14 Jun 2015

Back It Up: Ensure Your Data Survives Disaster

Back It Up: Ensure Your Data Survives DisasterBack It Up: Ensure Your Data Survives Disaster (photo: Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images)

 

It's astonishing when you sit and consider the measure of trust we have given our PCs. We spare our photographs, features, music, basic records, and all the more on our hard drives without the slightest hesitation. We assume that our machine will work, for quite a while, keeping our data secure and (to some degree) sorted out. Obviously, this trust is fortified by the true serenity you've accomplished from going down your PC all the time. You are frequently moving down your PC, correct?

Moving down a PC can appear as though its a confused errand, or that it will take a lot of time to keep up. Luckily, neither one of the statements is valid. Setting up and aintaining your reinforcement -on Windows or Mac- -is a basic process and should be possible in little time.

Local backups

Both Windows and OS X offer a local answer for going down your PC by regional standards -as such, to a hard commute that is close to your PC, either an organized commute or a USB joined commute. The setup procedure is really direct regardless of the fact that you have little tech information. I'll talk about how to do this for both Windows 7 and Windows 8 and in addition OS X for you Mac clients.

Before you can move down your PC, you're going to need an outside hard commute. Contingent upon the size and model of the drive, it may wind up being a pricey venture.

A decent general guideline when obtaining an outside hard commute for reinforcement is to get one that is about 1.5 times the extent of the hard commute in your PC. For instance, if your PC has a 500GB hard commute, purchase nothing littler than 750GB. This isn't a necessity, yet the greater commute size will permit the reinforcement project to store different reinforcements that compass a more extended time of time. This is perfect for circumstances when it takes you months to acknowledge you lost an imperative record, thus the document is on a more seasoned reinforcement.

Backing up a Windows machine(photo: Demand Media)

 

Windows 7 and Windows 8 every take an alternate way to deal with moving down your records.

Windows 7 clients need to set up what's called "Windows Backup." To do this, tap the Start catch and sort "reinforcement" into the pursuit bar. At that point tap on "Reinforcement & Restore." You can then choose a hard commute as your reinforcement destination. You can likewise set how visit the reinforcement procedure will keep running, with the most successive time being before a day. It's likewise a savvy thought to make a framework picture of your PC through the Windows Backup menu. Doing as such will permit you to load a clear hard commute with a definite copy of your present setup.

Windows 8 clients can point of interest of another element called File History. Document History makes an hourly reinforcement of your most vital records. In the event that you inadvertently erase a document, or just choose you need to begin once again on a task from a prior spare, you can then skim through and restore a record or whole organizer.

You can discover the settings for File History in your Control Panel, or via looking for "Record History" from your Windows 8 home screen. Once dispatched, you can then choose an associated or system drive to store your reinforcements on. You'll likewise have the capacity to control what records and envelopes are went down, how regularly and to what extent the documents are put away.

To restore a record on either form of Windows you have to relaunch the reinforcement program and scan through the reinforcement until you discover the document or organizer you require.

Backing up a Mac

(photo: Demand Media)

Apple's OS X working framework incorporates a component called Time Machine. Time Machine will move down your PC to an outside hard commute on normal premise. As your reinforcement plate starts to top off, Time Machine will naturally erase the most seasoned reinforcements; ensuring accessible space on the reinforcement circle at all times.

You have the alternative to utilize an associated or arranged outside hard commute with Time Machine. The first occasion when you join an outside hard commute to your Mac, Time Machine will dispatch inquiring as to whether you'd like to utilize the plate as a reinforcement circle. You can then take after the prompts and let Time Machine start the hourly reinforcements.

In the event that you erase a record or choose to begin once again from a prior spare point, you can enter Time Machine and restore the document with a couple clicks. You can even restore whole client records, settings and applications from Time Machine ought to a hard commute fizzle, or you buy another PC and need it to reflect your old PC.

Off-site reinforcements

Going down by regional standards is a helpful and simple technique for keeping your information safe. In any case, there are dangers: Your neighborhood hard commute can crash, succumb to a glass of water, or be inundated in a house fire. All of which will abandon you without your information. In view of that, we should discuss moving down your information to an off-site area.

In days of olde, off-site reinforcement implied duplicating your information to a drive that was then secured a sheltered 10 miles away. Nowadays, its a ton less demanding: You can simply utilize an online reinforcement administration.

There are a considerable measure of online reinforcement administrations accessible, yet I'll confine my dialog to only two of them: CrashPlan and Carbonite.

Both administrations charge a month to month or yearly expense to naturally reinforcement your information on remote servers through a subtle system introduced on your PC.

CrashPlan costs $5.99 every month for boundless stockpiling with only one PC, or $13.99 every month for up to 10 PCs. You can spare a couple of dollars off the month to month cost on the off chance that you pay for a whole year ahead of time. Any CrashPlan value arrangement covers Mac or Windows based PCs. You can read all the more about CrashPlan's estimating by taking after the connection in the Resource segment beneath.

Carbonite's evaluating begins at $59 every year for boundless stockpiling with one PC, Mac or Windows. From that point it goes up to $99 or $149 every year, including more reinforcement components however dropping Mac support. You'll likewise discover a connection to Carbonite's evaluating in the Resource segment underneath.

Both administrations will just take a couple of minutes to setup. You sign up, download and introduce the particular program and let it perform the beginning reinforcement. When set up the applications will keep running out of sight, unbeknownst to you, and reinforcement your information all the time. Should you have to restore your records, you can get to them through the application, Web website or cell phone application.

Which technique do you utilize?

In a perfect world - both.

