time to prepare her opening gambit. Eventually it was her turn and she sat down in front of the customer advisor. "I'd like to pay for this" she said. "I don't want to buy a copy of Norton Internet Security. I don't want to buy an over-priced USB cable. I don't want to buy an extended warranty. I don't want to sign up for a monthly support contact. I just want to pay for this". The customer advisor smiled back at her: "Don't worry madam, I understand exactly. How would you like to pay?", thereby demonstrating that the store did indeed have someone who understood the old maxim that "the customer is always right" (even when they don't want to buy a £1 USB cable for £14.95).

We'd be interested to hear of any other reader's experiences in other stores!

Can I Save Money By Refilling Inkjet Catridges? (14th September 2007)

The short answer - in many cases - is "yes". If you are prepared to spend a little time and effort and accept that it can be a bit messy and sometimes a bit hit and miss, you can indeed reduce your printing costs substantially.

The majority of printers sold to home computer and small business users are inkjet printers. They are amazingly cheap to buy and give really good results, whether you are printing letters, homework or even photographs. Basic printers can be picked up for as little as £20; so-called all-in-ones (printer, copier, scanner) cost about £40; if you spend £100 you can get something that will produce stunning results. But there is a catch: although the printers are low cost, the ink cartridges that they use are not. In some cases, a set of replacement cartridges will cost more than the original printer, making it cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one when the ink runs out! This is the age-old "razor blade" principle - sell the razors for next to nothing but charge a fortune for the blades. In fact, ounce for ounce (or gramme for gramme if you prefer), the ink in a cartridge can cost more than gold! Now, the ink used is a tad more sophisticated than that found in your average fountain pen, but not such that it justifies the sometimes exorbitant cost.

One possible way to save money is by using refilled cartridges. Many of the "own brand" cartridges sold by the likes of Tesco, WH Smith, Rymans and Staples are precisely this, enabling you to shave a few pounds compared to the original manufacturer's ones. Or, you can buy refilled cartridges from a high street chain like CartridgeWorld, or on eBay. But to really bring down costs, you can refill your own cartridges. To do this, you need a refill kit. These can be bought from supermarkets for around a fiver (and look out for buy-one-get-one-free deals); they are even in some "Pound shops" for just £1. The kit contains the inks - you can buy black only or a set of colours - along with a syringe and one or two other tools to facilitate matters. The basic technique is to make a small hole in the cartridge, inject it with ink, reseal the hole, allow to stand for a few hours and then re-use it. Detailed instructions for most cartridges can be found on the internet (e.g. look at http://www.jettecjetset.com/ ). However, note that not all cartridges can be refilled as some manufacturers have installed electronic chips in them. When the cartridge runs out it tells the printer that it has expired and refilling it doesn't make any difference (although you can buy chip "zappers" for some cartridges!). It is therefore necessary to do a bit of homework before spending any money.

Are the results worthwhile? They can be. You can often obtain excellent results with black cartridges. Colour cartridges can be good too, although sometimes the colours aren't 100% (good enough for charts and the kids homework but maybe not for high quality photographic work). For best results you should refill a cartridge within a day or two of it running out. Also, most cartridges can be refilled once but thereafter things may not be so good. And, occasionally, you get a dud - you've done everything right but it simply doesn't work, in which case you'll need to buy a new cartridge. You need to trade this off against the potential savings. For instance, a set of four cartridges for a particular printer worked out at over £30. Using a refill kit costing £4.95 from a large supermarket it was possible to refill TWO sets of cartridges i.e. a fiver versus sixty quid! It's not just about saving money, either. Tens of millions of used cartridges go into UK landfill sites every year, where they will take hundreds of years to decompose. So, you're also doing your bit for the environment.

Needless to say, the printer manufacturers don't like people doing this. All of them will say that you should only use their own official cartridges, and that by using refills you will void the warranty on your printer (they would say that, wouldn't they?). The risks are relatively small, but if you are very cautious then you may wish to wait until your printer is out of warranty. Good luck!

