By Vietmagz at 2:17 am, Sep 28, 2007

WELCOME
FROM THE EDITOR
Sidestep the small print 13 – 26 Sept 2007 Issue 170
B
CONTENTS
roadband speeds are getting faster
as prices are getting lower, but
shopping around to get the best deal
possible is a confusing business. Some
packages promise “super-fast 24 Mbps
broadband for free” but the small print
often reveals confusing caveats that mean
you don’t always get what you were
hoping for. In our cover feature (page 22),
FEATURES
we’ve assembled a 10-step guide to 13 News Feature: Internet banking
getting a better broadband deal. With our advice, we hope you Are online banks up to scratch? p22
can find and seamlessly switch to the perfect deal for you. 22 COVER FEATURE: Better broadband
By the way, did you know that we are officially a nation of Our 10-step guide to helping you find the best
magaholics, with over 2,000 magazines sold every minute in broadband package to suit your needs
the UK? Be sure to look for special magazine offers during 32 Virtual Desktops
Magazine Week – 17 to 23 September. We review the best online operating systems
Claire Woffenden, Editor 34 Speed up your start-up
claire_woffenden@ipcmedia.com Give your PC a boost with our 11 top tips
36 Free parental controls
You don’t have to pay to protect your p34
SUBSCRIBE TO WEB USER children from unsuitable online content
50 Group Test: Anti-spyware programs
We review the latest software to keep your
Get one issue of Web User free every month PC content safe from prying eyes
when you subscribe – see page 70 for details
REGULARS
IN THISISSUE FEATURING LINKS
TO 246 WEBSITES 6 News All the latest on the web this
fortnight, including Unplugged, My
Bookmarks and Consumer Champion
14 Letters 16 Best New Websites
p54 42 Instant Expert P2P technology
47 Most Wanted p16
52 New Products • Norton AntiBot p47
• Steganos OnlineSafe
54 COMPETITION: £900 worth of
p22 software up for grabs!
70 Subscribe Enjoy Web User for less!
71 Web User Essentials 72 Classified
74 Seen this? & Next Issue

p59
PRACTICAL WEB USER
44 Project Create the ultimate blog – part 2 p55
p50 55 PracticalFeature Add extra features to
p60 online telephony service, Skype
p34 59 PracticalWorkshops
p36
p52 p53
p55

p38
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Go to www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2006,
34,376 copies per issue
•Clean
• Back
up your PC with Revo uninstaller
up your online photos with Migratr
62 PracticalExplorer
Get the most from web-radio site Musicovery
64 ProblemSolver 67 DIY Web Pages 68 Hints&Tips
✆
p40
38 Software
This fortnight’s best free downloads
40 Entertainment
Top audio and video clips from the web

Visit us online at www.webuser.co.uk 13 September 2007 3

 NEWS
All the latest on the web this fortnight
Apple gets
touchy-feely
A
pple has unveiled a new touchscreen
iPod, based on technology used
in the company’s iPhone.
The screen of the iPod Touch is also the
same size as that of an iPhone, meaning
that when the music player is turned on
its side it becomes a 3.5in widescreen,
which the company says is perfect for
video playback.
It also has Wi-Fi capabilities and a
SECURITY WATCH
E
mails claiming
STOP
to link to the
latest Beyoncé,
Rihanna, P Diddy or
Kelly Clarkson video
could infect your PC with a Trojan
horse turning it into a spam-
generating ‘bot’, security experts
warn. The emails have subject lines
such as ‘cool video is out’ and ‘dude
this is not even on MTV yet’.
In association with
www.bullguard.com
4 13 September 2007 Competition
browser, so you can use it to surf the web.
You will be able to access the iTunes music
store via Wi-Fi networks too. The device is
also optimised for watching YouTube videos
and has Google and Yahoo search facilities
built in.
The iPod Touch comes in two different
capacities of 8GB and 16GB, costing £199
and £269 respectively. The capacities,
though, are dwarfed by the hard drives in
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook group forces bank U-turn
A
group set up on Facebook in
protest at HSBC’s decision to end
interest-free overdrafts for students
has caused the bank to change its policy.
Attracting almost 5,000 members, the
‘Stop the Great HSBC Graduate rip-off’
campaign encouraged students to boycott
the bank.
“Tens of thousands of unsuspecting
graduates are going to be hit by overdraft
interest payments from this August,” read
the group’s description.
HSBC has now said that it will scrap its
plans to end interest-free overdrafts for
students and graduates.
In a statement, HSBC’s head of product
development, Andy Ripley, said: “Following
Where’s Netty? Netty was reading our review of the Sandisk Sansa Express. Visit
the re-vamped iPods, renamed iPod
Classic, which are 80GB and 160GB
respectively, costing £159 and £229.
The whole iPod range has been
refreshed, with the small-capacity clip-on
iPod Shuffle being launched in five new
colours and the iPod Nano being reshaped
and getting video-playback capabilities.
Analysts hailed the new products, saying
that they would add to Apple’s mass
the feedback from our graduate account
holders we have taken the decision to freeze
interest charging on 2007 graduates’
overdrafts up to £1,500 and refund any
interest charged in August.”
The U-turn was welcomed by the founder
of the Facebook group and NUS vice-
president of education, Wes Streeting, who
said that “by setting up a group on a site that
is incredibly popular with students, we
could contact our members during the
summer vacation far more easily”.
www.facebook.com
www.hsbc.co.uk
 Don’t miss our daily news at www.webuser.co.uk/news
Quote
of the fortnight
“Ticketmaster does not condone
the unauthorised resale of tickets,
but unfortunately it is not against
the law to do so in the UK.”
Ticketmaster comments on
Bruce Springsteen concert tickets
appearing on eBay for six times
their original price
consumer appeal.
“Apple is not preaching to the choir
here, they’re looking to get a whole new
customer into the house of worship and
that’s exactly what’s likely to happen,”
said Michael Gartenberg of Jupiter
Research.
www.apple.com/uk
SECURITY
Sony memory stick security warning
A
security flaw in some
Sony memory sticks
could allow hackers to
take control of your computer,
experts have warned.
Finnish security company
F-Secure discovered a
vulnerability on some MicroVault
USB sticks which came with
software that was able to create
hidden directories on a PC’s hard drive.
This meant that if an infected file
made its way onto the hidden
directory, it would be difficult for a
virus scanner to spot, exposing your
PC to hijackers.
A second security firm McAfee
www.webuser.co.uk/netty and you could win £25. (Issue 166’s winner: Alice Matthews, Tillicoultry)
IN BRIEF
≥ Spammers change tactics
Spam emails that
hide their message
within PDF (portable
document format)
attachments in an
attempt to dodge
spam filters have all
but disappeared,
according to security experts.
It seems that the tactic has
been abandoned by spammers
as not enough people are
prepared to open the files.
Sophos said that the number
of spam messages using this
method had dropped to
virtually zero from around 30
per cent earlier this month.
www.sophos.com
≥ Ryanair scraps
web check-in fees
If you’re booking a flight after
20 September this year then it
may be worth noting that
budget airline Ryanair is
dropping online check-in
charges. Ryanair’s Check’N’Go
online check-in service will be
completely free for anyone
travelling with just hand
baggage, which is restricted to
a maximum of 10kg, allowing
you to jump the queues.
However, if you have to take
more luggage, you will be able
to book priority boarding online
for £2.
www.ryanair.com
explained: “The apparent intent
was to cloak sensitive files
related to the fingerprint-
verification feature included on
the USB drives. However, in this
case the authors apparently did
not keep the security
implications in mind,” said
McAfee’s Aditya Kapoor and Seth
Purdy in a blog posting.
Sony has said that it will issue a fix
for the flaw by mid-September. It
comes two years after a similar
problem with some music CDs issued
by Sony’s music division led to several
lawsuits and a massive product recall.
www.sony.co.uk
NEWS
ADVERTISING
CD Wow promotion criticised
C
ontroversial music retailer CD Wow
has felt the wrath of the Advertising
Standards Authority (ASA) for
a misleading email promotion.
A member of the public complained that
he could not find the promised ‘Top 5 CD
and DVD sellers for £4.99’ on CD Wow’s
website.
The complaint was upheld by the ASA
and CD Wow was warned not to repeat the
claim. Due to CD Wow’s failure to respond to
enquiries and its lack of a defence, the ASA was
obliged to find in the complainant’s favour.
“The ASA was concerned by CD Wow’s lack of
response and apparent disregard for the code. We
reminded them of their responsibility to respond
promptly to our enquiries and told them to do so in
future,” the ASA said in a statement.
“Because CD Wow had not provided evidence to
substantiate the claim that the depicted DVDs and
CDs were available “from £4.99” at the time the
email was sent, we concluded that the ad was
misleading,” the statement continued.
CD Wow has suffered a number of setbacks
recently, including a £41m fine from the British
Phonographic Industry for breach of agreements
concerning parallel selling.
There was also a fire in the building in Hong Kong
where CD Wow kept its stock. Though no stock was
lost, it did affect deliveries, according to the company.
www.asa.org.uk
BLOG
‘Ninja’ blogger upsets
Kung Fu community
A
potentially deadly
online confrontation
between the Shaolin
monks of China and Japanese
ninjas has been averted.
It all began when a blogger
made a claim that a ninja had
visited the Shaolin temple in the
Henan province, where the martial art of Kung Fu
is practised, and beaten the monks in a fight.
The Shaolin temple was outraged and wrote
an open letter to the blogger denying that any
such fight had taken place and threatening
legal action.
“This extremely irresponsible behaviour not
only impacts the Shaolin temple and its monks,
but also the whole martial-arts community and
the Chinese people,” the letter said.
However, the blogger, who used the name
‘Five Minutes Every Day’, was quick to issue
an apology.
“What I wrote was fiction. I apologise to
Shaolin Temple and all my readers. I hope that
the Shaolin masters will exercise their Buddhist
compassion and virtue, and forgive me.”
www.shaolintempleuk.org
13 September 2007 5
 NEWS All the latest on the web this fortnight

UNPLUGGED MAPS
Web on the move
≥ Mobile payment service
A scheme that lets you pay for Google Earth
looks to the Sky
goods up to the value of £10
on your mobile phone has
launched. Called Payforit,
the scheme has the backing
of the five major UK mobile
operators and is designed to
make it easy to pay for low-

cost services with your mobile
phone. The service works by
adding the cost of any goods
purchased to your usual
mobile phone bill.
www.payforituk.com
≥ Vodafone’s
faster wireless
Vodafone has
unveiled a new
USB modem and two next-
generation ExpressCards
based on technology known
as High Speed Uplink Packet
Access (HSUPA). According
to Vodafone, this can
potentially reach speeds of
7.2Mbps and the devices will
let you connect your laptop to
the internet wirelessly
wherever you are and enjoy
speeds similar to broadband.
www.vodafone.co.uk
≥ Windows Live on Nokia
If you have a Nokia mobile
phone you will soon be able to
use it to access your Windows
Live Hotmail account
following a deal struck
between Nokia and Microsoft.
Instant messaging services
will also be available, as will
other Windows Live services,
Y
ou can now fly through one hundred million stars and two
hundred million galaxies with the launch of a new
application for Google Earth.
Google Earth’s new Sky feature lets you track the
movements of the planets, view constellations and access
information on some 20,000 of the visible stars.
“By working with some of the industry’s leading experts,
we’ve been able to transform Google Earth into a virtual
telescope,” said Lior Ron, product manager at Google. “We’re
excited to provide users with rich astronomical imagery and
enhanced content that enables them to both learn about what
they’re seeing above and tell their own stories.”
The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) was one of
the organisations closely involved in the project.
“Never before has a roadmap of the entire sky been made
so readily available,” said Dr Carol Christian of STScI.
“Anyone interested in exploring the wonders of our universe
can quickly see where the stunning objects photographed by
Hubble actually dwell in the heavens.”
The Sky feature consists of seven different layers of
information that illustrate celestial bodies and events,
including Constellations, Hubble Space Telescope Imagery,
Planets and Life of a Star. You will need the latest version of
Google Earth to run the Sky plug-in.
http://earth.google.com
MUSIC
SECURITY
Nokia brings music YouTube video scam exposed
straight to your mobile
C
ybercriminals have turned to video-sharing
website YouTube in their attempt to infect

but an exact launch date was
unavailable at the time of
going to press.
www.live.com
≥ 3 offers broadband
A mobile broadband service
that you can use on a laptop
or your home PC has been
launched by 3. Offering
speeds of up to 2.8Mbps and
costing from £10 per month,
the service is available in
Northern England, Scotland,
Northern Ireland and central
London, with more areas to be
covered soon. To connect to
the network you will need a
USB dongle which comes free
with certain contracts.
www.three.com
D
ownloading music directly to
your mobile phone is to become
a possibility thanks to a new
service due to launch this autumn by
mobile manufacturer Nokia.
Newly-launched Nokia handsets
such as the N81 and N95 will be
able to log in directly to the Nokia
Music Store to browse for new music,
which will cost 79p per track. The tracks can
also be downloaded to a PC.
“You can select from a huge range of music,
including local music from your country, and
download it directly to your Nokia device,” said
Tommi Mustonen, head of Nokia’s music
activities.
Analyst Mark Mulligan of Jupiter Research
commented: “The service is competing in an
overly crowded market that is dominated by
Apple. To compete effectively, Nokia needs
to differentiate.”
http://music.nokia.com
PCs with a Trojan horse.
Hoax emails claim to point to a YouTube
video but actually direct people to a web page
containing a malicious script and a new variation
of the Storm worm.
The worm is designed to compromise a PC and
turn it into a zombie to send out junk email or
launch denial of service attacks against other
computer users.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at
Sophos said: “If infected, victims’ computers can
be used by hackers to steal personal information,
send out malware and junk email, or launch
attacks against innocent parties.”
Subject lines for the fake online movie include:
‘Dude your gonna get
caught’, ‘LOL, Dude
what are you doing’, and
‘Dude, what if your wife
finds this?’.
www.sophos.com

6 13 September 2007 Buzzword of the fortnight wis unread email

BACN – pronounced Bacon,
 Don’t miss our daily news at www.webuser.co.uk/news NEWS
Number
of the fortnight
IN BRIEF CRIME