Repetition is the name of the diversion with regards to going down and securing your information. It's justified, despite all the trouble to invest the energy and cash on an outer hard commute, and all the while go down your information to an online administration. Not just will you profit by having the capacity to rapidly restore a document put away on a neighborhood drive, however if you - paradise disallow - lose your outer hard commute in a surge or flame, despite everything you'll have the off-site reinforcement of your information to restore.

However, in the event that you need to pick only one strategy, run with an off-site administration. The forthright cost is lower (when contrasted with purchasing an outside hard commute) and you're information is decent and safe somewhere else.

 

Precautions for OoVoo

 

  • Like other feature, sound and content talk programs, ooVoo has efforts to establish safety set up that keep your record from being abused. For instance, each ooVoo client has an alternate name and watchword that helps keep your record secure and keeps different clients from getting to your own ooVoo data.. Taking extra safety measures will help you keep your record and the data traded from it secure.

  • Account Privacy

  • A standout amongst the most essential safeguards you can take when utilizing ooVoo is keeping your record secure. While other ooVoo clients will include you with your username, you ought to never impart your watchword to someone else; nor if you let other ooVoo clients realize what email location is connected with your record. Keeping other individuals off your ooVoo record will help guarantee nobody gets entrance to your contact list and other individual information. In the event that you utilize ooVoo on a cell phone or PC and recovery your secret key for the system, consider watchword ensuring your gadget.

  • Including Contacts

  • Something else to remember when utilizing ooVoo is which gets in touch with you need to include. A few individuals use ooVoo to meet new companions, while others utilize it to identify with individuals they know, in actuality. On the off chance that you don't need outsiders to discover your profile and include you as a companion, open your Settings menu and alter your controls so you don't show up in hunts. You can likewise shroud your birthday and other individual data from other ooVoo clients here.

  • Feature Chat

  • When you do use feature visit on ooVoo, there's no ensure that the individual on the flip side isn't recording you and that there's no other individual in the room out of your scope of perspective. Never do anything while feature visiting on ooVoo that you wouldn't need other individuals to see. The most ideal approach to stay safe when feature talking on ooVoo is to just talk with individuals you know and trust. On the off chance that you ever feel uncomfortable amid a feature call, end it quickly.

  • Other Security Measures

  • When you're on ooVoo, never give out specifically distinguishing data to individuals you don't know, in actuality. Remember that neither the sound or feature traded on ooVoo is scrambled, so its critical that you don't share anything delicate, similar to bank passwords. In case you're dealing with an ooVoo represent your kid, consider setting up sure times when he can utilize the project, and after that be in the same space to screen the feature and sound that is traded amid an ooVoo session. You ought to additionally stay informed regarding his watchword, so you can see who is including your youngster as a companion on ooVoo.

23 May 2015

How to download YouTube videos to iPhone or iPad: a beginner's guide to saving videos to watch offline

How to download YouTube videos to iPhone or iPad

UPDATE: YouTube promised to introduce offline watching, but this hasn't yet happened. It may also be much more limited than you might like, and it might also be a subscription service called YouTube Music Key. When it launches, or when offline viewing is added to the YouTube app we'll update this article.

If the following guide doesn't work for you, you can download the video via your PC or Mac, and then copy it to your iPad or iPhone. Here's a step-by-step guide explaining how to download YouTube videos to your computer.

See also:

How to download YouTube videos to your iPhone and iPad

Here we'll show you how to save videos so you can watch them at any time, even when there's no internet connection. There are many similar apps which can download YouTube video and they all work in the same way as we'll describe here. The app we're using here no longer works, but the process is EXACTLY THE SAME.

These apps are basically web browsers with the ability to save videos from certain websites - not just YouTube - but they cannot save those files so you can watch them in the native iPhone or iPad Videos app. Nor can they save only the audio from a music video to your Music library on your device. Apple doesn't allow this.

Having used such apps for years, we know that they often disappear from the app store, so search for 'video downloader' or 'YouTube downloader' and you will see a list of what's currently available. Right now, an app called Video Downloader Lite Super - VDownload works - at least on the iPhone we tested with - and you can have more than one downloader installed on your device.

One other thing to watch is that some free apps limit how many videos you can download before you have to upgrade to the 'pro' version. (You can click the images below to see larger versions.)

How to download YouTube videos to an iPhone or iPad

Step 1. On your device, go to the App Store and search for "Video downloader Lite Super - VDownload ". Make sure to include the '-' so the app appears first in the list of results. Or just click on the link above.

Step 2. The app is free, so tap 'Get' and then your password if prompted.

Step 3. Launch the app and the built-in browser should open. If it doesn't default to , then type that into the address bar. This is YouTube's mobile site. If you're using an iPad, type www.youtube.com to get the desktop site.

Step 4. Tap the magnifying glass on YouTube's website (circled, middle, below) and enter your search term. (We highly recommend watching the entire , by the way.)

How to download YouTube videos to your iPhone or iPad

Step 5. Pick a video from the list of results and it will start to buffer. If it doesn't automatically play, tap the play button (circled, below-left) and you should see a little disk icon bobbing up and down (circled, middle).

You should see a pop-up with the option to Download the video, as below, right. It may not look the same as this - you might see a disk icon, like in the middle screenshot.

How to download YouTube videos to your iPhone or iPad

Step 6. The video will continue to play, but you should see a little red circle with 1 inside it as a 'badge' over the Downloads link at the bottom. If you can't see it, tap on the video to bring up the interface, then tap Done.

You can tap on Downloads to see the current download progress (shown below, left), and once complete, you'll find the file in the Files section, circled below right.