My High Speed Broadband, Er, Isn't High Speed (1st September 2007)

A customer recently reported to us that he had been persuaded by his ISP (Internet Service Provider) to "upgrade" from his current 1Mbit broadband service - with which he was perfectly happy - to a new, high speed 16Mbit service for an extra £10 a month. Increasing his speed by a factor of 16 for an extra 33p a day seemed like a bargain, so he went for it. Unfortunately, and this was the reason for his call, it seemed to be exactly the same as it was before the upgrade. So what on earth was going on?

Broadband services are usually sold on the basis of speed, but this can be very deceptive. An analogy with cars may be helpful: if you have a car, it probably has a speedometer that goes up to 120mph or more. Have you ever driven your car at 120mph on a standard UK road? Even if it was physically capable of reaching that speed, what about the motorway speed limit of 70mph? And can you reach that speed if you are driving on, say, the M25 motorway on a Friday afternoon? (you might be lucky to reach 10mph some times!).

A similar situation applies with broadband. The speeds quoted are usually theoretical speeds, and may not be achievable in practice. The biggest variable is how far away you are from the telephone exchange - the further away you are, the slower your internet connection will be due to noise on the line. In reality you can only get the highest rated speeds - 16Mbit, 24 Mbit etc - if you live literally next door to the exchange. If you live 1/2 mile away you'll get around 8Mbit, a mile away it will be around 4Mbit, 3 miles away it will be down to 1Mbit. This assumes that you are connected to a modern exchange; this will usually be the case if you live in an urban area but in some parts of the country the maximum broadband speed is still 0.5 to 1Mbit.

This is what had happened to the customer. He had been sold a 16Mbit service, but in fact the distance of his home office from the exchange meant that the maximum speed he could expect was around 1Mbit, which was what he was already getting before! Thirty seconds effort by the ISP would have identified this to be the case, so was he mis-sold? Well, yes and no. If you read this particular ISP's sales brochure it actually states "connection speeds at up to 16Mbit", without guaranteeing that this is achievable in every case.

Even if you are lucky enough to have a high speed connection, it still may not operate at the rated speed. Again, think of the M25 motorway being busy at some times - the internet also gets busy. Additionally, some ISPs have been known to "cap" the speed if their service is under stress or if you are using it "too much". Again, the small print on the contract allows them to do this.

The moral of this story is that, generally speaking, it is not worth "upgrading" for higher speed. Better reasons for changing your broadband are: to switch to unlimited downloads (as many low cost services have severe restrictions); to reduce costs; to obtain freebies (e.g. a wireless router).

To check your present broadband speed, use this link http://www.broadband.org/speed_test.html

To find out how fast broadband could be for you, use this link and enter your post code http://www.broadband.org/index.html

Note that both of these tests can only be indicative but they are helpful.

An Alternative to Adobe Acrobat (20th July 2007)

Adobe Acrobat Reader is a program installed on something like 95% of the World's computers. It is used for reading PDF documents; these are electronic documents that exactly reproduce printed brochures and forms. If you have ever downloaded an agreement, a brochure, a quote from an insurance company or one of many other types of documents, chances are it was a PDF document. Not only do they look good, they are relatively small in size (which makes them fast and easy to download) and, more importantly for many uses, cannot be changed or edited. PDF was invented by a company called Adobe; although the Acrobat reader is given away free of charge, the program used to create PDF files is sold and licensed and this is where Adobe makes money.

But, in the opinion of some people, Acrobat has gone a bit strange recently. It has been around for many years and, just like some people entering middle age, has started to put on weight and act oddly. Quite a lot of weight. For instance, the download is now in excess of 20MB and, once installed on your PC, can take up 80MB or more of disc space. You've also got to be careful when you download it, else it will download unnecessary toolbars for Internet Explorer and other "junk". But worst of all, it likes to download updates from time to time. What do these updates do? They probably fix bugs and improve security, but nobody really knows why so many are necessary. These updates are controlled by Adobe's Update Manager program and it can be difficult (some say impossible if you have Windows Vista) to remove or control it. Another unnecessary "feature" is Adobe Speed Launch. This is a program that starts up every time you switch on your computer; the idea is that it preloads some of Acrobat so it will load more quickly when (if) you come to use it. However, this process simply takes up memory plus slows down the computer's startup process.