Cybercrime epidemic
70,000 ≥ Green Desktop widget
Future
Friendly, goes unchallenged
the number of votes an initiative

rejected by electronic
counting machines in the
recent Scottish elections
aimed at
inspiring
people to take small steps
towards being more
environmentally aware, has
launched a new website
that includes a
downloadable Desktop
widget giving you daily tips
and facts on living a bit
more sustainably every day.
The website also
encourages you to nominate
your ‘green hero’ – an
individual that has inspired
others to be more
environmentally aware. The
closing date for entries to
Future Friendly Awards is
30 November 2007.
M
ore than five cybercrimes
are committed every
minute in the UK yet
many go unreported because of
a lack of clarity as to what
exactly online crime is or who
polices the web.
According to the UK
Cybercrime report from identity
experts Garlik, there were
3,237,500 cybercrime
offences in 2006, ranging from
abusive or threatening emails
to blackmail.
Online identity theft reached
more than 90,000 incidents,
there were 144,500 offences of
unauthorised access to
someone’s PC with ulterior
intent and online sexual
that the activity is not criminal.
The report also cites the
absence of consistent reporting
systems as a key factor
hindering the investigation of
cybercrime in the UK.
Tom Ilube, chief executive at
Garlik, said: “Our study
demonstrates how real and
widespread a problem
cybercrime is, covering illegal
activities from computer
hacking, stalking or bullying via

Photo: ©iStockphoto.com/Joaquin Croxatto

www.futurefriendly.co.uk
≥ Sudoku returns
Web User is pleased to
announce that its daily
Sudoku puzzle has been
offences reached 850,000.
More than 200,000 cases of
online financial fraud were
committed where criminals
impersonated their victims to
obtain money, credit or
the internet, financial scams
and identity theft.
“With information about
individuals circulating the
internet reaching high levels it’s
ever more important for people

WIN!
1 of 5 Homicide:
fully restored. The game
was temporarily unavailable
for certain browsers.
www.webuser.co.uk/
sudoku
employment.
The UK Cybercrime report
estimates that 90 per cent of
online crimes go unreported
because victims wrongly believe
to be vigilant about handing out
their personal data online to
ensure that criminals don’t use
and abuse it.”
www.garlik.com

Life on the Streets SOCIAL NETWORKING

DVDs!! Don’t ban Facebook says trade union
S
ocial-networking sites such
as Facebook should not be
banned from the workplace
simply because bosses don’t
WEB 2.0 SITE OF THE
FORTNIGHT
know how to prevent their
misuse, a union organisation
has said.
Shutter Chance According to the Trades Union
www.shutterchance.com Congress (TUC), while there are
valid concerns about workers
sensible conduct guidelines, so
that there doesn’t need to be any
nasty surprises.”
Advice aimed at employees
and employers has been
published on the TUC’s
Worksmart website, where
questions such as ‘Can an
employer refuse to appoint me
to a job because of my Facebook

F
irst shown in the Nineties
on Channel 4, Homicide:
Life On The Street is one of
the grittiest and most influential
American cop shows ever
made. To stand a chance of
winning one of the five DVD
copies of Season 3 we’re giving
away, just answer the question
posed at www.webuser.co.uk/
competitions.
Homicide: Life On The Street
The Complete Third Series is
available to buy from Monday
17 September through
Fremantle Home Entertainment.
This photography community is a
place where you can showcase
your best work and browse through
the snaps of other photographers
worldwide. You can join for free,
but get a host of perks by signing up
for the premium service at £3.99
per month.
time-wasting or damaging the profile?’ and ‘Can my boss stop
reputation of the companies me using Facebook at work?’
they are employed by, problems are answered.
could be averted by setting www.tuc.org.uk
down clear rules. www.worksmart.org.uk
“It’s unreasonable for
employers to try to stop
their staff from having a
life outside work just
because they can’t get
their heads around the
technology,” said TUC
General Secretary
Brendan Barber.
“Better to invest a little
time in working out

from mailing lists that you signed up to long ago. 13 September 2007 7
 NEWS All the latest on the web this fortnight
COMMENT
Ben Camm-Jones
News Editor
The World Wide
Web in Union
T
here are many ways to
waste time at work, with
or without a PC, so it
seems odd that Facebook has
been singled out for attention
by the Trades Union Congress
(see page 7).
Before social networking,
there were other things to do
online – chat rooms and
forums, for example – that
would entertain workers in
need of a breather or those
who were just plain bored.
Pre-internet, we had
solitare, minesweeper and
the like. Even word
processors like the Amstrad
8256 had a couple of strategy
games which took advantage
of the cutting-edge, black-
and-green graphics.
“wasting
It isn’t just time-
that Facebook
can lead to – there are
other security issues to
consider
”
Whether you should be
using the internet for leisure
activities at work depends on
what it is you do – no one
would begrudge a bored
receptionist for updating
their Facebook profile, but an
emergency-services operator
would be a whole different
kettle of fish.
But it isn’t just time-
wasting that’s encouraged by
social networking. Sensitive
information about a company
could be revealed to a
competitor and there are
other security issues to
consider.
The remedy to the situation
is that employers and
employees should agree on
what is acceptable practice
and what is not and make it
part of company policy.
It all seems simple
enough, and many
companies have these
regulations in place already.
But is there any reason to
point the finger at Facebook?
8 13 September 2007
WHAT’S HOT BROADBAND
AMD
Researchers have found AMD’s chips to
be more energy efficient than Intel’s. BT Broadband passes 4m mark
www.amd.com
B
T’s broadband service now has more than four
Blackberry shares million customers, confirming its place as the
Blackberry-maker RIM’s share price
has rocketed following rumours that is
largest ISP in the UK.
It passed the landmark figure in the second
to be taken over by Microsoft. quarter of 2007 and BT said that one million of the
www.rim.net customers had joined in the last 10 months.
Only Virgin Media, with 3.41 million customers,
Gateway comes close to challenging BT’s rule. The Carphone
The PC manufacturer has been acquired Warehouse, which owns the TalkTalk and AOL
by Acer, making it the third largest PC brands, and Tiscali, which recently bought out
company in the world. Pipex, have 2.4 million and two million customers
www.acer.co.uk respectively.
Recent figures from the Office of National
Sino-US relations Statistics showed that of the 15 million homes
A report has accused the Chinese connected to the internet in the UK, 86.1 per cent
military of secretly hacking into the used either an ASDL or cable broadband connection.
Pentagon’s computer network. BT estimates that 11.5 million of the internet
www.defenselink.mil connections in the UK run over its network.
According to recent statistics from the Office of the
Monster.com Telecoms Adjudicator (Offta), around two million
The recruitment site admitted that broadband lines in the UK are unbundled, meaning
millions of its users’ details were exposed that they do not rely on BT in any way to operate.
when hackers broke in to the site. BT Retail chief executive Ian Livingston said:
www.monster.com “Broadband has proved to be one of the most
popular new services ever seen. It is already
WHAT’S NOT
PRODUCT NEWS For the latest gadget news visit
www.webuser.co.uk/mostwanted
Parrot DS1120 Epson Stylus
Parrot specialises in gadgets for
mobile phones, generally based
on Bluetooth technology.
Photo R285
If you print out a lot of
photographs of a particular
Though Bluetooth has long had subject, such as your garden,
its critics for its short range and for example, you’ll find that
security issues, it is useful if you your printer runs out of certain
want to play music stored on inks at different rates. If your
your mobile without having to printer uses an all-in-one
use wires to connect external cartridge then this can lead to
speakers like the DS1120. a lot of wasted ink, so Epson
These have a three-button, has decided to put six separate
touch-sensitive control panel in ink tanks in the Stylus Photo
the top of the speaker face and a Olympus FE-300 R285. It’ll print a photograph
combined output of 30 watts. £200 for a 12-megapixel in less than 30 seconds,
They’re a bit pricey at £140 for digital camera might seem like according to the company, and
the pair, but they do come with madness, but Olympus it costs £70.
a dongle that will make non- assures us that the FE-300 is www.epson.co.uk
Bluetooth devices work with the going to be on sale at this
speakers too. remarkable price. This means
www.parrot.com that you’ll be able to capture
your subjects in incredible
detail, so much so that they
may not thank you for showing
up every blemish on their skin.
Built-in technology can
counter the effect of camera
shake so you don’t need to
worry about having steady
hands, and its face-recognition
function will help you
eliminate red-eye.
www.olympus.co.uk
Up for grabs!!! WIN a holiday for two to New Zealand, closes 31 January 2008, at
www.virginradio.co.uk/freebies/competitions/air_new_zealand/index.html
 Don’t miss our daily news at www.webuser.co.uk/news NEWS
WEB USER’S
CLICKING ON… MYBOOKMARKS
Jamie Parkins,
Websites that have kept us busy this fortnight…
Web User reader,
1 Rapid Fire
www.2dplay.com/rapid-fire-
2/rapid-fire-2-play.htm
Watford

Test your hand-eye

coordination with BoingBoing
this shooter. www.boingboing.net

2 Chocolate Rain
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=EwTZ2xpQwpA
We think this could be the
worst song of all time.

delivering next-generation television, inclusive free

3 Indian version of Thriller
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=LbvP7dT3Dx0
The weird, the wonderful
and the wacky all under
one roof. This is the
phone calls in High Definition sound and great value No, our mistake, it’s this. perfect blog for fans of
mobile calls.” gadgets, web pioneers and
However, BT’s network is about to undergo major breaking news.
changes – its next-generation 21st Century Network
(21CN) is to be implemented from next year, which
should increase speeds across the infrastructure and
4 Aqua Energizer
www.miniclip.com/games/
aqua-energizer/en
Qype
www.qype.co.uk
allow more services to be provided to customers. Take charge of an aquatic
www.bt.com/broadband hero called Nemo in this
watery maze.

EVERYONE’S CLICKING ON…

Our guide to this fortnight’s most clickable sites
Cool new review site that
allows people to rate
restaurants, pubs and
THIS GAME various public venues.
Really useful for finding the
Real World Racer next interesting pub in
www.thomasscott.net/realworldracer/# which to have a pint!
This Thomas chap has marked an important stage in online gaming, as he’s
created several racecourses using Google Maps that you can tear around on Blur Cast TV
and, most significantly, he gives you the chance to build your own routes. www.blurcast.tv
Mark our words, this’ll be in 3D before long...

THIS TIME-WASTER
Punk-O-Matic
www.2flashgames.com/f/f-548.htm
If you’ve ever fancied lording it as a punk rocker, but shied away from multiple
piercings, then this music generator will let you live out your dreams. Choose
drum, guitar and bass parts, and then bash out your own brash epics. Mind The most impressive band
out for the Dude button though, where there’s a bit of very punk language. site I’ve seen. Packed full of
archived videos and old
interviews. It even includes
THIS BIZARRE SITE the band’s side projects
like Gorillaz. A must for any
Reader’s Sheds Blur fan!
www.readersheds.co.uk
To some it’s just a grimy outhouse where the lawnmower lives, but to others Your Bookmarks
the garden shed is a place of sanctity. These pictures of readers’ sheds suggest
Send short reviews (30 words
a level of affection for their subjects that almost brings a tear to the eye. Sign
each max) of your favourite
the petition to have National Shed Week recognised if you must.
three sites to mybookmarks
@web-user.co.uk

WIN a Champneys spa break for two, closes 29 September, at WIN a Shoeai motorcycling helmet worth £399, closes 29 13 September 2007 9
www.livingtv.co.uk/competitions/real_housewives.html September, at www.superbike.co.uk/competitions/?id=2463
 Don’t miss our daily news updates at www.webuser.co.uk/news NEWS
TV
CONSUMER CHAMPION By Lisa Kelly
Tiscali TV extends its reach
Upgrading to broadband
T
iscali TV, a ‘triple-play’ package
comprising of landline
READER: Peter Howarth telephone, broadband and
Internet Protocol TV (IPTV)
PROBLEM: Orange double charges services, is now available to five
million UK homes.
The service was first launched in

W
hen you upgrade your dial-up connection to March of this year, but was only
broadband you want to ensure a smooth available in London and Stevenage.
handover, but the process can go awry. Now residents of cities and towns
Pete Howarth had signed up for a Freeserve dial-up including Birmingham, Liverpool, connection, free weekend calls to
package more than seven years ago, which had then Warrington and Milton Keynes UK landlines, monthly line rental
been taken over by Wanadoo and then again by Orange can sign up for Tiscali TV services. and a TV variety pack including all
(www.orange.co.uk). He was persuaded to upgrade to a The company says it will be BBC channels, as well as Sky One
broadband service and was told that his dial-up available to a further five million and some on-demand content, for
subscription would be cancelled automatically. homes by Christmas. £19.99 per month.
Mr Howarth’s broadband service went live on 26 Tiscali chief executive Mary If you are an existing Tiscali
June, but when he examined his bank statements he Turner said: “With Tiscali TV we customer you can upgrade to the
discovered that £14.99 had been taken out by direct aim to provide our customers with TV packages for free. New
debit on 22 June for broadband and that on 26 June he an exciting and affordable service customers will also receive a
was debited £14.99 for dial-up. that will allow them to watch their set-top box and wireless modem
He phoned Orange customer services and was told favourite channels.” for free, but will incur a £30
the payment for dial-up could not be returned because One of the Tiscali TV packages installation charge.
he had not cancelled it. offers a 2Mbps broadband www.tiscali.co.uk
Mr Howarth wrote to Orange on 2 July and asked for
written confirmation that his dial-up account had been
terminated. He did not hear from Orange and contacted TECHNOLOGY
Web User, who asked Orange to investigate Mr
Howarth’s problem.
On 11 July, Mr Howarth told Web User he had received
a phone call from Orange apologising for its mistake, and
Men ‘clueless’ about gadgets
M
promising to return his payments and to write to confirm any men are not nearly as Vicki Butler-Henderson, Fifth
that his dial-up connection had been cancelled. IT-savvy as they think, Gear presenter and HP’s product
On 15 July, Mr Howarth received his letter from according to a study. tester, said: “I was surprised by
Orange with another apology and the following Research conducted by the lack of information on a lot of
explanation: “Your broadband account was registered HP that found that tech products when
with a different username. This prevented your Dial-up nearly one in four I began conducting
Anytime account automatically closing.” males consider some real-life tests,
Mr Howarth told Web User that he had originally themselves to be so I’m not surprised
pointed out to Orange that he wanted to keep his old ‘techies’, with 78 that men are slightly
username for convenience, so he could keep his address per cent saying struggling with all the
book, for example. However, he said Orange had told that they can set responsibility being
him this was not possible. up a broadband thrust upon them.”
We asked Orange for tips on ensuring a smooth connection. The research also
transfer from dial-up to broadband: “We recommend However, of the 1,000 men found that 25 per cent of
customers use the same account details when surveyed by HP, more than half men didn’t know what USB
registering for Orange Broadband. Or, if they choose to admitted they took over an hour (universal serial bus) stood for,
register with different account details, making it clear to to fix the most recent technology- and more than 60 per cent didn’t
the person handling the account that they are an existing related problem they had know how big a terabyte was
dial-up customer will help simplify the process,” said an encountered, if they managed to (1TB = 1,000GB).
Orange spokesperson. solve it at all. www.hp.com/uk