How to download YouTube videos to your iPhone or iPad

Step 7. To play a saved video, simply tap on the Files icon at the bottom and tap the one you want - it will start playing. Rotate your device to landscape to watch it full screen.

See also:

Add Jim Martin to your Google+ circles and follow Jim Martin and @PCAdvisor on Twitter.

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How to stop Shockwave Flash crashing in Google Chrome: make sure you have only one plug-in enabled

How to stop Shockwave Flash crashing in Google Chrome: make sure you have only one plug-in enabled

If you use Google Chrome you may have become used to the Shockwave Flash plugin crashing. Here, we show you how to fix the problem.

Google Chrome, unlike other , has its own version of Adobe Flash Player built in. If you're also running another web browser that requires a downloaded version of Adobe Flash player to be installed, the two versions of the software are likely to be causing a conflict.

To check Google Chrome's configuration, type about:plugins into the address bar and press Enter. This will bring up a page of information about all the plug-ins currently configured within Google Chrome.

Look for any entries in the list such as Adobe Flash Player, or Shockwave Flash. If you can see two or more, you have more than one Flash plug-in installed.

At the top right of the plug-ins page you'll see ‘Details'. Click this link to reveal more information about each extension.

The filename of each plug-in will be listed next to Location. Look at this information, and you'll see that one is stored under [Your User Folder]AppData\Local\Google\Chrome. This is Chrome's integrated plug-in. The other will begin with ‘C:\Windows\..' . The path names vary depending on your version of . If you're using Windows 8, for example the path for the integrated plug-in is something like C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\36.0.1985.125\PepperFlash\pepflashplayer.dll  (the version number may be different).

If both these files offer a Disable link, both are active and likely to be the cause of your browser crashes.

How to fix Shockwave Flash crashing in Google Chrome

You can now choose which player you want to retain, by clicking Disable on the other one. Chrome will now use whichever version is enabled on your PC.

If you decide to use the installable plug-in rather than the integrated one, it's advisable to make sure you have the latest version installed. .

If the crashing behaviour continues, try going back to about:plugins and selecting to use the other Flash player.

Visit Windows 7 Advisor for more Windows advice.

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Windows 10 release date, price, features UK: Staggered release with PCs coming first this summer - Build 10122 now available with new features

Update: Build 10122 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview is now available for the Fast ring but users with an AMD GPU will find frequent crashed in Microsoft Edge (still called Project Spartan for now). It includes improvements to both Start and Continuum. There's also a redesigned Insider Hub, changes to the way Windows 10 handles default apps and improvements to the Edge browser.

"I think you’ll see that this build is a bit more stable and polished than the last one, which is to be expected as we begin to stabilize for the public release this summer. From here on out you’ll see fewer big feature changes from build to build, and more tuning, tweaking, stabilizing, and polishing," said in a where you can find out more details of the above additions in Build 10122.

has not been a universal success. In many ways a necessary step not well executed, Windows 8's attempt to stitch together desktop and mobile has been way too radical to encourage new users. And as the longer life of existing and combines with the growth of and to continually slow PC sales, Window 8 has come to be seen as a dud. See also: and .

This means two things: a new and improved Windows in the fastest possible time and - oddly - a jump in numerals to Window 10.

Windows 10 will include phones and the Xbox One- in an app form. It will also include Cortana and a new web browser currently known as 'Spartan'. Spartan spells the end for Internet Explorer, although it may not completely disappear for a little while yet, according to the at MSDN. At Build 2015, Microsoft confirmed it will be called 'Edge' and it will be able to use Fireffox and Chrome extensions.

"When we announced Project Spartan in January, we laid out a plan to use our new rendering engine to power both Project Spartan and Internet Explorer on Windows 10… However, today we’re announcing that on Windows 10, Project Spartan will host our new engine exclusively," says IEBlog. Internet Explorer will continue in its current form in Windows 8.1.

Windows 10 UK release date: When is Windows 10 coming out?

Windows 10 review

The latest build of Windows 10 is available to insider testers now. If you have a compatible Lumia Windows Phone you can even try out an early version of the mobile Windows 10. (See: and .

The final version could ship as soon as summer 2015, Microsoft has stated at its re-born WinHEC conference, currently under way in Shenzhen. Attendees were told that Windows 10 will roll out in 190 countries and 111 languages. Kevin Turner, Chief Operating Officer at Microsoft had said in late 2014: "By next late summer and early fall we'll be able to bring out this particular OS (operating system). That's the current plan of record," according to . This means Windows 10 could be slightly ahead of schedule, and the upgrade might be ready to go in July or August. There's no firm date, of course, and the schedule could still slip back to "fall 2015", so we'll have to wait and see.

At Build 2015, Microsoft said that Windows 10 will launch in several staggered events from summer onwards, each geared toward different devices with PCs coming first. "The way to think about it will be a launch wave that starts in the summer with PCs, and fills out over time as more devices come online," said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of the operating systems group at Microsoft. There's still not a confirmed date for any of these launch events, though Belfiore said that Microsoft is still on track for this summer.

"You should expect [the] phone, HoloLens, Xbox, and Surface Hub [launches] will be staggered," Belfiore explained, because of the complexity of coordinating hardware and software launches.

Although Microsoft was present at CES, it scheduled a Windows 10 event in Redmond back in January in order to "talk about the next chapter of Windows 10". Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore, Phil Spencer and Satya Nadella all presented.

Windows 10 21 January event

Windows 10 UK price: How much will Windows 10 cost?

Windows 10 release date

Windows 10 will be free to end users. At least it will be a free upgrade. Users of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows Phone will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 on their devices, for free. This is guaranteed for the first year of the new OS's shelf life, but we would be surprised if it didn't remain free - depending on uptake.