Although millions will continue to happily use Acrobat, there is now an alternative in the form of Foxit Reader from Foxit Software (www.foxitsoftware.com). The new kid is lean and mean - the download is less than 2MB (a tenth of the size of Acrobat), the program is breathtakingly fast, doesn't want to update itself every ten minutes and is, of course, free of charge. It seems to be totally compatible with Acrobat, and actually has some additional useful features. Also, if you are a long term Acrobat user, you may be pleased to know that the interface is more like "classic" Acrobat rather than the very latest versions.

Time to Go Wireless! The Benefits of Wireless Networking (11th July 2007)

The main benefit of wireless networking is that you can share your broadband internet connection between two or more computers (both desktop PCs and laptops) from anywhere in your home. Not only that, but all of the computers can be accessing the internet simultaneously. For instance, the kids might be in the bedroom researching for their homework, whilst at the same time Mum and Dad are sending email from the study. Wireless networking also enables you to break the 'umbilical cord' that ties your computer to the phone line. For instance, your phone socket might be the in hallway but your computer is in the bedroom upstairs - wireless enables you to get rid of that long cable you currently have between them.

To go wireless (assuming you already have broadband) you need two things. Firstly, a small box of tricks called a wireless router. Secondly, in each computer you want to connect you will need a wireless adaptor. Routers come in two flavours and it is essential to get the right one. If you have broadband through a standard telephone line (e.g. you are with BT, Tiscali, Sky, AOL, TalkTalk, Tesco etc) then you need an ADSL Modem Router. These cost between £50-£100 depending on the brand and the features. If you have broadband through cable (e.g. VirginMedia) then you need a Cable DSL Router. These are slightly cheaper - you shouldn't need to pay more than £50. There are many brands to choose from: LinkSys, D-Link, 3-Com are recommended. You may well be offered Netgear or Belkin - we do not recommend these brands. Before shelling out, you should check whether your ISP will provide a free wireless router - BT, Sky and AOL do, for instance.

Each computer then needs a wireless adaptor. These are 3 main types. For best results with a desktop PC use a PCI card. To install this the PC has to be opened; the card is then fitted into a slot inside the computer (it's not too difficult or CTACS can help you). For a laptop, use a notebook adaptor, sometimes described as a PCMCIA or PC Bus card. These simply plug into a slot on the side of the laptop. However, first check that you actually need one at all - nearly all laptops sold in the past year or two already have built-in wireless capabilities. Also note that if you have a Macintosh computer then all current models already have built-in wireless networking. The third and final option is a USB adaptor; this is a sort of dongle that plugs into any spare USB slot on a computer. Many people choose these because they are easy to install, but they give the worst results and we would only recommend as a last resort. One thing to note is that if you go into PC W*rld or C*met and ask for wireless you will probably be sold a B*lkin router with a plug-in USB adaptor - in our experience the worst possible combination.

One thing that often confuses people are the various standards associated with wireless networking. Basically, these standards relate to the speed of the network, or more accurately the theoretical speed of the network under laboratory conditions when surrounded by technicians in white coats (in other words, they are not real speeds at all). The most widely used industry standard is 802.11g, also referred to as 'G' or 54g and operating at a speed of 54Mbits/sec. This is what you should buy - if you are offered 11b (802.11b) then this is old technology that only runs at 11Mbits/sec and is very old stuff not worth buying. You may also find equipment described as 11N and claiming to run at 125Mbits/sec. Anything claiming to be better than 54g should be taken with a pince of salt at present, although the market is headed in this direction.