RELATIONSHIPS everyday and it is no surprise

people are using these methods
Love rats caught out by trail of online deceit to carry out secret affairs.”
Of the 2,070 people
polled by

I
f you’re having an affair it’s best not to
rely on the internet or mobile phones to
send secret communications, according
to research.
Price-comparision website
Moneysupermarket.com found that one in
nine adults have had their affairs exposed
because of a trail of evidence left online.
It’s the older generation who are most Moneysupermarket.com
likely to get caught out. Fifteen per cent of and YouGov, 4 per cent
people over 55 who have been caught had been careless enough
cheating by a partner were incriminated by to forward evidence of
online evidence, compared to six per cent of their wrong-doings to
unfaithful 18 to 24-year-olds. their partners.
Rob Barnes of Moneysupermarket.com, www.money
said: “Most of us use email and send texts supermarket.com

Get the latest news updates at www.webuser.co.uk/news 13 September 2007 11

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Don’t bank on it
A survey has revealed that online banking is on the increase – and it’s silver
surfers that are driving the uptake. But are online banks up to scratch
compared to their high street and telephone counterparts?
Ben Camm-Jones investigates
T
he convenience of being able to organise
mortgage repayments as well as
transferring birthday money into
grandchildren’s accounts from the comfort
of our homes is seemingly appealing to a
greater number of people in the UK.
More of us are relying on the internet to do
our banking, according to research from the
Association of Payment and Clearing
Services (APACS) and it is the older
generation, not the whizz-kids, who are
driving this trend.
Though the number of adults who do their
banking online has shot up 174 per cent in
the last five years, it is the over-55s who are
really embracing the world of virtual money-
management with a 350 per cent increase.
Sandra Quinn, director of
communications at the UK payments
association APACS, said: “The greatest
proportion of new internet bankers are the
over-55s. As a group they have come to
embrace the ease and efficiency that online
banking offers.”
However, a poll of visitors to www.
webuser.co.uk suggests that many still
aren’t convinced by online banking, and it
seems they may have good reason. Of 490
votes, nearly a quarter were cast by people
who said that they did not bank online at all.
One of the reasons that people may not be
ready to give up on bricks-and-mortar banks
just yet is that online-only banks don’t offer
the same level of customer service,
according to one company.
Transversal, a provider of customer
service solutions, compared the service
offered by several major internet banks with
that offered by their telephone
counterparts. The results
suggest that even simple
queries that take a few
minutes to answer over the
phone can take much longer
when dealt with online.
One of the major
problems for
customers,
said Davin
Yap, chief
executive of Transversal, is that the websites
contain a lot of unnecessary information,
which makes it hard for customers to find
what they are looking for.
“While previously online customers have
had to cope with a lack of information we’re
now seeing more content – but this makes
finding the right answer as difficult as
looking for a needle in a haystack,” Yap said.
When online goes offline
A selling point of any online bank should be
that it is incredibly convenient, but one of the
major disadvantages of the online-only
model, such as that operated by Egg (www.
egg.com), is that if there is any kind of
problem with the web connection,
everything grinds to a halt.
On 23 August this year, Egg suffered a
technical problem which meant its website
was offline for several hours. Though an Egg
spokeswoman was at pains to point out that
customers could still get through on the
telephone, the inconvenience of the
experience could prove to be very off-putting
to the customer, one analyst warned.
Martin Stern, head of market research
firm Keynote, said: “It’s not like Egg are
simply looking after people’s holidays, or
travel; in their own words this is ‘Your
Money’, which customers expect to access
24 hours a day.
“Given the much-lower operating costs of
a branch-free model, their margins should
be able to fund the building of a world-class
online infrastructure,” he said.
Security concerns
The question of security is integral to any
online banking offering, and with a House of
NEWS FEATURE
Keeping your money safe
Barclays (www.barclays.com) is one
bank aiming to lead the way in providing
the most convenient and secure online
banking facilities for its customers. As
well as letting its customers check their
balance using a mobile phone, it was
the first to introduce a chip-and-pin
device for customers to use at home to
help them make totally secure online
transactions.
Though other banks have since
followed Barclays’ lead, it won praise
from one security company for its
innovative approach to keeping its
customers’ money secure.
“Consumer confidence in online
transactions and online banking has
been waning and better
safeguards, such as
biometrics or
smartcards needs to
be considered by other
banks,” said Raimund
Genes of Trend Micro.
Lords Select Committee describing the web
as the “wild west”, as reported in Issue 169
of Web User, it is easy to see why people
could be put off.
But a recent survey conducted by Lloyds
TSB (www.lloydstsb.com) found that
many online bankers aren’t too concerned,
with more than half of respondents saying
that they weren’t bothered by internet
banking fraud.
According to the House of Lords Science
and Technology Committee, many people
expect the banks to be the sole guardians of
security, an idea reinforced by the
government’s recommendation earlier this
year that online fraud be reported to the
banks rather than the police.
Lloyds TSB’s Ian Larkin cautioned
customers who thought that
security was not their
responsibility.
“As a bank, we do everything in
our power to keep fraudsters at bay
by making sure our online security is
second to none. But our customers
also have a part to play in the fight
against online crime,” he said.
13 September 2007 13
 LETTERS
Have your say: letters@web-user.co.uk
HOT TOPICS
These are some of the questions
and subjects you have been debating
on our forum or Facebook page in
the past fortnight. Have your say at
www.webuser.co.uk/forums or
www.webuser.co.uk/facebook.
1 How long have you been a
Facebook member and what
are your favourite and least-
favourite things about the
social-networking website?
I’ve been a member about three months
and I love the ease of communication but
hate non-friends I have never met or only
briefly met asking to be my friend.
Anthony, via Facebook
I joined in July after reading an article in
Web User about the site. I’d heard of it
before but hadn’t been particularly
interested. I love the various applications
you can add to it. It can be a bit too open
with information but otherwise it’s an
excellent site.
Mark F, via Facebook
I’ve been using Facebook for about three
months. I find it easier to use than
MySpace but it’d be nice to have skins or
themes to make it more customisable.
Kirstie, via Facebook
I have been a member since June. I find it
much more adult-friendly than MySpace.
It’s simple to use with everything at your
fingertips and I especially like the ease
with which you can share photos. The
applications make it great fun, although I
think there are too many of them.
Simon, via Facebook
I have been a member since June after
the site was widely publicised in the
press. One thing to be aware of is that
posts you put on people’s Walls can be
seen by everyone – so be careful not to
slag anyone off!
Mark C, via Facebook
I’ve been a member for about four
months now and I’m totally addicted! I
like the idea of being able to play
Scrabble, and upload photos and videos.
It can be a bit sluggish at times,
especially when some of the applications
don’t work, but it’s a great site overall.
Claude, via Facebook
14 13 September 2007
Hints and Tips
I was shocked to read the condescending
letter from Pomegranete in Issue 169
complaining that the tips and hints were too
basic, but full credit is due to Web User for
publishing the letter. The editorial response
was excellent. All of us have had to start
somewhere when we buy our first PC and
in my early computing days I would have
been lost without the help/support of both
Web User magazine and its readers. If the
writer of that letter needs more advanced
tips then I suggest he buys a copy of
Windows Inside Out for £30+. Let us not
forget, for the price of £1.99 Web User is a
great source of information offering legal
advice, web tips, software and much more
besides, while the forums and help sections
beat any PC helpline. Where did anyone first
hear about CCleaner and other brilliant free
software essentials? In Web User magazine!
So keep up the good work.
Ian Blower, via email
Web User replies: We’re glad to hear we’ve
been of help to you, Ian. We always
welcome feedback from our readers,
positive or negative, to help make sure we
give you more of what you’re interested in,
presented the way you want it.
Photo request
My elderly Mum has been in hospital for a
week or two and I’ve been occupied with her
care so my regular copy of Web User was
left unread on the table for a few days. When
I finally got a bit of time to myself and sat
down for a read, I was rather chuffed to see
a three-part feature all about photography –
a subject close to my heart. I then looked up
an email in my Sent tray for May and
suddenly remembered that I had requested
an article on exactly that subject. Well, far
be it from me to presume that you might
have paid any heed to what a ‘commoner’
like me said, but it did seem to be quite a
coincidence. If you did indeed put together a
feature on photography just for me, well, a
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STAR LETTER
This issue’s £25 winner!
On hold
It is 9.11am and I have been trying to get
through to BT and am still hanging on
while writing this email.
This is the fourth time
£W 25
I have tried to get
through to BT this
week. The three
previous times
inne r I gave up after
hanging on for over
twenty minutes. After
my first call on Monday,
I emailed BT and left my
phone number. I got no acknowledgement
or call back. What can we as consumers
do? It seems there is not a single ISP out
there providing a decent level of customer
care. Customer service is just more spin
and nothing seems to improve. I imagine
these companies work on the basis that if
they lose subscribers because of their bad
service, they’ll always manage to pick up
customers who are fed up with another
provider. Perhaps the UK broadband
big hug and love ya for ever! I’ll keep reading
and hopefully Mum will soon be home.
Robert, via email
WEEE Directive
As a regular reader, I was very interested in
your article on ‘The WEEE Directive’, but
was frankly staggered that there was no
All contributions to Web User must be original, not copies or duplicated to other
publications. The editor reserves the right to shorten or modify any letter or
material submitted. IPC Media or its associated companies reserves the right
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format or medium.
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 LETTERS

ASK WEB USER

Got a non-technical query about the
marketplace is just a merry-go-round of wonderful web? Email it to askwebuser@
customers migrating away from bad service web-user.co.uk and we’ll try to help
only to find it just as bad elsewhere. It is
10.04am now and BT is still promising that
my call will be answered as soon Q Cirque du Soleil tickets
Every year I want to take the family
as possible. Anyway, I to see Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert
suppose the merry-go- Hall but always miss out on tickets. Do
round theory works so you have any idea how I can buy them in
long as there’s a advance online?
consensus that no single No name supplied, via email
ISP actually tries to do
the job well. The poor
consumer is left searching A Web User replies: Varekai from
Cirque du Soleil will start at the
the marketplace for Prince Royal Albert Hall in January 2008 but
Charming – perhaps we all need you can already buy tickets online now at
to accept that the pond is http://tickets.royalalberthall.com. Use

Photo: ©istockphoto.com/Joan Vicent Cantó Roig

actually full of frogs. PS: It’s the booking website’s calendar to find
now 10.09am and still holding tickets for January and February. The
on.… zzzzzzzzzzzzzz. site even lets you book for future events
Steve Carroll, via email as far ahead as Elgar at the Royal Albert
Hall on Saturday 20 September 2008.
Web User replies: We agree
that before making the switch to
a new broadband provider, it’s
useful to know how existing (or
former) customers rate the service
they’ve received. Turn to page 22 for
our advice on picking the right ISP.

reference to the issues of data security for IT

equipment or the potential value recoupable Scrabulous
from old PCs, laptops etc. While
manufacturers do indeed have to take back
I think I am
totally addicted Q Free Spybot
In Issue 168 you indicated that the
equipment if you are buying new, there is no to Scrabulous on Spybot – Search & Destroy software was
obligation under the directive for them to do Facebook as free, so I took a look but it’s not.
so in a way that protects sensitive data on when the game I thought it particularly naughty that it
the equipment or to give you any money recently went downloads for free, shows you how
back for any value earned from your old offline due to many parasites you have and then asks
hardware. Dell has been quoted as technical you to register before it will clean your PC
predicting that the demand for paid-for IT problems (as you – very sneaky!
asset-recovery services will continue to mentioned in Stephen, via email
grow despite the legal obligation for vendors Issue 169) I suffered serious withdrawal
to provide free IT recycling services. They
state that “for companies that want to
symptoms! I have about seven games on the
go right now and have so far resisted the A Web User replies: Did you
download the program from one of
recover value from their IT assets or take a urge to cheat, although I’m pretty sure some its official links: www.spybot.com or
lower-risk approach to data destruction of my opponents are as they keep using www.safer-networking.org? There are
there is a need for full asset disposal words I’ve never heard of, like ‘qat’! certain anti-spyware tools that will charge
services”. While this is mostly relevant to Jake, via email you to remove threats that they find, but
businesses, many home users are likely to Spybot – Search & Destroy isn’t one of
feel that their equipment has recoupable If you are unable to contact Web User at any them. The only money it asks for is an
value and they’ll certainly be concerned of our usual email addresses, please use optional donation via the website.
about whether their data is at risk. webuser@ipcmedia.com to get in touch.
Richard, via email
Q Translation tool
I have come across some websites
that might be of interest me but are in a
SUBSCRIBE TODAY foreign language. Does anyone know of a
tool to translate them into English?
Jedi, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
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Not heard of Second Life 19% (Source: www.webuser.co.uk) Vote in our latest poll at www.webuser.co.uk 13 September 2007 15
 BEST NEW We review this fortnight’s crop of the best

WEBSITES
SITE OF THE FORTNIGHT
Guardian Weekly
www.guardianweekly.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★
The website for the weekly international edition of the
Guardian newspaper has ditched its dull old design for
a fresh, new appearance. The site is split into two areas:
the first being the blue Home section, which features
first-person editorial content commissioned from
various sources, including Guardian and Observer
foreign correspondents. Articles are spread across 10
categories such as politics, conflict, health, discovery,
education, culture and human rights. The other half of
the site is the orange My Guardian Weekly social-
networking area, where you can register profiles,
submit your own stories with video and pictures, share
comments, and communicate with fellow users. If you’re
interested in real people’s lives and how world events
and politics affect them, then this site is a must-read,
impressive in design and ambition.

CometPCBuilder
www.cometpcbuilder.co.uk
Our rating ★★★
This new joint venture between electrical retailer Comet
and hardware manufacturer Mesh Computers lets you
build and buy your perfect PC. Simply choose a base unit
– prices start as low as £299 and include Windows Vista Oxfam
Home Premium – then click the Customise button and www.oxfam.org.uk
select the exact specifications you require. These range
from internal components such as the processor,
Our rating ★★★
memory, hard drive(s), graphics card and DVD-writer, to Global charity Oxfam has
peripherals like a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers redesigned its British website
and headphones. It’s very easy to use and a great means to make it easier for visitors to
of creating a machine that meets your needs, but the find information and help the
options available are quite limited. organisation in its fight against
poverty and suffering. The site
is split into logical sections,
including ‘Oxfam in action’,
where you can learn more
about ongoing campaigns and
success stories; and ‘Get
involved’, which provides details
of fundraising and volunteer
work, including downloadable
sponsor and application forms.
Elsewhere you can set up a
monthly donation to the charity
and locate your nearest Oxfam
shop. The pages are lively and
legible, and this is a big
improvement on the previous,
rather over-officious site.