It was also discovered that the Raspberry Pi 2 might be able to run Windows 10, and that it would be freely available to those customers.

Enterprise customers are not part of the deal, however. Jim Alkove, director of programme management, wrote in a : 

"Windows 7 Enterprise and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise are not included in the terms of the free Windows 10 upgrade offer we announced last week, given that active Software Assurance customers will continue to have rights to upgrade to Windows 10 enterprise offerings outside this offer, while also benefiting from the full flexibility to deploy Windows 10 using their existing management infrastructure."

When we started this article we said that we thought Windows 10 would be free to consumers, although not to OEMs who purchase licences to put on PCs and laptops they sell. Microsoft had previously declined to answer direct questions about how much Windows 10 will cost, particularly for people upgrading from Windows 7 or XP saying, "we want to talk about the overall product family [at this stage]". But now we know, as expected, that the Windows 10 upgrade will be free.

Previously had quoted "people close to the matter" and said Windows 10 would be a free upgrade for Windows 8.1 users, but suggested that Windows 7 users may have to pay only a small fee.The good news for Windows 8 refuseniks is that Windows 7 upgraders can do so for free.

Microsoft is hoping to make the upgrade as pain-free as possible for these users, with direct upgrades allowing settings and apps to remain in place. However, XP and Vista users must do a fresh installation if they want to use Windows 10. And they may have to pay.

Suffice to say that in the face of Apple giving away OS X, and declining PC sales, it was always unlikely that Microsoft would charge for Windows 10. Add in the fact that Windows 10 is aimed at smartphones and tablets just as much as desktop PCs and laptops and you can see that there really isn't much of a market for selling the upgrade.

What about Windows Phone 10?

Windows 10 will run on phones, tablets, laptops and PCs. It will not be called Windows Phone 10 on smartphones: just Windows 10. The Technical Preview was made available in early February, and Gabriel Aul, the head of the Windows Insider program and point man for Microsoft's Windows 10 technical preview program, confirmed the launch of another Preview on April 10. 

While Microsoft has supports, there's a small piece of bad news: the Lumia Icon and its international variant, the 930, . For the full story, see: . and How to install Windows 10 on your phone

New features in Windows 10

Perhaps the biggest news about Windows 10 is that it will be - in Microsoft's words, "One product family, one platform, one store". For the desktop version of Windows 10, there will be no more 'duality', as Microsoft's Joe Belfiore put it. That means no more split personality between modern apps and the 'old' desktop.

Here are what we think are the best 10 new features in Windows 10, including Cortana, multiple desktops, a proper start menu and more.

Windows 10: why is it called Windows 10?

During the short briefing in San Francisco when Microsoft unveiled Windows 10, it made it clear that the next version would be very much unified across all types of devices with screen sizes from 4 inches to 80 inches. It confirmed that the next version of Windows Phone - after 8.1 - would be 10 and said, "This product, when you see the product in your fullness I think you'll agree with us that it's a more appropriate name."

When questioned about ARM-based Surface tablets, the answer was, "we're building the software to update vast majority of devices out there." However, it has now become clear that Surface tablets won't be upgradeable to Windows 10.

Microsoft's Terry Myerson summed it up with, "Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows, unlocking new experiences to give customers new ways to work, play and connect. This will be our most comprehensive operating system and the best release Microsoft has ever done for our business customers, and we look forward to working together with our broader Windows community to bring Windows 10 to life in the months ahead."

Windows 10: What's Bill Gates got to do with it?

The co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft has been working with the company on a project called Personal Agent, which is in essence an advanced personal assistant.

"One project I am working on with Microsoft is the Personal Agent which will remember everything and help you go back and find things and help you pick what things to pay attention to," he told Reddit. "The idea that you have to find applications and pick them and they each are trying to tell you what is new is just not the efficient model - the agent will help solve this. It will work across all your devices."


Below follows the rest of our original article containing all the rumours building up to the September 30th event:

Windows 9 September launch event

A shows some interesting details about Windows 9, including the 'fact' that the Preview version is scheduled for release between "Q2-Q3 2015". This means the official launch is unlikely to be in April 2015 as previously thought. The Q2-Q3 window is huge, of course, and the Preview could therefore appear any time between April and September 2015. It's possible there will be Christmas 2015 launch to consumers and, given that everything never goes to plan with a new Windows launch, we wouldn't be surprised if you can't buy a new laptop, PC or tablet with Windows 9 until then.

The document has a section detailing 'update items' which include changes to the Metro UI (Microsoft still calls the modern UI Metro internally, apparently), Windows Defender, OneDrive and improved Windows activation. There's also a mention of Cortana, Windows Phone 8.1′s personal assistant, which could mean it's coming to Windows 9.

Windows 9 Technical Preview - Task View

Windows 9 Technical Preview leaked

Ahead of the 30 September event, the Windows 9 Technical Preview has been leaked on . The build number is 9841, although the site in unsure whether this is the exact build of the public Technical Preview.

Plenty of information (which we've outlined below) has already been available about Windows 9 including the return of the Start Menu - although it combines the old style Windows 7 style with Windows 8 Starts Screen functionality. New information is that the feature will be resizable.

Windows 9 Start Menu

We've heard that the Charms bar (that bit which pops in from the right) would be gone from Windows 9. However, Winsupersite says that it's still present on touch-based systems but can only be accessed with touch, not a mouse pointer.

Task view (above and shown in one of the videos below) is used to switch between apps and is opened via a button on the taskbar. File Explorer, meanwhile, will open with a new Home view as the default, showing things like favourite folders, recent folders and recent files.