Setting up a router is not too difficult - it's basically a matter of entering the name and password provided by the ISP and some routers have facilities to help you. You then need to install the adaptor(s) into your computer(s) - they are usually supplied with a CDROM containing suitable driver software, although if you buy a laptop it will probably already be in place. The final step is to enable security on the router to prevent unauthorised people gaining access; security is based around passwords called keys and there are two systems - WEP and WPA. The latter is preferable under most circumstances.

Having done the above, you should have a working wireless network that will enable you to share your internet connection between all your PCs. It doesn't matter if you have desktops or laptops, Windows PCs or Apple Macintosh (or a mixture), 2 computers or 10, it should all work. But having got this capability there are even more things you can do. For instance, it is possible to share a single printer between all your computers. Or, you can set up some shared space on one of the computers that all the others can use, enabling you to create a sort of library for storing your music, photographs, videos and so on. In the near future, more sophisticated versions of this will become available that can do other tricks, too.

In summary, wireless networking is of benefit to most households with 2 or more computers. The equipment is affordable and reliable, and not too difficult to setup. Plus, if you run into problems there is always CTACS to help you!

Shutting Down Vista if the Mouse Isn't Working (22nd June 2007)

One of the - how shall we put it nicely? - paradoxes of Microsoft Windows Vista is that, although it is supposed to be the easiest version of Windows yet, it is bewilderingly complicated in some areas. In some cases, it is far more complicated than Windows XP. Consider, for example, how to shutdown the computer when you have finished using it. In Vista, there are no less than SEVEN options: Switch User, Log Off, Lock, Restart, Sleep, Hibernate and Shut Down. This reeks of design by committee - what would be wrong with, say, just two options such as Stand By and Turn Off, as with many electrical appliances?

But we digress. The real purpose of this item is to describe how to shut down a Vista computer when the mouse isn't working. This happened to a customer recently - the mouse had stopped responding and they didn't want to pull the power in case it caused problems (in extreme cases, it can corrupt data or Windows and prevent the computer starting up properly). So, here's how to shutdown using just the keyboard:

1. Press the Windows button
2. Press the Left Arrow key
3. Press the Right Arrow key (oddly enough, this does not reverse the previous step!)
4. Press Enter

That's it! It also happens to be just about the quickest way to shutdown a computer that's running Vista.

Wireless Networking: How Secure Is It? (31st May 2007)

You may have heard in the media concerns over wireless (“wi-fi”) security recently. Some of it borders on sensationalist, but it is still a serious matter. So, what are the facts?

A wireless network can be “open”, meaning that anyone nearby can connect to it without you knowing. As such, they can use (steal) your connection; if you are on a service where there are limits on how much you can download (e.g. basic services from BT, Sky, Tesco etc) then this could result in you incurring extra charges. They could also use the connection to commit fraud, send junk emails and download illegal/illicit material: if this came to the attention of the authorities then they would have your details as the person responsible! A hacker could also lock you out of your wireless router so you can’t use it yourself and, with specialist tools, access your computer and eavesdrop on what you are doing. Most of the routers sold in the shops are “open” by default, meaning you could be at risk.

The solution to this is to turn on security on the wireless router and employ a number of techniques that will make it a lot harder for outsiders to gain access. Provided your equipment is reasonably modern (no more than a couple of years old) then the security features that can be invoked are sufficiently strong to deter all but the most determined hackers and professionals, meaning you can surf and sleep with greater confidence. The most widely used feature is encryption; the way this works is that you assign the router a security key. Then, any computer that wants to connect to it needs to have the same key entered into it. The key should be a meaningless string of characters e.g. B20C569ADF0E27CC419E29CAE7 - the chances of someone guessing this are pretty remote! The general principle is the longer the key the better. Also, there are two types of encryption: WEP and WPA, of which the latter is the most secure and recommended for most circumstances. Incidentally, the key only has to be entered once into your computer - thereafter it will remember it.

Setting up security is not difficult and, in a domestic environment, WEP or WPA encryption is usually sufficient. In a business environment, additional features may be needed, particularly if you have premises located close to other businesses. CTACS can advise on wireless and other security topics if required.