16 13 September 2007 Our website of the fortnight one year ago Football365 www.football365.com One of the
new and revamped websites BEST NEW WEBSITES

Ratatouille
http://disney.go.com/
disneypictures/ratatouille
Our rating ★★★★
The official website for the latest
Disney-Pixar animated flick is a nest of
activity and fun. Ratatouille is due out in
the UK next month and follows the
culinary adventures of a young rat called
Remy in Paris. It has proved a big hit in
the US, and judging by the imaginative,
visually-stunning content of this site, it’s
likely to repeat that success over here.
Even standard features such as trailers,
character profiles and games are
crammed with colour and humour, and
are complemented by recipes, video
podcasts and Desktop wallpaper.
With a clever design laid out like a
messy kitchen, this site is sure to delight
Smith & Friends International Herald
www.smithandfriends.com Tribune
www.iht.com
Our rating ★★★
This new offshoot of luxury hotel Our rating ★★★★
site Mr & Mrs Smith (www. Global news provider the
mrandmrssmith.com) invites International Herald Tribune has
you to browse and book stylish relaunched its website with
self-catering properties from more blogs and a wider choice of
around the UK. These range multimedia content. You can
from cottages and townhouses now stream or download audio
to castles and stately homes, as news for free, creating custom
well as quirkier accommodation podcasts of selected articles
such as barns and boats. You without needing to register with
Reviews by Veronique De Freitas

kids and big kids too. can specify the type of occasion
for which you need the property
– holiday, wedding, stag or hen
do – along with the facilities you
require, such as staff on site,
fitness equipment or a hot tub.
It’s a great idea for people
seeking a unique away-break.
However, to take the advantage
of the special offers you must be
a member, which costs from
£10 to £250 per year.
the service. Unlike many news
sites, the IHT’s blogs don’t feel
superfluous, and offer a wealth
of fascinating opinion and
discussion on topics from travel
to technology, all written and
regularly updated by people
who clearly know their stuff.
Our only complaint is that the
amount of news crammed into
the site makes the design feel
too text-heavy.

premier football websites, packed with funny and informative content. 13 September 2007 17

ThomsonLocalMoney
www.thomsonlocal
money.com
Our rating ★★★
Thomson Local has launched
this website to help you find the
best deals on different financial
products and services. Hosted
by a bespectacled cartoon cat,
it compares rates for mortgages,
loans, credit cards, insurance
and more, via online partner
BeatThatQuote.com. Sadly,
other than advising you to seek
advice, there isn’t much useful
content here. You also need to
provide personal information –
including your address, phone
number and email address –
before you can use most of the
tools. It is processed over a
secure server, but other financial
sites are less intrusive.
To enjoy even more website reviews, visit www.webuser.co.uk/sites
Leffe
www.leffe.com
Our rating ★★★★
Anyone who takes
their tipple-tasting
seriously will love
this interactive
journey around the
Leffe beer range.
It’s wonderfully designed, and looks
so much better than the typical
promotional site, offering plenty for
visitors to see and do. Accompanied
by laidback music, the virtual tour
takes you through a series of vaulted
chambers. We particularly like
the Master Taster who
introduces you to the five
Leffe brands, so you can learn,
for example, the correct
temperature at which to serve
Leffe Blond. Explore further to
discover more about the
company’s fascinating history
in the ‘museum’ section and
challenge your friends to a
game of Quatre Leffe chess in
the ‘living room’.
Choose DVD Rental
www.choosedvdrental.
co.uk
Our rating ★★★★
Choose DVD Rental, which
compares more than 30 DVD
rental services, has been
revamped with a more colourful
design, simpler navigation and
some great new features. This
excellent website now invites
you to augment the reviews
written by its editors with your
own comments and ratings.
You can quickly find out which
rental services are offering the
longest free trials, and use the
‘Switch Rental Service’ tool to
move to a better DVD provider.
Now covering games as well as
films, Choose DVD Rental offers
a great way to save money on
your entertainment.
BEST NEW WEBSITES
Streakr
www.streakr.com
Our rating ★★★★
Streakr is a new social
networking community and
online discovery tool, which lets
you find, share and discuss great
content from around the web.
You’ll need to install the free
‘discovery bar’ on your browser
first, then rate sites you like or
dislike by clicking the ‘thumbs
up’ or ‘thumbs down’ icons.
These choices are added to your
profile page so Streakr can
recommend other websites,
videos and music suited to your
interests. This will all sound very
familiar to anyone who has used
StumbleUpon (www.stumble
upon.com), but Streakr is more
UK-oriented, and also lets you
connect with social networks.
BLOG ON C
The Offside
http://lagalaxy.
theoffside.com
There’s American football –
rugby in fancy dress – and
there’s American football,
better known in the States
as ‘soccer’, which is the
fervent obsession of this
fantastic US blog. Although
Brits may find their beloved
game easy to understand,
the approach to the
beautiful game across the
pond is far more baffling ,
employing such phrases as
‘bulldogging’, ‘midfield
stripe’ and ‘knock like a
bear kiss’.
What with that Beckham
chap moving to LA to boot a
ball around, the press in the
UK have been quick to both
hype his move and sneer at
the standard of the US
game. The manner in
which sports writers and
broadcasters peer down
their noses at Dave’s new
team, Los Angeles Galaxy,
and all of Major League
Soccer demonstrates near-
total ignorance of the US
game, so find out what’s
really happening through
this blog of a die-hard
Galaxy fan.
C
BLOG OFF
Oscar and the City
http://everythingoscar
blogger.blogspot.com
The Academy Awards only
lasts one long night a year,
but at Oscar and the City the
conjecture over who’ll walk
off with one of those gold
statues never ends. This is a
shame as it’s a good film
blog in its own right, but the
Oscar obsession soon
becomes tedious.
13 September 2007 19
 BEST NEW WEBSITES
Evite
www.evite.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★
This sparkling new party-planning
portal lets you organise all manner
of events from the comfort of your
PC. Whether you want to throw a
stag do, dinner party or baby
shower, Evite provides everything
you need. This includes
invitations, cocktail recipes and
theme suggestions,
as well as somewhere
to share post-party
gossip and
incriminating photos.
We especially like the
Drink Calculator,
which works out how
much alcohol you
might need for your
event, based on its
duration and number
of guests. The site is
free, easy to use, and
offers a far safer
means of arranging a
bash than posting
details on MySpace
and then getting your
house trashed.
Goodtoknow
www.goodtoknow.co.uk
Our rating ★★★
This pink-trimmed new site is
aimed at British women and
offers a smorgasbord of facts
about health, diets and food.
Introduced by mother-of-three
June, it’s a friendly resource that
presents its content – be it
expert medical guidance,
nutritional information or simple
recipes – clearly and concisely.
Visitors can share their own
stories and tips, as well as
comment on articles, take part
in polls – such as ‘should women
be allowed to have children in
their 50s?’ – and enter
competitions. Goodtoknow
benefits from an attractive
design, using colour-coded
sections and nice big links, and
should prove very popular.
20 13 September 2007
Day Watch
www.foxsearchlight.com/ www.ebookers.com
daywatch Our rating ★★★★ Our rating ★★★
Our rating ★★★★ Online travel agent Ebookers has Everybody loves a bargain, so
Set in contemporary Moscow,
the film Day Watch revolves
around the conflict and balance
between the forces of light and
darkness, following a medieval
truce struck by opposing sides.
If that sounds a bit heavy, never
fear, as the video clips, photos
and behind-the-scenes footage
on this official site suggest it’s a
relentlessly action-packed if
slightly unhinged affair, full of
dazzling special effects and
stunts. Equally impressive is the
regularly updated digest of Day
Watch-related content from
around the web. An excellent
effort all round – we’ll find out
next month whether the film
lives up to it.
Ebookers
www.media-pricer.co.uk
revamped its UK site, providing
customers with a greater choice
of hotels, an improved search
facility and a simpler booking
process. The site has also added
a lot more content, including
hotel photos, maps, and
customer reviews, which make
it look similar to close rival
Expedia.co.uk. As do the new
My Trips and My Accounts
sections that you can use to
store and view trip details; save
your payment information and
travel preferences; and send
itinerary alerts to up to four
friends and family members.
With a pleasant, easy-to-
navigate blue design, Ebookers
is smarter and slicker than ever.
C
GIVEITAMISS
Rhythm of Lines
www.rhythmoflines.co.uk
Our rating ★★
Rhythm of Lines is a
promotional website for the
new Audi A5, which lets you
indulge your artistic abilities
by creating a 3D image of the
perfect car. The swirly,
minimalist layout fills you
with intrigue as to what
secrets the site could conceal;
unfortunately there aren’t
any, other than an advert for
the A5. We tried to test the
Creation tool, but couldn’t get
to grips with the complicated
design process. The classical
music accompanying your
visit is calming at first, but
soon becomes irritating,
while the site as a whole
smacks of pretention rather
than rhythm.
Media Pricer
the fact that price comparison
sites are two-a-penny shouldn’t
necessarily affect the success
of this new one. Media Pricer
concentrates on CDs and DVDs,
though books and games
sections are apparently coming
soon. To compare prices for an
item, simply click its Buy button
and Media Pricer presents you
with some of the best deals from
around the web. Register with
the site and you can use the
PriceTrack feature, which sends
you an email when the price of a
particular product drops to your
desired level. This site roots out
some good deals, but lacks the
scope and special features of the
likes of Pricegrabber.
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 COVER FEATURE BROADBAND DEALS

Get a better
broadband deal
Broadband is cheaper and faster than ever, but choosing the right package can
be a minefield. Robert Irvine explains how to find and switch to a superior deal

22 13 September 2007
 BROADBAND DEALS COVER FEATURE

W
ith prices falling under £10 a
month, connection speeds passing
24Mbps (megabits per second),
and service providers bickering in the
press, there’s never been a better but more
baffling time for broadband customers.
The crowded marketplace gives you a
fantastic range of options, but finding the
deal best suited to your needs is much
less straightforward. For example, a
mega-megabit connection is a waste of
both money and bandwidth if you only use
your PC for email and web surfing.
Likewise, if you regularly download films,
TV shows and games, a capped account
(one with a monthly download limit) may
severely encroach on your entertainment.
The ever-increasing availability of LLU
(Local Loop Unbundling), which lets rival
ISPs use BT’s telephone exchanges,
means there’s also a greater variety of
broadband packages than ever before, in
terms of speed, content and price. Many
providers now offer broadband bundles Above: Satellite broadband isn’t cheap, but may be necessary for web access in remote locations
that combine internet access with TV
and phone services, while others lure
customers with attractive extras such as
‘free’ laptops.
To help you cut through the confusion,
we’ve assembled a comprehensive
10-step guide to better broadband.
With our advice, we hope you can find
and seamlessly switch to the perfect deal
for you.

STEP 1
Check availability in
your area
Before you start shopping around for a
new deal, it pays to find out which type(s)
of broadband you can receive in your area,
and the maximum connection speed you
can – in theory at least – expect.
The two main broadband types
available in the UK are ADSL (Asymmetric
Digital Subscriber Line), which uses your
existing phone line, and cable, which – as
its name suggests – comes down a fibre
optic cable. Both services have their pros
and cons: ADSL speeds are more
consistent, but your connection will be
slower the further away you live from the
telephone exchange; cable is easier to
install and potentially faster, but its
performance is affected by other users
sharing the network.
In remote rural locations that lack
coverage from ADSL and cable, satellite
broadband offers an effective, if fairly
expensive, solution. For example, monthly
fees from two-way satellite provider AVC
Broadband (www.avcbroadband.com)
range from £59 for a 512Kbps connection
to £449 for 2Mbps, plus hardware and
installation fees.
There are several websites that can tell
you which options are open to you. Head
Use Broadband Checker to find out which
services are available in your area
to Broadband Checker (www.broadband
checker.co.uk), enter your postcode and
phone number, and click Check Now.
The site will return with a summary of the
types of broadband available in your area –
including satellite – accompanied by
details of your nearest BT exchange and
the estimated speed capacity of your
phone line.
Virgin Media provides connection speed
quotes at www.areyouuptospeed.com,
covering both ADSL and cable, though
unsurprisingly doesn’t mention any deals
other than its own. If you’re wondering
about the local availability of a specific
provider, the coverage maps at Samknows
(www.samknows.com) may give you a
rough idea, though Sam admits that some
are out of date. The site’s Broadband
Availability Checker and Exchange Search
features should prove more reliable.
STEP 2
Consider your
requirements
Although it’s tempting to plump for the
cheapest or fastest broadband deal you
find – who wouldn’t want to boast they’ve
Samknows provides coverage maps for broadband
providers throughout the UK
got a 24Mbps connection? – you’ll be
happier in the long term if you choose one
that matches your internet usage
requirements. This applies to both the
speed of the connection and the monthly
download limit (if any) set by the
broadband provider.
Roughly speaking, there are three levels
of broadband user: Light, Medium and
Heavy – you’ll have noticed that we rotate
the three for the ‘Best broadband deals’
table in our Essentials section (see page
73). A Light user is currently categorised
as one requiring a minimum connection
speed of 1Mbps and a download limit of
1GB, for Medium users these figures rise
to 2Mbps and 20GB, while Heavy users
need at least 4Mbps and no cap on their
downloading at all.
Price-comparison website uSwitch.com
provides a handy Usage Barometer (www.
uswitch.com/BroadBandUsage/Index.
aspx), which calculates the type of
broadband user you are. It does this based
on factors such as the length of time you
spend surfing the web or playing games,
the amount of music and video content
you download, and the number of emails
you send and receive – daily or weekly. You
can then enter your postcode to search for

13 September 2007 23
 COVER FEATURE BROADBAND DEALS

providers offering suitable packages in

your area.
Many of the cheaper, lighter broadband
deals impose download restrictions on
users. For example PlusNet’s 8Mbps
option (http://tinyurl.com/2hgaqv) costs a
bargain £9.99 a month, but includes a
1GB usage cap. This makes it unsuitable
for bandwidth-hungry activities such as
online gaming.
Exceed your monthly allowance and you
could incur hefty charges – often between
£2 and £3 for every gigabyte you go over
your limit. Really take the bandwidth
biscuit and your account may be slowed
down, suspended or terminated Use the uSwitch Usage Barometer to work out
altogether. Some ISPs provide a usage tool which type of broadband user you are
so you can check how much data you’ve
transferred and how much is remaining website. Tiscali, for example, explains
before you reach your monthly limit. (at www.tiscali.co.uk/products/
You can also download the free program broadband/fair-usage-policy.html) that
NetLimiter 2 Monitor (www.netlimiter. you’ll be notified by email if “your usage at
com) to ensure you don’t inadvertently peak hours [6pm to 11pm Monday to
stray over your cap. Saturday] is excessive and is affecting
Note that even packages that claim to be other customers”.
unlimited usually have a ‘fair usage’ policy.