Windows 9 File Explorer Home

Windows 9 leaked videos

Before we even get to 30 September, videos supposedly showing Windows 9 have been leaked online. They show a unified Notification Center, demonstrate multi-desktop (Task view) and the start menu. Watch the videos below but bear in mind that things could change by the time the final version arrives.

Windows 9: No Charms bar

claims that in Windows 9, Microsoft will do away with the Charms bar – that menu which pops in from the right with buttons like search, share, start and settings. However, the site is talking about Windows 9 on the desktop as the feature will remain as it is on tablets - this matches up with the information from Winsupersite above.

If you're wondering what the new regime will be, Winbeta said: "One method that we heard about that stands out is having a button up near the window controls that once pressed, would reveal the Search, Share, Devices and Settings charms from the top of the window (there's no need for a Start Button for desktop users in the charms.)"

Windows 9 Charms bar

"Another idea Microsoft have been toying with is removing the Charms completely. While it's possible, we're not entirely sure how that would work," it added.

Windows 9: Start menu returns

As we explain below we are certain that the new Windows update known as 'Threshold' will grow up to be Windows 9. And we expect Windows 9 to launch at some stage in early 2015, probably April 2015. This week we have seen what its claimed are leaked screenshots of Windows 9. Just to confuse things, these shots are labelled 'Windows 8.1 Pro', but that is consistant with what we have been hearing about the Threshold build that will eventually become Windows 9.

Windows-watchers at and have shown off screenshots of the new Start menu in Windows 9. There's also a shot of the new Windows Store in Windows 9. Click the Windows 9 screenshots to view them at full size.

Windows 9 screenshots

Windows 9 Start Menu Myce

Windows 9 Start Menu Neowin

Windows 9 Store

Look to the lefthand side of the new Start menu in both Start menu shots and you can see a list of recently used apps and the option to select a list of 'All apps'. One interesting point to note is that 'All apps' appears to include both Desktop- and Metro apps. The key to Windows 9 is marrying up the two disparate elements of Windows 8 in a way that makes sense to consumers. This way Microsoft can satisfy both those users who miss the Start menu, and also make Metro apps more useful.

Microsoft hasn't lost its taste for uncomfortable compromise, however. Strong rumours suggest that the expanded Start menu will appear within a more 'Desktop' Start screen and in the Desktop for PC- and laptops users. But that the same, expanded, Start menu may take over the entire Start screen for tablets and other smaller touchscreen devices.

Now look over to the right for another symbol of the same movement. To the right of the apps list is an area with pinned Metro apps. So as now you can see from the Start screen live tiles for important apps such as weather, mail, news, and calendar. Just as now the new Windows 9 Start screen is customisable, it seems, but here you can also pin Desktop Windows software. On both sets of screenshots you can see icons for the Pictures and Documents folders, as well as what looks like a 'My PC' tile that gets you straight into the file system.

Windows Phone 9

Talking of Cortana, the document also mentions Windows Phone 9, which is tagged alongside Windows 9 for a Q2-Q3 Preview release. We're only just seeing new smartphones running- the first version to feature Cortana - but in a year's time Windows Phone 8 will be consigned to the history book. Let's just hope that existing hardware will be upgradeable and that owners don't end up in the same situation as Windows Phone 7 buyers did.

Windows 9

Based on Microsoft's Build 2014 developer conference, we've put together an - beyond even Windows 9.

Microsoft partners will be getting a pre-beta version of Windows Developer Preview 9 soon, we understand. Thus those partners will have seen the earliest version of Windows 9 before the Build conference this April.

We expect to see a single beta of Windows 9, which will likely appear in the summer of 2014. If everything goes perfectly it is possible that Microsoft will release a Release Candidate version at the end of August or the beginning of September 2014. That date could easily slip.

Once a RC is released, bugs will be collected and fixed for several months before the final code is released to manufacturers. On this basis, it makes sense to see a Preview version from April 2015 onwards. (See also: .)

Windows 9 features

We expect that Windows 9 will be 64-bit only, although we expected that for Windows 8 and we were wrong. A lot depends - as ever with Microsoft - on what OEMs want to build, and what Intel gives them with which to build.

One thing that Microsoft has to do is allow Windows Phone and Windows RT apps to run on both Windows Phone and Windows. Even Xbox apps should become cross compatible. You may also be able to pin Metro apps to the taskbar. Also expect to see Kinect-based 3D gestures to be enabled for laptops with 3D cameras - basically the ability to control your computer with gestures.

Microsoft's recent pronouncements suggest a full return of the Start menu and that Windows 8-style apps will be able to run on the desktop. Windows 9 will definitely be less traumatic a chance for desktop users.

One key - although less obvious - development is likely to be much improved power management. The rise of mobile devices has made battery life a key battle ground for Windows. Intel has done its part, massively improving power management with its latest generation of mobile processors. But the Windows software needs to keep pace, so expect Microsoft to make great claims for Windows 9's power management capabilities.

Visit Windows 7 Advisor and Windows 8 Advisor for more Windows advice. Or email our Helproom Editor for bespoke advice.

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How to turn a song into a ringtone on your iPhone and how to get a custom text message tone

Here's how to turn any song or sound into a ringtone on your iPhone. It will take you just a couple of minutes and it's very easy once you get the hang of it so don't be put off by the number of steps. I'll explain how to use iTunes 11 and 12 to quickly and easily turn any section of a tune into your ring tone, or any other alert tone. It doesn't have to be a music track, either: you could record your own (or a child's) voice and make that your ringtone. (See also: How to unlock your iPhone.)