STEP 3
This is designed to identify customers who
persistently hog bandwidth – typically by

Compare the latest offers

NetLimiter 2 Monitor keeps a watchful eye on the
amount of bandwidth you’re using
sharing large files over peer-to-peer
networks such as BitTorrent – and limit
their activity accordingly.
Details of a broadband provider’s fair
usage policy can usually be found on its
The highly competitive nature of the
broadband market means there are plenty
of online tools for comparing package

Above: Broadband Choices compares the prices of all the latest broadband deals
Money Supermarket rates the pros and cons of
different broadband packages
prices. We’ve already mentioned
uSwitch.com (www.uswitch.com/
broadband), but equally comprehensive
and reliable is Broadband Choices (www.
broadbandchoices.co.uk). Focusing on
the value as well as the cost of different
deals, this impartial comparison site
conducts a live broadband availability
check based on your postcode and BT
phone number. You can then sort the
results by first-year cost, monthly charge,
minimum contract length, and of course
speed and download restrictions, before
clicking straight through to your chosen
provider’s website.
At the time of our visit, the cheapest
deal Broadband Choices found was
Tiscali’s 1Mbps option, which costs
£7.99 per month including free
installation and unlimited downloads.
The site also compares wireless
broadband packages and provides a
speed test you can use to check your
current connection.
Other useful price comparison
services include Broadband Genie (www.
broadbandgenie.co.uk), which lets you
search by desired price bracket; Money
Supermarket’s Compare Broadband tool
(www.moneysupermarket.com/
broadband), with its at-a-glance pros and
cons for every package covered; and the
BROADBAND DEALS COVER FEATURE
SimplySwitch.com offers a refer-a-friend scheme
for the broadband deals it compares
simple but efficient Broadband.co.uk
(www.broadband.co.uk), which flags the
best value, all-round and unlimited deals
on its home page.
Additionally, price-monitoring service
SimplySwitch.com (www.simplyswitch.
com) has a good broadband section,
which gives you up to five £10 Amazon
.co.uk vouchers when you and your
friends switch providers through the site.
Jargon buster
A quick guide to terms you may
encounter when searching for the
best broadband deals
ADSL MAX
The second generation of broadband,
which supports download speeds of
up to 8Mbps and upload speeds of
448Kbps. It was launched by BT
Wholesale last year, and many ISPs
now offer ADSL MAX services.
ADSL2+
An extension of ADSL that boosts
broadband performance by
dramatically enhancing bandwidth,
allowing enhanced data transfer
rates. It’s already offered by several
operators, including Be (www.
bethere.co.uk), and is due to be rolled
out nationally by BT next year.
ADSL2+ delivers a maximum
theoretical download speed of
24Mbps and uploads of 1.3Mbps.
Bundle
A package deal, combining broadband
with another service – typically digital
television and/or landline phone
rental, but increasingly mobile phone
call time and texts too.
LLU
Local Loop Unbundling: the process
that allows ISPs to rent space and
install their own equipment in BT
exchanges. Now available to more
than two thirds of UK households,
LLU means providers can offer
customers cheaper, faster and more
varied broadband products than was
possible when BT controlled the
entire network.
MAC
Migration Authorisation Code. This
lets you transfer your broadband
service from one provider to another.
ISPs are now obliged to supply you
with a MAC and cannot charge for it.
Mbps
Megabits per second: a measure of
how quickly data can be transferred
over your broadband connection.
Usage cap
The limit placed by some broadband
providers on the amount of data you
can download per month.
13 September 2007 25
 COVER FEATURE BROADBAND DEALS
STEP 4
Look at broadband
bundles
Many of the cheapest broadband deals
available at the moment involve combining
internet, digital TV and landline and
mobile phone services in a single bill.
Differences in the terms and conditions of
each element of the bundle can make it
difficult to compare prices from different
providers. But by tailoring a package to
suit your needs you can save yourself the
cost and hassle of paying for two or three
services separately.
Several of the broadband comparison
sites we’ve mentioned, including
uSwitch.com and Broadband Choices,
let you search specifically for bundled
deals. These packages often provide initial
discounts to new customers, such as
Virgin Media’s 3-for-£30 bundle (http://
allyours.virginmedia.com/html/bundles)
or Sky’s current 3-for-£15 combo
(broadband, TV and phone) for your first
12 months (http://packages.sky.com).
However, you should also watch out for
extra costs and lengthy contracts, which
are occasionally concealed in the small
print. TalkTalk (www.talktalk.co.uk), for
example, is quoted by several sites as
offering ‘free’ 8Mbps broadband combined
4x more music
30 21 June 2007
Virgin Media offers internet, TV and phone
services in bundles for better value
with unlimited off-peak calls to UK landline
numbers and anytime calls to 36
international destinations, for just £5.89
per month. Look closer though and you’ll
see the significant note: “you must take a
TalkTalk landline costing an additional
£10.50 per month. This is not included in
the monthly price.” There’s also a £29.99
set-up fee and a minimum contract of 18
months (after a 30-day trial), which take a
slight shine off this apparent bargain.
See our Broadband Bundles comparison
table (on page 27) for more information on
current combined deals.
STEP 5
Read customer opinions
Before making the switch to a new
broadband provider, it’s useful to know
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how existing (or former) customers rate
the service they’ve received. As the web
provides ample opportunity for people
to share their experiences – including
discussion forums, newsgroups,
consumer review sites, and even ISPs’
own feedback sections – you’ll certainly
find no shortage of opinions. The skill
lies in discerning genuine complaints
that pinpoint a company’s shortcomings
from plain online trouble-making or
axe-grinding.
Money Supermarket, which offers
detailed customer reviews and ratings,
stresses in its ‘How to change broadband
provider’ guide (http://tinyurl.com/
2u83et) that: “If you read a lot of negative
things about a provider in an online forum
don’t assume that this is the service that
you will get from them. Generally speaking
though, if there is a consistent trend, as
in several people making the same kind
of complaints about the same provider,
then there is an increased chance you
might experience those issues if you
change to them.”
For further customer views on a huge
range of ISPs, visit the busy forums at
Thinkbroadband.com (http://bbs.
adslguide.org.uk), formerly known as
ADSLGuide. Topics range from lively
debates about the best internet provider
to specific service niggles and technical
 BROADBAND DEALS COVER FEATURE

3-IN-1 BROADBAND BUNDLES

Line rental Monthly cost Total monthly
ISP TV plan Call plan Broadband
provider of bundle cost*
TalkTalk Freeview
35 digital TV Talk2 International Plan
Up to 8Mbps
channels. Free Free evening and weekend
speed, 40GB
set-top box. Includes calls to UK landlines, plus £16.39 plus
download
two months’ free TalkTalk unlimited number of a £29.99 £16.39
limit.
subscription to anytime calls to 36 set-up fee
Includes a
Setanta Sports international destinations
modem.
(subject to terms and worldwide.
conditions).

Tiscali
Tiscali TV Up to 8Mbps
Over 50 digital TV speed, no
Tiscali weekend calls
and radio channels. download
Tiscali Free weekend calls to UK £19.99 £19.99
100 hours of limit.**
landlines.
free on-demand Includes a
programmes. modem.

Sky
Surf, See, Sky 2
Up to 2Mbps
Speak Entertainment
speed, 2GB
Mixes
BT (costs Sky Talk Freetime download £15.00 1 plus
Over 45 digital TV
£10.50 a Free evening and weekend limit. a £30 set-up £25.50
channels (dependent
month) calls to UK landlines. Includes a fee
on which 2 mixes
wireless
are chosen). Free
router.
sky box.

Virgin Media Up to 2Mbps

3 for £30 Virgin TV speed, no
Virgin Phone M £30.00 2 plus
Over 85 digital TV download
Virgin Media Free weekend calls to UK a £25 set-up £30.00
channels. Free limit.**
landlines. fee
set-top box. Includes a
modem.
Data provided by uSwitch.com. Correct as of 22 August 2007. * Total monthly cost covers the cost of the bundle and line rental (if not included as part of the bundle). It does
not take into account any special offers or start-up costs. **Subject to supplier’s fair usage policy/acceptable usage policy.
1. Buy online and get £5 credit. 2. Buy online and save £10.

queries. Elsewhere the site offers a helpful
‘rate your ISP’ facility, which lets members
compare the reliability, speed and
customer service of up to six broadband
providers simultaneously.
Another means of gauging user
satisfaction levels for a specific ISP is to
read the results of customer surveys. One
of the most recent and wide-ranging was
Thinkbroadband.com lets you quickly compare
the performance of up to six ISPs
carried out by uSwitch.com (and covered
in Issue 166 of Web User), which asked
11,000 broadband subscribers to rate
their providers. Top of the table was
PlusNet (www.plus.net) with 78 per cent
of its customers saying they were happy
with the service, while Orange’s ‘free’
broadband service (www.orange.co.uk)
rated bottom with only a 66 per cent
satisfaction rating. Full results can be
found at uSwitch.com.
ISPreview UK (www.ispreview.co.uk) is
also a good source of broadband customer
reviews and surveys, and has a complaints
section where poor-quality providers are
named-and-shamed and common
problems highlighted.
STEP 6
Treat super-speed claims
sceptically
In the majority of cases, the connection
speeds quoted by internet providers are
maximum figures and unlikely to match
what you’ll actually receive. A recent
survey by consumer group Which?
(www.which.co.uk) found only 39 per
cent of broadband subscribers enjoy the
speed they signed up for. Tests of 300
customers across 27 ISPs revealed the
average speed of 8Mbps packages to be
only 2.7Mbps, with some delivering as
little as 0.09Mbps. Which? is now calling
for an Ofcom investigation, commenting:
“It’s shocking that internet service
providers can advertise ever-increasing
speeds that seem to bear little
resemblance to what most people can
achieve in reality.”
Michael Phillips, the product director of
Broadband Choices, agrees with Which?’s
findings: “Factors like distance from the
exchange and poor-quality wiring degrade
the broadband connection and reduce the
customer’s speed, but many people are
unaware of this and go for the top
packages thinking they will get broadband
at 8Mbps. These customers would be

13 September 2007 27
 Heavyweight gaming
with Be Pro

With a static IP, unlimited† usage and

up to 2.5meg upload speed.
“As far as we can see, if you can get Be’s unlimited 24Mb service in your area, go for it.
The bandwidth is second to none and we rarely hear complaints about the service.”
 PC Gamer - Sept 2007
Go to bethere.co.uk to sign up now
or call us free from any landline on 0808 234 8570.
Actual top speeds will vary significantly dependent on several factors,
in particular because of your distance from the local exchange. The Broadband Experts
Be’s services are subject to ‘fair usage policy’. BT line required. Subject to availability, provisioning and capacity in your area. Actual speeds will also be affected by factors including quality of copper and signal interference from
†

other users or devices. For other exclusions and all terms and conditions see www.bethere.co.uk/termsandconditions.

Which? has found that many broadband deals
aren’t delivering on their speed claims
better off saving themselves some money
and going for a 2Mbps or 4Mbps package
where they could actually get the speeds
they’re paying for.”
PlusNet places the disclaimer on its
website that: “actual download speeds
can reach a maximum of 7Mbps, with an
average speed of 5-6Mbps. BT Wholesale
estimates that 78 per cent of customers
will achieve download speeds of 4Mbps
and above.” Even ADSL2+ provider Be
(www.bethere.co.uk), which claims
download speeds of up to 24Mbps,
concedes that the reality may be some
way off that figure (though still incredibly
fast!). A quick browse of ISP customer
reviews and ratings is therefore likely to
give you a much more accurate speed
reading than the company itself.
STEP 7
Watch out for freebies
Many broadband providers are now
offering free gifts if you switch to their
service. For a few weeks this summer,
anyone signing up for a two-year, £14.99
per month Orange contract through PC
World (www.pcworld.co.uk) got a £300
laptop thrown into the deal. Not to be
outdone, new AOL UK (www.aol.co.uk)
subscribers have recently been tempted
with a £500 Dell laptop via The Carphone
Warehouse (www.carphonewarehouse.
com), tied into a £19.99 per month,
two-year contract.
It’s the latter condition that casts a
shadow over these enticing giveaways,
as terminating your contract early usually
means returning the freebie, and could
result in a penalty charge or the obligation
to pay for a service you no longer receive.
On the other hand, sticking with a 2Mbps
deal for 24 months – as stipulated by
Orange –will mean you miss out if low-
price, higher speed connections become
available in your area, unless you pay a
premium to upgrade.
However, as Steve Weller of uSwitch.
com suggests: “For those consumers in
need of a new laptop or those people
signing up to broadband for the first time,
these deals represent great value for
money.” Be aware though that the
BROADBAND DEALS COVER FEATURE
majority of these offers are only available
while stocks last. Last year, Redten
Internet (www.redteninternet.com)
launched an 8Mbps broadband service
that included an LG desktop computer
worth over £500, but was forced to
suspend the deal when it had “run out of
free PCs”. Curiously, the offer is still being
advertised on Redten’s website, so it may
return when stocks are replenished.
Other notable freebies as we went to
press were a snazzy Black Home Hub
Redten is still promoting its ‘free PC’ broadband
offer despite running out of stock
wireless router and Hub Phone with BT’s
Total Broadband Option 3 (http://tinyurl
.com/2ec835). This package requires you
to sign up for at least one year, costs
£24.99 per month and also includes
access to BT Digital Vault for automatically
backing up your files and photos.
STEP 8
Think about
technical support
From connection problems to complaints
about speed, or advice on setting up a
wireless router, most broadband users
need to phone technical support at some
point. It’s therefore vital to consider the
cost and efficiency of a provider’s helpline
before signing up to a service.
The price of technical support varies
greatly between providers. The average
charge is around 11p per minute, while
the maximum is 50p per minute for
Orange Starter customers. As calls last
an average of 17 minutes – six of which
are spent on hold – and it can take up to
three calls to resolve an issue, Orange
bill-payers could be forking out more than
The quality of AOL’s help site is reflected in its
customer satisfaction level
£25 per problem, on top of their usual
monthly fees.
Interestingly, TalkTalk, which offers free
technical support, was recently rated
bottom in a YouGov (www.yougov.com)
survey (commissioned by uSwitch.com) in
terms of satisfaction with the help it
provides. AOL, which charges 5p per
minute, but also offers an online Live Help
facility, was found to be the best ISP for
technical support, with 62 per cent of
customers happy with the service,
compared to TalkTalk’s 37 per cent.
To avoid being charged over the odds for
technical support, ensure you read the
relevant section of the contract carefully
before signing up. Browsing the help
section of the provider’s website may also
give a good indication of the quality of
assistance you’ll receive. AOL’s
information-packed and highly interactive
Help site is very impressive (http://help.
aol.co.uk), while Orange offers little
more than a confusing list of articles
(http://help.orange.co.uk).
STEP 9
Check your
cancellation policy
If you leave your existing ISP within the
minimum contract period, you’ll probably
have to pay a cancellation fee. Even
providers that don’t stipulate a contract
length may charge you if you defect within
the first 12 months, after an initial ‘cooling
off’ period. This fee may be a fixed penalty,
a percentage of your monthly subscriptions
over a set period, or the sum of payments
due for the remainder of your contract.
You should find clear details of a
provider’s cancellation policy in your
original contract and in the Terms &
Conditions section of its website. If moving
on looks set to be expensive – for example,
if you’ve only just joined the ISP – it might
be more cost-effective to stick with your
13 September 2007 29
 COVER FEATURE BROADBAND DEALS

only a matter of hours. There are still some

doubts about the MAC system – price Your broadband
comparison site Firsthelpline.com (www.
firsthelpline.com) believes it places too
checklist
much responsibility on the customer and
gives ISPs “more leeway to delay the
[switching] process”. Conversely, as
personal finance site Interactive Investor
✔ Check the availability of the
different types of broadband
in your area.

Get expert advice on switching broadband

provider from Money Supermarket
current deal a while longer. Alternatively,
(www.iii.co.uk) points out in its broadband
guide: “Often just asking for your MAC will
sound alarm bells and whistles, and have
your current broadband provider
✔ Consider your internet
requirements in terms of
speed and download limits.

you may be prepared to pay the fee so you

can switch to a more competitive package
right away.
Money Supermarket advises (at http://
scrabbling to keep your custom.”
You’ll find a long list of ISP phone
numbers that you can ring to obtain your
MAC on Firsthelpline.com’s ‘How do I
✔ Compare the latest offers
using a broadband price
comparison site.

tinyurl.com/2x6ll4) that you should “try

to calculate the cost of cancellation
against any potential savings by changing
provider (for instance cheaper monthly
switch?’ page (http://tinyurl.com/yo6zra).
Suppliers must provide you with your
MAC within five days and cannot charge
for it; give the MAC to your new ISP and it
✔ See if a bundle combining
broadband, TV and/or phone
could save you money.

subscriptions, money off line rental fees,

free or cheaper call charges) to decide if
it’s cheaper to change provider now, pay
the cancellation fee and still save money.”
will complete the transition for you. On no
account should you cancel your old
service yourself as you could end up losing
broadband and your phone line altogether
✔ Read customer reviews to
gauge the quality of service
offered by different ISPs.

The site also suggests keeping a record

of all your dealings with your current
provider, just in case difficulties arise
during the changeover; and being patient,
and be forced to start from scratch.
If you want to switch from a cable
provider to an ADSL service, you do not
need a MAC code but will need to notify
✔ Treat super-speed claims
cautiously, as they rarely
match what you’ll receive.

“since most ISPs are reliant on BT

engineers to make the necessary
technical changes”.
your current ISP and have a BT telephone
line in place.
For further advice about your rights in
regard to the MAC migration process, see
✔ Watch out for great freebies,
but be wary of committing to
a lengthy contract.

STEP 10
Get your MAC
Ofcom’s website (www.ofcom.org.uk/
advice/codes/bb_migration) or read
Broadband Choices’ excellent Switching
Guide (http://tinyurl.com/27lgdr).
✔ Read the small print to find
out the cost of an ISP’s
technical support line.

Since February 14 this year, all broadband

suppliers have been obliged to provide a
Migration Authority Code (MAC) to any
customer who asks for one. This makes
Once this part is out of the way, the rest
is easy, and you’ll be back on the web at
the speed and cost of your choice in no
time at all.
✔ Check your ISP’s
cancellation policy to see if
you’ll need to pay for leaving.

switching provider much easier, quicker

and hassle-free than it was previously and
should mean you won’t be left without
internet access during the changeover.
✔ Ask your ISP for your MAC
so you can seamlessly
transfer to a new provider.

A MAC takes the form of a 17- or 18-

digit code that is used to authenticate the
migration request from your current ISP to
the new provider. Without a MAC you
could be waiting for several weeks to Firsthelpline.com lists ISP phone numbers you
transfer the service; with one it should be can ring to obtain your MAC

Next issue on sale Thursday 27 September

SMARTER
SEARCHES
From music and photos to CD !
people and places, we reveal UIZ
how to find anything on the
web quickly and easily E EQ
FR
 FEATURE VIRTUAL DESKTOPS
Virtual Desktops – or ‘webtops’ – give you instant access to your favourite
programs, emails and media files on any PC. Rob Beattie rates the best of
these online operating systems
Desktoptwo https://desktoptwo.com
What we liked:
Desktoptwo seamlessly
integrates with superb free
office suite OpenOffice.org,
which lets you read and create
Word, Excel and PowerPoint
files. Unlike some virtual
Desktops, you don’t need to
download any software, so you can access
it on any web-connected PC and receive
exactly the same experience. Your
programs and files will be in the same
place, you’ll see the same wallpaper,
colour scheme and so on.
It’s slicker to use than the other systems
we tested; offers 1GB of free storage with
several easy options for uploading files;
features a bunch of handy utilities
32 13 September 2007
including an RSS reader, instant alternative to Windows that gives you
messenger and calendar; and doesn’t instant access to a wide range of high-
clutter up your screen by providing an quality programs, no matter where you are
unnecessary web browser. in the world.
How it can be improved:
Desktoptwo isn’t immune from the
occasional performance issue (for
example, we had to restart it to
load an Excel spreadsheet), but its
overall speed is much faster than
rival webtops. Our other niggles are
that the calendar is rather basic,
while Desktop adverts detract from Features ★★★★
an otherwise classy product. Performance ★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★
Our verdict:
This is a smooth, versatile OVERALL ★★★★

AjaxWindows www.ajaxwindows.com
What we liked:
This virtual operating system
serves as a front end for the
popular suite of Ajax13 web
applications (www.ajax13
.com), which include a word
processor, drawing and
presentation tools, a
spreadsheet and a media player, and
should be released in a finished version by
the time you read this. It has a similar
interface to Windows that makes it easy
to navigate, and offers a wide selection of
utilities, including an address book,
instant messenger, Desktop
widgets and more.
VIRTUAL DESKTOPS FEATURE
Best of the rest
sluggish and occasionally intermittent Sparc
performance that leaves even a modern www.getsparc.com
PC with a fast connection huffing and This Java-based
puffing. This can make it uncomfortable ‘webtop’ has plenty
and unreliable to use. Also, because it going on, but
was initially developed for Firefox, important features
Internet Explorer users need to download – such as the
a plug-in before they can try it. ThinkFree Office suite – are smothered
by its messy interface.
Our verdict:
Despite the wobbly performance and ZCubes
Firefox bias of its beta version, all PC www.zcubes.com
users should find much to enjoy in this The teenager of virtual Desktops,
attractive, very user-friendly webtop. ZCubes is noisy, lively and occasionally
entertaining but ultimately harder to
understand than it should be.

How it can be improved: cmyOS

As with many online Desktops, www.cmyos.com
AjaxWindows suffers from Featuring an
elegant, Mac-like
interface, cmyOS
includes a word
processor, calendar
and contacts book, so you can work
Features ★★★★ entirely online.
Performance ★★★
Ease of use ★★★★ G.ho.st
http://g.ho.st
OVERALL ★★★ The quirkily-named G.ho.st has a host
of compatible widgets and recently
added support for the Zoho suite of
GOPC www.gopc.net online office applications.

Glide
What we liked: www.glidedigital.com
Like Desktoptwo, GOPC Although it looks
features proper, full-blown nice, has stacks
OpenOffice.org programs for of features, and
word processing, drawing and can synchronise
database management, and with a desktop
creating presentations and PC, Glide is very
spreadsheets. It also has a rich, slow with an over-
Windows-like interface – with a Start complicated interface.
menu, Quick Launch toolbar and Our verdict:
Notification Area – that gives it a very It’s slower and more cumbersome to set YouOS
familiar feel. Notable features include an up than some virtual Desktops, but GOPC www.youOS.com
excellent Outlook-style calendar-cum- is nonetheless packed with plenty of YouOS is still being tested, but offers a
email client called Evolution (www. great features to enhance both your work guest account so you can explore its
gnome.org/projects/evolution), instant and play. many features. Worth bookmarking to
messaging, audio and video players and check again later.
much more.
Goowy
How it can be improved: www.goowy.com
GOPC requires a download, It’s early days for this slick-looking web-
which causes problems when based operating system, which offers
you’re using it on PCs other 2GB of online email storage and 1GB for
than your own. Although you files, courtesy of Box.net.
can install the system to a USB
key and run it from there, the
subsequent log-in procedure
isn’t particularly simple. It’s
frustratingly slow too, even on a
Features ★★★★★
fast 8MB broadband Performance ★★
connection, which is the main Ease of use ★★★★
reason it lands the Bronze rather
than Silver award. OVERALL ★★★

13 September 2007 33
 FEATURE PC SPEED TIPS

SPEED UP YOUR Is your PC taking too

START-UP
long to boot up? Roland
Waddilove presents
11 top tips to reduce
start-up times and
boost the performance
of your system

1 Empty your Startup folder

Click Start, All Programs, Startup and
check which programs are listed. Items
2 Disable start-up programs 1
Some other
programs load
3 Disable start-up programs 2
Another way to stop unnecessary
programs loading on start-up is to click
featured here are automatically loaded automatically Start, Run, then type in ‘msconfig’
with Windows, but are rarely important, with Windows, (without the quote marks) and click OK.
and clearing the menu can speed up your but don’t need Look at the list of programs on the Startup
start-up. to, as you can tab and clear the tick against anything you
Click an easily run them don’t need. If you’re unsure what a
item and manually from particular item is, search for it at Sysinfo
drag it the Start menu .org (www.
from the when you want sysinfo.org/
menu to them. To stop startuplist.
your Windows Live Do you need Messenger php) or
Desktop Messenger running all the time? Stop it CastleCops
to create (http://get.live.
loading with Windows (www.castle
an icon. If com/messenger) running on start-up, for cops.com/
you ever example, click its menu button and go to StartupList.
need to Tools, then Options. Choose the General html) to find
run the Clear the Startup menu to reduce category and deselect the option out whether Check what’s loading on the
program the time Windows takes to start ‘Automatically run Windows Live Messenger it’s useful Startup tab and disable any
you can double-click this icon instead. when I log on to Windows’. or not. items you don’t need

34 13 September 2007

4 Filter your fonts
Many programs install extra fonts
onto your PC, which can increase the time
Windows
takes to get
going. To
delete the
fonts you
don’t need,
go into the
Control
Panel,
switch to
Classic If you don’t think you’ll ever use a
View and particular font you can delete it
double-click Fonts. Double-click a font
to view it, then if you think you’ll never use
it right-click its name and select Delete.
If you remove a font that a program needs
you can easily restore it later from the
Recycle Bin.
5 Uninstall old drivers
When you remove hardware from
your system you should uninstall the
driver software that came with it, to
ensure the drivers don’t continue loading
on start-up. Go into the Control Panel and
double-click the Printers and Faxes option
in Classic View. If there’s an item you no
longer have, right-click on it and choose
Delete. Use Add or Remove Programs in
the Control Panel to remove any software
associated with it, along with the drivers
for any other devices you no longer have.
6 Stop unnecessary services
Services are programs that run in the
background on your system. Not all of
these are essential and disabling those
you don’t need will speed up your PC.
Click Start, Run then enter ‘services.msc’
(without the quotes) and click OK to view
all running services. Select a service and
Services you don’t need can be disabled
the description on the left will tell you
what it’s for. Double-click a service and
set the ‘Startup type’ to Disabled to stop
it. However, only do this for those you’re
certain you don’t need or you could mess
up Windows.
Examples of unnecessary services
include Uninterruptible Power Supply,
Messenger, Alerter, ClipBook, Remote
Registry, Network DDE and Machine
Debug Manager. Useful advice can be
PC SPEED TIPS FEATURE
found at www.governmentsecurity.org/
archive/t1417.html and www.smartadmin
.in/dis_un_srv.
7 Disable file and printer sharing
Unless you have a home network you
won’t be sharing files or printers with
anyone, so you can turn off this option to
boost your start-up speed. Go into the
Control Panel, switch to Classic view and
double-click Network Connections. Right-
click each icon and choose Properties.
Clear the tick against ‘File and Printer
Sharing for Microsoft Networks’.
Tom’s Hardware provides a complete guide to
configuring your BIOS for maximum speed
The PC tries each device in turn and it
saves time if you make sure the hard disk
is the first device on the list and not the
last. Switch on the PC and press the F1 or
Del keys to enter the BIOS Setup Utility
(BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output
System). Look for the boot device order
and set it so the hard disk drive is the first
in the list. Read the BIOS guide at Tom’s
Hardware (http://tinyurl.com/ae344) for
further information.
10 Remove discs
When you start your PC it checks
the CD and DVD-ROM drives to see if they
contain discs – you might hear the drives
spinning up to speed. Remove your discs
You don’t need file and printer sharing activated if before you shut down your computer and
you only have one PC next time you switch the PC on it won’t
8 Defrag your hard disk
waste time looking at the drive contents.
The files needed to run Windows can
be scattered all over your hard disk, which
slows down the start-up process.
11 Clear the Prefetch folder
Windows stores copies of recently
accessed programs in the C:\Windows\
Defragmentation tools can organise these
files for faster access. Click Start, All
Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
Disk Defragmenter to start Windows’
built-in utility. Alternatively try the free
program Disk Defrag (www.auslogics.com/
disk-defrag), which defragments more
quickly and thoroughly.
Clearing the Prefetch folder may speed up your
PC, though some experts disagree
Prefetch folder in an attempt to speed up
the disk. However, some PC experts say
(for example, at http://tinyurl.com/7f5bt)
that it benefits from an occasional clear-
Disk Defrag is a faster alternative to the disk out, to keep programs loading next time
defragmenter built into Windows you use your PC to a minimum. Others
disagree (http://tinyurl.com/yseng8), but
9 Set the boot order
Your computer can start from the hard
or floppy disk drives, CD or DVD-ROM, USB
our advice is to try it and see. Click Start,
My Computer and then navigate to the
Prefetch folder. Select all the files within it
Flash memory drive or an external hard disk. and choose Delete.
13 September 2007 35
 FEATURE PROTECT YOUR KIDS FOR FREE
Free parental controls
Do you need to pay for peace of mind to keep your children safe online?
Mark Wilson tests the latest free parental controls for keeping unsuitable
content away from young eyes
K9 Web Protection www.k9webprotection.com
What we liked:
Friendly web watchdog K9
lets you place restrictions on
your child’s net access via a
very simple interface. You can
limit online activities by blocking
content from 60 different
categories across a range of
protection levels. These include Adult/
Mature Content, Chat/Instant Messaging,
Gambling, Pornography and the relatively
new threat of Social Networking.
K9’s massive database of websites
works in tandem with its Dynamic Real-
Time Rating technology, which lets the
program determine whether an unrated
site is suitable for viewing or not. Known
sites can be blocked or permitted by
creating a black and a white list, while it’s
also possible to block URLs containing
specific words. You can place time
restrictions on web browsing, view a
detailed summary of online activity, and
Crawler Parental Control www.crawlerparental.com
What we liked:
As with K9, setting up Crawler
Parental Control is very
straightforward. You can place
different restrictions on each
user’s account in terms of the
content they can access, the
programs they use and the time
they spend online.
Websites can be blocked using a known
database or by URL, while potentially
dangerous material is filtered firmly but
fairly. It’s also possible to ‘spy’ on users,
even when you’re not at home, by receiving
email reports of their activities. Crawler
supports all the major web browsers, and
its activity reports are the best of all the
programs we tested – not only listing
36 13 September 2007
block internet access completely if too
many attempts are made to visit
disallowed sites in a particular timeframe.
At its default protection level we found
K9 to be ruthlessly efficient at forbidding
access to naughty and nasty web content,
while quickly allowing through safe sites.
You can even make it bark when a page is
blocked, which could serve as both a
deterrent and an alert. The program also
uses minimal system resources, so has no
noticeable effect on PC performance.
How it can be improved:
K9 offers no support for multiple user
accounts. This could pose a problem if
your children are of greatly differing ages,
and may inhibit your own surfing.
Our verdict:
K9 Web Protection is superbly effective
and easy to use, and works well with any
web browser. It would benefit from further
customisation options, but should still
bring peace of mind to concerned parents.
Features ★★★★
Performance ★★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★★
visited sites, but capturing screen grabs at
key times.
How it can be improved:
It would be good to have more flexibility
over the levels of content filtering, beyond
the defaults of High, Medium and Low.
Also, although the interface is easy to use,
it would benefit from a little streamlining,
while Zone Alarm users should be aware
that Crawler conflicts with the firewall.
Our verdict:
Crawler Parental Control does a good job of Features ★★★★
keeping children safe online, and offers Performance ★★★★★
plenty of scope to monitor their activities. Ease of use ★★★★
It would be even better if you could set its
filtering options more precisely. OVERALL ★★★★