If you don't like the idea of using iTunes and would prefer to use an app on your phone, then know this: none of those apps does what it claims. No app can access the necessary folders on the iPhone and therefore can't add a ringtone to your tones list. You still have to sync your iPhone with iTunes to get those tones to appear.

The one way to avoid using iTunes to make ringtones is to use , which can create and save ringtones on an iPhone without needing a separate computer at all. Here's a tutorial on .

Apple hasn't made the process easy because it wants to sell you a ringtone from the iTunes Store, so it's far more labourious than it should be. But, if you're determined to turn that catchy riff into your ringtone, here's how to do it.

Although iTunes 11 and 12 is used on a Windows PC here, it's a very similar process in older versions, and on a Mac.


Step-by-step: How to make a custom iPhone ringtone

Step 1:

On your PC, launch iTunes by double-clicking its shortcut or by finding it in the Start menu.

Step 2:

From your library, right-click on the song you want to use as a ringtone and then select Get Info. You can import any MP3 or AAC file into iTunes, and I find it effective to use the Voice Memos app on my iPhone to record real-world sounds or people's voices to turn into ringtones.

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 2

Step 3:

Select the Options tab and then tick the Start Time and Stop Time boxes. Enter times at which you want the ringtone to start and stop. You will have to listen to the track first and note down the time you want it to start. The stop time must be within 30 seconds, as this is Apple's maximum length for a ringtone.

Top tip: If you want to be really precise about when you ringtone starts, use a decimal point. For example, if the section of music starts between 44 and 45 seconds, try entering 0:44.5 in the Start Time box. You can even specify the start and stop time in thousandths of a second, so you could type 0:44.652

Make ringtone iPhone 2

Here's what it looks like in iTunes 12:

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

Step 4:

Click OK. Right-click on the track again, and then select Create AAC version. iTunes will convert the song. It will appear as a duplicate track - you can identify it by the track length in seconds.

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

If you don't see an option to Create AAC version, it's because your rip settings aren't set correctly. To change this, click the menu at the very top-left corner of iTunes and choose Preferences... Then click Import Settings... next to 'When you insert a CD' and choose Import Using: AAC Encoder.

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

Step 5: (Don't skip this step!)

Right-click on the song that you chose in Step 1 and then using the Options tab from the Get info menu, untick the start and stop times to return them to their original times then click OK. Otherwise, when you play that track, it will only play the section between your start and stop times.

Step 6:

Now right-click on the short ringtone track and click Show in Windows Explorer.

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 6

The file will be highlighted. Right-click on it and choose Rename. Now change the extension from .m4a to .m4r. Click Yes when asked if you want to change the extension.

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 6b

If you can't see the .m4a extension (i.e. you just see 01 Dancing Queen and not 01 Dancing Queen.m4a), it's because Windows is set to hide the extensions. Here's how to show the extension for editing

When file extensions aren't showing you cannot simply add .m4r when renaming the file. All you are doing here is changing 01 Dancing Queen.m4a to 01 Dancing Queen.m4r.m4a. This will not work!

Step 7:

Double-click the file to add it to the Tones section of your iTunes library (or add it using the 'Add file to library' menu option in iTunes).

In iTunes 12, here's how to open the Tones section: Click on the three dots and choose Tones from the menu.

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

You can then drag and drop the m4r file into it from File Explorer as seen below:

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

Step 8:

Windows users: You don't need to delete the ringtone 'song' from your music library within iTunes for this to work, but you should do so as a housekeeping task. If you leave it there, it won't play, since you've already changed the filename that the 'song' linked to.

Mac users: Lots of people have commented saying that in the latest iTunes, the ringtones simply won't show up in the Tones section. There are two things to try here:

1- Delete the ringtone 'song' entry in your iTunes Music library (don't delete the actual file on your hard drive - choose to keep it when prompted). Then double-click on the .m4r file in Finder and it should show up in Tones.

2- If that doesn't work, try moving the .m4r file outside of your iTunes folder on your hard drive (such as to the desktop). Then double-click on it. At least one person found that worked and it showed up in Tones.

For iTunes 11 (and previous) users, click the drop-down arrow to select the Tones section of your library as it will probably be showing your Music library. You should see your ringtone there. If you don't have a Tones section at all, it's because Tones is not selected in your iTunes preferences. To enable Tones, click the menu at the very top-left corner of iTunes and choose Preferences... and make sure the Tones box is checked. Click OK and try again.

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 7

Then you'll see the list of tones:

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 7b

Step 9:

For iTunes 11 and before: Connect your iPhone to your PC and click on 'iPhone' when it appears on the right-hand side of iTunes. Click on the Tones button in the menu running across the top and make sure Sync Tones is checked. If you choose 'selected tones' rather than 'All tones' make sure you tick the tones you want to appear on your iPhone. Click Apply at the bottom to start the sync.

Set song as iPhone ringtone Step 8

For iTunes 12 users:

If you're not already looking at it, go to the Tones section as explained in Step 7. It's very easy to copy the tones to your iPhone now. When connected to your computer your phone will appear as an icon to the right of the three horizontal dots near the top-left corner. Don't click on it.

Simply select the tones you want (hold down Ctrl and then click on each in turn). They'll be highlighted in blue. Click and hold on any one and drag them over the phone icon. A list will appear on the left: just drop the tones on the device and a sync should begin.

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

If you have trouble making a tone appear, force a sync by clicking on the phone icon, then on the Tones section in the left-hand menu. Make sure a sync isn't already running, then tick the tones you want to transfer and click the Sync button at the bottom right of the iTunes window.

Step 10:

When the sync is finished, tap Settings on your iPhone, then Sounds, then Ringtone. Your custom tones will appear at the top of the list, above the default Ringtones.

How to make an iPhone Ringtone - iTunes 12

How to make a custom iPhone text / SMS tone:

If you want have a custom tone for text messages, tweets, Facebook posts, new voicemails, reminder alerts or anything else, it's exactly the same process as above.

The only difference is that you'll need to select the appropriate section under SOUNDS AND VIBRATION PATTERNS on your iPhone. Tap one, say Text Tone, and you'll see the Alert Tones list.

Scroll down past these, keep scrolling and you will see your Ringtones list, at the top of which are all your custom tones that you've synched in step 9.

Obviously, I wouldn't recommend using a 30-second song as a text message alert, but each to their own. And, in case you're wondering, there's no difference between a 'song' and a sound effect in iTunes, so there's no need to use part of a song as your custom alert tone. As long as you have a sound effect in a format iTunes can import (usually MP3), it treats it just like any other song. Then, go to Step 2 and use the same process to create and sync the sound effect to your iPhone.

Set song as iphone ringtone - custom text message alert tone

Finally, did you know: you can also create custom vibrations? Here's

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Can’t access 192.168.1.1: how to change router settings including Wi-Fi password

Need to change some settings in your wireless router? If you can’t access 192.168.1.1 – or the IP address your router uses – here’s how to get connected.

These days it’s much easier to set up a new broadband router. They all come with Wi-Fi enabled and secured. Typically you’ll find the Wi-Fi password on a label stuck to the router, and it may even show the user name and password and default IP address.

It’s trickier for older routers, especially if someone has changed the IP address, password or you’ve simply forgotten the details.

How to access your router settings page

1. If you can’t access your router via Wi-Fi, connect an Ethernet cable between your router and your or . We’re using Windows 8 here, but the process is similar for Windows 7 and Vista.

2. Bring up a command prompt by typing ‘command’ in the Start menu search box (or Windows 8 Start screen) and choosing Command Prompt.

3. Type ipconfig and press Enter. You will see a list of the network adapters in your PC. Look through the information to find the number next to Default gateway. This is the IP address of your router.

How to connect to your router - can't access 192.168.1.1

4. Open a web browser and type this number – in this case 192.168.3.1 - into the address bar, then press Enter. (Don’t add http:// before the IP address. You should now see the login screen for your router.

How to connect to your router - can't access 192.168.1.1

5. If you don’t see the login screen, it could be because the gateway IP address has been manually entered under your network adapter settings.

To check, open Control Panel and search for ‘network’. Click on View Network Connections under Network and Sharing Center.

Right-click on the Ethernet adapter and choose Properties. Then scroll down the list to find Internet Protocol Version 4. Click on it and then click the Properties button. Make sure Obtain an IP address automatically is selected, and also Obtain DNS server address automatically.

How to connect to your router - can't access 192.168.1.1

Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 to see if this has fixed the problem.

6. If you’ve forgotten your router’s username and password, you’ll need to reset it to factory settings. This is usually achieved by pressing a button or inserting a paper clip or pin into a reset hole. Check your manual to find out how long to hold the button for in order to reset it. The router will need to be connected to the mains and turned on in order for this to work, of course.

After resetting your router you can follow the earlier steps to connect to the router’s management interface.

7. If your reason for accessing your router’s settings was to configure a Wi-Fi network, you can now do so. It’s worth changing the Wi-Fi network name to something memorable, but it’s most important to set a password. If possible, choose WPA2 security rather than WEP. While you’re at it, change the default router password to prevent anyone else accessing your router’s settings. Stick a label on the router so you won’t forget the IP address, Wi-FI password and router username and password.

If you’re still having no joy connecting to your router, make sure any firewalls are disabled. These might be part of your Internet Security Suite, or a standalone application such as ZoneAlarm. Temporarily disable these to see if they are causing the problem. Windows’ built-in firewall shouldn’t cause a problem.

Check also for other software such as parental control applications which may prevent you from accessing certain websites – a router’s settings interface is just a website. There could also be settings within your web browser which are causing a problem, so try a different browser to eliminate this as an issue.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge comparison review: Is the edge screen worth paying extra for?

MWC 2015 brought us, as predicted, a Samsung  and but what's the difference? Find out in our Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge comparison review including price, specs, hardware, design, screen, battery life, performance and more. Updated on 21/5/15.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge review: Price

Now available across the UK from retailers and mobile networks, Samsung's new flagship smartphone fetch a high price. The regular Galaxy S6 is more expensive than rivals at £599 and the Galaxy S6 Edge will set you back a whopping £680 making it one of the most pricy smartphone on the market.

So there's a reasonable price difference here so read on to find out whether it's worth splashing the cash to get the dual edge version of the Galaxy S6 or not. We'll look at design, build, hardware, performance, battery life and software.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge review: Design

The Galaxy S6 Edge looks almost identical to the regular Galaxy S6, as you'd expect. They use a metal frame reminiscent of the iPhone 6 and Gorilla Glass 4 front and back. However, the S6 Edge has a curved screen which wraps both sides. They are both available in black, white and gold but each has an exclusive colour: blue topaz for the regular S6 and emerald green for the S6 Edge with the latter our favourite of them all.

With just a couple of colours and the curved sides separating the two on design, it's no surprise that they are almost identical on dimensions. The Galaxy S6 is a tiny bit thinner at 6.8mm compared to 7mm (7- and 7.2mm by our measurements) but it's the S6 Edge which is the lighter handset at 132g which is 6g less than its brother. It's worth noting that the thickness doesn't include the camera which sticks out on both.