Windows Vista Parental Controls www.microsoft.com/vista
What we liked:
Vista’s built-in Parental
Controls are accessible
through the Control Panel.
They let you block or allow
specific programs and activities
(including instant messaging),
set time limits and collect
information on computer usage, and filter
inappropriate and potentially harmful
content across various categories. The
settings are far more powerful than those
offered by Content Advisor in Internet
Explorer, even letting you manage the type
of online games your child can play to
shield them from gorier titles.
PROTECT YOUR KIDS FOR FREE FEATURE
Parental Controls can be easily
tightened or loosened according to each
user’s internet needs and educational
development, or disabled altogether for
trusted individuals.
How it can be improved:
You can’t block access to sites based on
keywords they contain, which may let
certain unsuitable pages slip through the
net. Another useful improvement would be
the ability to place time restrictions solely
on web browsing rather than on computer
usage as a whole.
Our verdict:
It is a shame these excellent controls are
only available to Vista users, but this
doesn’t detract from their quality.
The ability to apply different computer
limitations to each family member is both
handy and unobtrusive.
Features ★★★★
Performance ★★★★
Ease of use ★★★★
OVERALL ★★★★
Best of the rest
Glubble
www.glubble.com
Glubble is clearly aimed at protecting
young children and uses a white list to
permit access to a limited section of
the internet, while blocking unsuitable
content effectively. However, it only
works with Firefox, and there is nothing
to stop savvier children simply firing up
Internet Explorer instead, which is a
rather big flaw.
Windows Live OneCare Family Safety
http://fss.live.com
Family Safety provides an easy means
of controlling internet access and is
compatible with XP and Windows
Vista. As with Vista’s Parental Controls
restrictions are applied on a user
account basis and include black and
white lists, word-blocking and limits on
instant messaging.
ParentalControlBar
www.parentalcontrolbar.org
This browser add-on has been
designed for Internet Explorer, Safari
and Firefox, but fails to work with the
latest version of the latter. Its settings
are password-protected, but there is
little scope for customisation and no
option to configure separate options for
different users.
Naomi
www.radiance.m6.net
Billed as an ‘advanced internet filtering
program’, Naomi conversely offers no
means of configuration, relies on an
inadequate heuristic engine to analyse
sites, and has a filtering system that
can be easily switched on or off. In
practice, Naomi was ineffective in
blocking unsuitable content.
13 September 2007 37
 SOFTWARE
GRAPHICS BROWSER

TwistedBrush
Free Edition
This excellent painting program lets you create your
very own works of art. It offers a range of brushes and
paint styles, and everything behaves exactly as you’d
expect it to, with the paint building up and blending
naturally. However, some tools and features are
missing from this free version.
Download at: www.pixarra.com
Minimum requirements: Windows
File size: 4.66MB
3B Browser
3
B is a radically different web browser to the likes
of Internet Explorer or Firefox. For starters,
before you can use it you have to create a
personal avatar. This character is then placed into a
3D environment made up of web pages. The various
sites are displayed on the walls of a virtual room –
when you get nearer to a page it will sharpen up so
you can get a better idea of what it’s about. Double-
clicking on an image will open that site in the
integrated Firefox browser so you can access it in the
more conventional manner. You can toggle between
the two different modes at any time.
There are lots of rooms to explore. You start in the
Airport, and from there you can go to places such as
the Lounge Room, or the ShopFinder. The browser
comes with a handy map so you won’t get lost.
You can build your own rooms too, based on a Google
search, your MySpace page or a Flickr account, for
example. It’s quite weird to be walking around a
virtual room made up of your own photographs.
You can create a page from any URL, although some
sites work much better than others.
3B also lets you join groups, and make or meet
friends to converse with in its 3D world.

ASTRONOMY Download at:

http://earth.google.com
Google Earth Minimum requirements: Windows
with Sky File size: 12.8MB

The latest version of Google’s Desktop globe introduces an impressive new

feature. Sky takes you out into the universe, making it as easy to explore the
stars, planets and constellations as it is to find locations back on Earth. With
around 200 million galaxies included, it could be a long journey.

FINANCE

GnuCash
Keeping on top of your finances can often be a
struggle, but GnuCash can help. Designed for
both business and individual use, this software
can track your incomings and outgoings, and
help you plan for the future. Handy pie and bar
charts show you exactly where your money is
going each month and it comes with an in-depth
guide to help get you started.

Download at: www.gnucash.org

Minimum requirements: Windows
File size: 49.7MB

38 13 September 2007 Get one issue of Web User free every month – see page 70 for details
This fortnight’s best FREE downloads SOFTWARE

THREE OF A KIND
FREE ANTI-VIRUS TOOLS
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

The best known and most popular of the free

anti-virus programs, AVG offers easy updates,
real-time, scheduled and on-demand scanning,
and has a built-in email scanner too.
Download at: http://free.grisoft.com
Minimum requirements: Windows
File size: 25.7MB

Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic

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Minimum requirements: Windows
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COMPETITION

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As well as protecting you from the dangers of
Ideal for homework, research or for swift access to accurate viruses, this free program can also scan for
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DVD-ROM puts over 100,000 reliable articles at your advanced options for the more experienced.
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competition by answering the question posed at www. Minimum requirements: Windows
webuser.co.uk/competitions. File size: 16.4MB
• Britannica 2008 is available to buy now on DVD-ROM
for Windows and Macintosh computers through Focus
Multimedia. For more information visit www.focusmm.co.uk.
Avast! 4 Home Edition

GAME

Phoenix
Bird-like aliens are attempting to
invade the Earth and it’s down to you
to stop them. Phoenix is an old-
school shoot-’em-up with just five
stages, but it soon gets pretty hectic
– especially when you come face-to-
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Minimum requirements: Windows
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Packed with useful features, this anti-virus tool
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Get the latest updates at www.webuser.co.uk/downloaded 13 September 2007 39

 ENTERTAINMENT
TELEVISION
A-Z of
VINTAGE
TV – F
Fireball XL5
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=E-1AMrSzN40
Watch the opening credits
to Gerry Anderson’s 1962
show, which revolved
around the adventures of
Steve Zodiac, pilot of the
titular vehicle.
The Flintstones
www.tv.com/the-flintstones/
show/3642/videos.html
Take a trip to Bedrock to
spend some time with Fred,
Wilma and their modern
stone-age family.
Flash Gordon
http://tinyurl.com/ywsnec
Watch a 1941 episode in
which Flash travels to
Planet Mongo to try and find
a cure for the Purple Death.
What a hero!
40 13 September 2007
MUSIC
Marc Bolan Day
Available: Fri 14 Sept
From: www.bbc.co.uk/6music
6 Music commemorates the 30th
anniversary of Marc Bolan’s death in a
car crash with a fantastic audio and video
celebration of his life. As well as classic
Bolan tracks, you’ll be able to hear rare
archived interviews with David Bowie,
Mick Jagger and Bolan’s producer Tony
Visconti. Bolan’s girlfriend Gloria Jones will
also be interviewed, while his son Rolan pops
in to perform some of his father’s tracks. Also
listen out for the session of Bolan reading his
poetry on John Peel’s Top Gear radio show in
1969. All radio footage remains online for a
week after broadcast.
However, the most exciting treat for
Bolan fans is the previously unseen Super 8
video footage of him performing a Radio
Hallam session in the early Seventies –
available to watch on 6 Music’s site. It shows
Bolan performing on the roof of a pub at the
height of his fame.
SPORT
American Football
(video)
COMEDY
Constant Comedy
(video)
Available: Now
From: www.constantcomedy.com
Innovative and fun, Constant Comedy lets
viewers watch and vote for comedy sketches Available: Now
in real-time. Each video is shown for 20 From: www.nfl.com/videos
seconds before voting starts. If the viewer American football fans are just settling down
rating drops below 30 per cent for more than for another five months of dramatic
five seconds, the video is voted off. The touchdowns, bulldozing sackings and
sketches – by both professional and amateur overtime field goals. To follow the action watch
comedians – vary greatly in quality, but it’s the NFL’s superb video service, which
an entertaining interactive buzz to vote off comprises match highlights, expert analysis
the ones that don’t tickle your funny bone. and interviews.
Get one issue of Web User free every month – see page 70 for details
This fortnight’s best FREE downloads ENTERTAINMENT

SPORT
Football:
Women’s
World Cup
(video)
Available: Until Sun 30 Sept
From: www.bbc.co.uk/
football
You can watch England’s
progress in the Women’s
Football World Cup, which is
being held in China, at the
BBC’s site. All of BBC 2’s
coverage will be shown
simultaneously online,
which means viewers can
watch England’s group
matches against Germany
and Argentina, plus nightly
highlights programmes, on
the web. For more
information on the
tournament visit www.fifa
.com/womenworldcup.
Audio
AUDIO BOOK
Far From the
Madding
Crowd –
Thomas Hardy
http://librivox.org/far-from-the-
madding-crowd-by-thomas-hardy
Got 14 hours to spare? Then settle
down with a pint of Wessex cider and listen to Thomas Hardy’s
1874 classic tale, downloadable from here in 57 parts. It
follows Bathsheba Everdene’s amorous adventures with
shepherd Gabriel Oak, farmer William Boldwood and army
sergeant Frank Troy.
PODCASTS
Lost
www.lostcasts.com
If you suffer sleepless nights trying to work out what on earth is
happening in Lost, you should listen to this podcast. It’s hosted
by three fans who love examining possible theories behind the
show’s mysterious storylines. Each podcast reviews a particular
episode, so there’s a large archive to explore. There’s also a
regular podcast at the show’s official site (http://abc.go.com/
primetime/lost/podcast).

MUSIC Short films

James Blunt session (video) Pound
http://tinyurl.com/26v7u6
Available: Now Gone are the days of two chaps
From: http://music.aol.co.uk greeting each other with a firm and
You can watch James Blunt perform tracks brisk handshake. This comedy mocks
from his new album All the Lost Souls, the hip youngsters who take forever to
including new single 1973, at AOL’s UK say hello. The central gag is bolstered
Music site. The album is released on 17 by astonishing choreography.
September. Also online are new sessions
from KT Tunstall, CSS and Hard-Fi.
Cold Calling
www.bbc.co.uk/dna/filmnetwork/
DVD competition A23448819
Telephone marketers are the
focus of this animated comedy –
specifically how one man, sick and
Win 1 of 5 Spooks tired of unsolicited calls, decides to
– Series 5 DVDs!! take revenge.

In the fifth series of the top BBC spy drama

Spooks, MI5 supremo Harry Pearce and team The Meeting
leader Adam Carter begin to investigate a plot to bring about a www.atomfilms.com/film/the_
radical change of government. This DVD contains all 12 meeting.jsp
episodes from the series. To stand a chance of winning one of A rowdy business conference grinds
the five copies we’re giving away, just answer the question to a halt when the boss produces a
posed at www.webuser.co.uk/competitions. fluffy puppy to make ease the
• Spooks – Series 5 is available to buy now through Contender
Home Entertainment priced £39.99.
tension. What follows in this drama
leads to a bizarre confrontation.

Get the latest updates at www.webuser.co.uk/downloaded 13 September 2007 41

 INSTANT EXPERT
INSTANT EXPERT
GUIDE TO...