Those minor differences aside, it's the regular Galaxy S6 which is far more comfortable in use. The Edge model is sharp down the sides and the metal frame doesn't sit flush with the glass next to the ear piece which cuts into your ear while making phone calls somewhat.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge design

No matter which model you choose, Samsung's new design means no removable battery or microSD card slot plus the device is no longer dust- or waterproof. Three things which Galaxy fans will probably not like to hear.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge hands-on review: Hardware

Almost everything on the spec sheet for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is the same. This means that either way you'll get a 5.1in SuperAMOLED Quad HD screen, Exynos 7420 octa-core processor (quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 and quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57), 3 GB of RAM and a Mali-T760 GPU.

Benchmark results (below) are understandably close although we're not sure why the Edge managed to outscore its brother across the board. Nevertheless, performance is slick on both devices so look elsewhere to make a decision.

 

Geekbench 3

GFXBench T-Rex

GFXBench Manhattan

SunSpider

Galaxy S6 Edge

5076

39 fps

16 fps

990 ms

Galaxy S6

4438

30 fps

14 fps

1048ms

There's also dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 with atpX, NFC, IR blaster and Cat 6 4G LTE support with Samsung's Download Booster. The heart rate monitor remains on the back and the fingerprint scanner just requires a touch rather than a swipe.

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge hardware

Cameras are also the same at 16 Mp on the rear with OIS and 5 Mp at the front. You'll get Android 5.0 Lollipop with the latest TouchWiz user interface and the only software difference is what the dual edge can do. So what is the difference between the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge?

Well before we explain what the dual edge screen does compared to the regular one, there are a couple of small hardware differences to note relating to storage and battery.

Storage

While the regular Galaxy S6 comes in 32-, 64- and 128 GB capacities, the Edge only comes in 64- or 128 GB (as mentioned earlier, there's no microSD card slot anymore).

Battery life

In the battery department, the Galaxy S6 Edge is 50 mAh higher at 2600 mAh. Wireless charging is a new feature and Samsung touts four hours usage from 10 minutes charging. When it comes down to it, it's no surprise that there's really no difference in energy performance with both devices lasting a couple of days. Our battery benchmark results from Geekbench 3 are closely matched.

 

Time

Score

Galaxy S6 Edge

6 hours 41 minutes

4011

Galaxy S6

6 hours 53 minutes

4136

Screen

We've already seen an edge screen on the Galaxy Note Edge but while that just wrapped around the right-hand edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge does both. Samsung understandably calls it the dual edge so this is the reason (apart from the green colour) to buy the Edge over the regular Galaxy S6. But should you?

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S6 Edge

Apart from looking great, it's more about what the dual edge can offer and after some hands-on time with the device we realised it doesn't actually do all that much. You don't get an extra bar there in regular use like on the Note Edge to show icons and the like.

You can choose which side to use so left handed users will be happy but for most features it seems silly to limit it to just one side. What if that side happens to be facing away from you because of how you put the phone down or you just like to use the phone with either hand?

Once you've chosen which side you want to use, you can get notifications on it and a clock during the night. However, the main feature is called People Edge. When switched on this adds a little grey bar to the side which you can swipe to open your favourite contacts to easily call or txt them.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

That's cool and this will assign them colour codes so when a contact calls the edge screen will light up that colour so you know who it is. It sounds good but is designed to work when the device is face down on a flat surface which we're pretty sure no one does. It makes more sense with a case but we haven't seen any for the Galaxy S6 Edge

Apart from the gorgeous bezel-free look of the S6 Edge compared to the regular model, we're not convinced it's worth the extra money. There are only a handful of functions and while this may change over time with software updates it's an unknown and no guarantee.

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21 May 2015

ASUS Email

ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail ASUS Email - screenshot thumbnail
ASUS Email is the only app you need to manage multiple inboxes across all your mobile devices! With multiple preset email services included setup is as easy as could be, and ASUS Email’s VIP filter enables super-efficient message organization so you’ll never again miss messages from your most important contacts. ASUS Email integrates seamlessly with other ASUS ZenUI tools, displaying an unread-messages badge in ASUS ZenUI Launcher and enabling email-related tasks to be marked with ASUS ZenUI Do It Later. Intelligent sorting, seamless integration, intuitive operation and beautiful design — ASUS Email has everything you need to stay on top of your inbox!

[Key Features]
- Choose ‘Combined view’ to manage multiple email accounts in one easy-to-browse inbox.
- Navigate conversations quickly and easily by grouping messages by subject or sender or sort messages by date.
- Never miss an important message again, by marking selected contacts as VIPs.
- Your days will flow smoother than ever with ASUS ZenUI Do It Later integration, allowing you to add selected messages to your to-do list.
- Automatic fast filters let you view emails marked as Flagged, Important, Invitation or Attached for easier management of what matters now.
- Quickly create and send meeting invitations with ASUS Calendar integration.

[Tips]
1. Effortlessly select accounts and filters by swiping right from the left edge of the screen, opening the navigation panel.
2. Browse Inbox and Sent folders simply by tapping ‘Inbox + Sent’ ASUS Email in the navigation panel.
3. View emails from VIP contacts by selecting the VIP filter in the navigation panel. Mark contacts as VIPs in the ZenUI People app.
4. Select ‘Combined view’ from the navigation panel to see all your emails in one easy-to-browse inbox.

[Notes]
1. The appearance and operation of some features may vary,depending on your device.
2. ASUS Email is a free app for ASUS devices. You will not be charged for downloading or using this app.

[Contact Us]
For more information about ASUS Email, please visit http://www.asus.com/ASUS_ZenUI/
Email: zenui@asus.com

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