Peer-to-peer
technology
A lot has been made of the security of peer-to-peer networks as well
as the legality of some of the files shared over them, but could you also
unwittingly exceed your upload and download limits if your computer is
connected to them? Karl Foster investigates

peer

peer peer peer

42 13 September 2007 Read our guides to online security at www.webuser.co.uk/security


P
eer-to-peer (P2P) networking has
been around ever since computers
learned how to talk to each other.
You’ll be familiar with the client-server
arrangement, which is how your computer
communicates with an ISP. The service
provider’s computers act as a file server
and your computer (the client) requests,
or sends, information from and to it. In a
P2P network, there’s notionally no server
– all machines on the network are ‘nodes’
and so operate as both clients and
servers, distributing bandwidth, storage
space and computing power. Old hands
may remember Usenet, an online
messaging system that was based on P2P
principles. It’s largely redundant these
days, but there’s been an upsurge in the
deployment of other networks that let
anyone search for files on multiple remote
computers and offer files to share. In
doing so, however, you may end up in a
world of pain. Let’s explore the issues.
Q How does peer-to-peer work?
A If you have two computers and link
them up using a specific language, or
‘protocol’, that they both understand, you
can swap files between them. Extend that
to a large number of computers and you’ve
got a P2P network. If one machine goes
down, the rest will remain connected and
can carry on delivering data – not as
individual files, but as the components
needed to constitute the files. Participants
will need client software in order to access
a particular P2P network. Examples
include BitTorrent, KaZaA, BearShare,
LimeWire and the now defunct Grokster.
Look! Photoshop at only 750KB! That’s an
amazing feat of compression. Or, more
likely, a spot of malware just itching to
infect your computer. Using P2P can be
like asking for sweeties from strangers
Q So it’s not just for illegal file-
sharing?
A No. You can share perfectly
legitimate files, such as self-
authored music, video and photos, if
you’re that gregarious. Or even your
company’s confidential financial or staff
records information, if you get the P2P
Next issue: Instant Expert guide to carbon-neutral computing
client set-up wrong. As reported by Dark
Reading (www.darkreading.com),
researchers at Dartmouth University drilled
into search results on P2P networks and
found around 1,700 documents containing
sensitive banking information, about 80 per
cent of which resided on the computers of
banks’ customers. Also, bear in mind that
the aforementioned Grokster P2P network
was shut down in 2005 after it was
discovered that around 90 per cent of the
files it shared were illegal.
Q What about the BBC iPlayer?
The BBC iPlayer is still in beta, but has
already generated complaints that the
program hogs system resources in the
background when it’s not actually in use
A The iPlayer uses P2P to distribute
content from the BBC TV channels,
commandeering the power of its users’
computers. However, some important
issues have been raised already. The system
is based on a P2P delivery grid called
Kontiki and, according to posts to the BBC’s
discussion site, beta testers are irked by the
system’s bandwidth-hogging background
activity and switching off Kontiki is not an
obvious procedure. This means that you
can’t control whether or not your PC is being
used by others to download files, a process
which affects the speed of your PC. The
iPlayer certainly shows promise, but
delivering decent-quality moving pictures
via the net is a huge challenge.
Q Why can’t we all just download the
files direct from the BBC?
A The systems that the BBC would have
to put in place to accommodate
demand would have to be enormous, almost
certainly hiking up the licence fee. Delivering
decent-quality video via the internet is one of
the most bandwidth and storage-hungry
commercial activities online. If the BBC was
to supply the infrastructure off its own bat,
the cost would be huge.
Q Could I be targeted by hackers if I’m
signed up to iPlayer?
A Possibly. As mentioned, the service
uses P2P technology over a network.
It’s also Windows XP only, at present.
Whenever you put a Windows computer
INSTANT EXPERT
within spitting distance of a network
connection, it’s at risk. However, the BBC
is a reputable organisation and will not be
inviting folk to share malware. That said,
all the usual precautions should be taken
– keep your anti-virus software updated, a
firewall installed and be cautious about
letting others use your computer.
Q What other security risks are
involved in P2P?
A Plenty. There are apocryphal stories
of people inadvertently sharing their
entire hard disks, giving access to
sensitive information for which criminals
actively search. If you mess up the port
settings required to open a gap in the
computer’s firewall, there’s another
vulnerability. P2P is also fertile ground for
distributing malware. It’s often attached
to cracked programs, or labelled as
something that looks legitimate, but
which is a nasty little virus. And there’s
the P2P client itself. How do you know it’s
not running in the background, even when
you’ve shut it down, or still on the system,
even when you’ve uninstalled the client?
These are all risks that have been widely
reported by security experts.
Q What about download and
upload limits?
A If you’ve got an agreement with your
service provider that there is, for
example, a 2GB cap on your account, it’s
up to you to police it. If you go over your
allowance, some broadband providers
Here BitRocket, an open-source BitTorrent
P2P client for OS X, has kindly found some
Marilyn Manson albums. However, this is a
case of copyright infringement, which is
prevalent on P2P networks
may contact you and offer an upgrade –
for more money, of course. However,
even unlimited-usage contracts have a
‘fair use’ clause. So when planning to
distribute or collect large amounts of
data via P2P, be aware that your
connection may be ‘throttled back’ –
causing reduced bandwidth – or possibly
even suspended if it’s overloading the
ISP’s system. You’ll find that upload limits
are not generally quoted – suppliers like to
talk about download limits, but not
upload. As Jason Lloyd of price-
comparison site Moneysupermarket.com
puts it: “The providers haven’t told us
about upload caps and I doubt they would
be willing to do so. And some probably
don’t know themselves.”
13 September 2007 43
Host a WordPress blog
on your own domain
Wayne Williams shows you how to set
PART 2: Using the software up WordPress to build your own blog

L
ast issue we showed you how to set up
WordPress on a personal domain. For
the second part of this project we’re
going to look at how to actually use the
software. WordPress is a straightforward master it, first-time bloggers might find the
blogging tool that’s been designed to be purpose of certain features, such as post
very easy to use. Although you don’t need slugs, split posts and blogrolls all a bit
any advanced technical knowledge to mystifying. Here’s how to get started.

1 Log into your

blog by going to
www.your
3 To resize
a graphic,
click it, and 2
blogaddress. 1 drag on the
com/wp-admin. 4 handles. 1
To create a blog
3 Alternatively
entry click on 2 you can 1
‘Write a post’ in simply click
the WordPress the Insert/
dashboard. Give Edit Image 3
it a title 1 and button to 2
then begin writing adjust the
the body of the entry underneath. 2 You can use the formatting bar photo’s
3 to change the look of your text and illustrate your subject by settings, as in step 2. If you need to see more of the image, or the
inserting an image. 4 entry itself, you can resize the working space by clicking and
dragging the corner of the Post box. 3

2 To add an image
from your hard disk,
click the Browse button 3
4

in the Upload section.

Select your picture and 8
give it a title and 5
description. You can then 6
send it to your blog. Click 7 2
in the text where you’d
like the picture to appear 9
and choose whether to 3
have the full picture, a 4
thumbnail or just the title 1 5
displayed; 1 and what 2
will happen when people 1
click on the picture. 2
Next, highlight the picture by clicking on it in your post 3 and
selecting the ‘Insert/edit image’ button. 4 From here you can edit
things such as the alignment, 5 border 6 or spacing around the
picture, 7 or you could add the URL of a picture that’s already
4 To add a link to another page or site, highlight the piece of text
you want to serve as the link, 1 then click the ‘Insert/Edit link’
button. 2 Enter the site URL 3 and choose if you want the new
stored online if you wish. 8 Click Update 9 or Insert (if it’s page to open in the same window, or in a brand new window/tab. 4
a picture that’s already on the web) to finish. Give the link a title. 5

44 13 September 2007 Missed Part 1? Download it at www.webuser.co.uk/digital169

 PROJECT

5 If you’re
blogging
in Firefox any
9 Click the Preview
link 1 to see what
your finished blog 1
misspelt entry will look like. You
words will be can choose to ‘Save
underlined and Continue Editing’
automatically. 3 2 the post, 2 Save it for
Internet later, 3 or Publish it
Explorer users 1 online. 4 When you
can check for publish something it 2 3 4
spelling will appear instantly
mistakes on your blog but you can easily remove it, edit it again later if you
using WordPress’s own built-in spellchecker. 1 If you only want need to or set it to publish at some point in the future.
part of the post to be visible (so people have to follow a link to view
the full story), click the Split Post With More Tag button. 2 You can
also view and edit your posting’s HTML by clicking the Code tab. 3
1
3
10 The Manage
tab 1 lets you
oversee all the posts
2 you make. You can
4 search through the
4 5 individual entries, 2
and browse them by
1 2 month 3 or by
category. 4 You can
also view, edit or delete any of your posts. 5
3

11 As well as
creating blog 1

6 WordPress makes it easy to categorise your posts. To create a

new topic, just type its name into the Categories box 1 and
click the Add button. 2 The next time you write a post on the same
entries, you can
create pages. These
are similar, but they
2

subject you will be able to select the tag for it from this list. 3 To occupy a permanent
manage your categories further, click on Manage 4 and choose it position on your site
from sub-menu. rather than appearing
chronologically. You
might have an ‘About This Blog’ page, or an ‘About Me’ one. To

7 Click the plus

sign next to
Discussion and
1
create a new page, click Write 1 and then click the Write Page 2
tab. Published pages appear under the Pages list on your blog.

you can choose 4

whether you
want to allow
comments and/or
2
12 A Blogroll is a collection of links to favourite (or related) blogs/
websites. Adding one to your front page is very simple. Click
Blogroll 1 and then click on Add Link. 2 The Link Relationship
pings. 1 The (XFN) option 3 lets you specify what, if any, your relationship is to a
Post Password 3 linked site. The Advanced option 4 lets you add an image for a link
option 2 lets you 5 and also supply an RSS feed address.
protect a blog
entry so that only those who know the password can read what
1
you’ve written. Post Status 3 lets you adjust what happens when 2
you click on Save. 4 The default setting is Draft, which saves the
post but doesn’t publish it. If you want to set a post to be published
in the future, use the Post Timestamp feature. 5

8 Post Slug 1 can be

used to tidy, or
simplify a permalink
2 3
name (the permanent 4
URL assigned to an
individual blog post). For
this to work you will need
to adjust WordPress’s
permalinks settings.
Click on Options 2 and 1
NEXT ISSUE ON SALE
27 SEPT
choose the Permalinks
tab. Select the Date And
Part 3: Tools, add-ons and
Name Based option, or
create a custom variation, then click on Update Permalink
plug-ins to expand and
Structure. Whatever you enter in the Post Slug box will form part of
the new permalink name.
enhance WordPress
13 September 2007 45
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 The latest hot kit on the net Written by Will Head

£179

–
IRIVER CLIX 2 8GB

Easy-to-operate MP3 player

iRiver has been busy updating its range of Clix MP3 players. Rather than
cramming buttons at random places around the casing, it uses iRiver’s D-click
system, which means that you interact with it by pressing on one of the four edges
of the screen to navigate the menus. The Clix 2 8GB features a new AMOLED
(Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen, which is designed to prevent
ghosting or blur in fast-moving sequences, so MPEG-4 and WMV movies should
look great when played back on its 2.2in screen. It can handle a host of audio
formats and has an FM tuner built in too. If those aren’t enough entertainment
options for you, it can play games in Flash Lite format so you’ll never get bored.
It also claims an impressive 24 hours audio playback or five hours video before
the batteries give up.

Where to see it: www.advancedmp3players.co.uk

13 September 2007 47
 PRODUCTS MOST WANTED

£400

HANNSPREE HANNSTIME.SQUARE

TV/meteorological station combo

What more could you want from a TV than the ability to watch
moving images from the comfort of your sofa? Well, according
to Hannspree the thing that everyone has been crying out for is
a telly that’s also a timepiece and meteorological station. Why
just passively watch TV, when you could also be checking what
time it is simultaneously? But the geekery doesn’t stop there –
Hannspree has also integrated a thermometer and hygrometer
into the Hannstime.square, so as well as knowing exactly what
time it is you can also find out the temperature and humidity –
without having to get up. If you just want to watch TV on its
12in screen you can swing the instrumentation out of the way,
and it’s wrapped in rubber – useful if find you’re frequently
carting it around.

Where to see it: www.misco.co.uk

£40
BELKIN TUNECAST 3

Multi-device FM MP3 transmitter

Dedicated FM transmitters that clip on the bottom
of your iPod and broadcast the music to your car
stereo are all very well if you only own one make
of MP3 player, but if you have multiple audio
sources to deal with they can be a bit limiting. For
such situations, Belkin has created the TuneCast 3
– a dinky transmitter that can be used with any
portable audio player. Just plug it into the
headphone socket on the device you want to listen
to and then tune it to a vacant FM band. The
Tunecast 3 will start broadcasting and you’ll be
able to pick up the signal on your car radio. Since it
uses a normal 3.5mm headphone plug you can
use it with all sorts of devices, from portable DVD
players to MP3 players to mobile phones.

Where to see it: www.belkin.com/uk

48 13 September 2007 Daily updates at www.webuser.co.uk/mostwanted

 MOST WANTED PRODUCTS

comingsoon
Video- and music-playing
camera
Samsung isn’t happy
just cramming an
8.1 megapixel
sensor into its new
compact i85
camera – it’s also
found space for an
MP3 and video
player as well.
If that’s not enough to
already make it the ideal travel
companion, there’s also a built-in tour guide
with travel information on 2,600 regions in
30 countries, and with 450MB of internal
storage to play with, you don’t need to worry
about filling it up. The i85 will be available at
the end of the month for £229. See www.
samsungcamera.co.uk for further details.

YAMAHA NX-U10
Powerful USB sound system
Yamaha isn’t the first manufacturer to create a USB
speaker system, but its NX-U10 promises to drown out
the competition’s puny output with a 20W power
rating. According to Yamaha it’s 20 times more
powerful than rival systems. The sound boost comes
from Yamaha’s PowerStorage Circuit technology,
which increases the potential output from the 5V USB
connection from 0.5Wx2 up to 10Wx2. The NX-U10
needs no external power supply, so only requires a
single connection if you’re hooking it up to a laptop –
the audio is transferred digitally to the speaker.
Alternatively you can power it from four AAA batteries
or using the mains adaptor if you want to hook it up to
an MP3 player instead.
Where to see it: www.yamaha-uk.com
£149
Tiny HD camcorder
The Panasonic HDC-SD5 can
capture big pictures in
high definition, but
it’s surprisingly
small on the
outside. According
to Panasonic, it’s
the smallest and
lightest HD camcorder
in the world. It can record footage at the full
HD resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, but
stores material in AVCHD format on SD card,
rather than tape, thus reducing its size. The
HDC-SD5 will be available in September,
but pricing has yet to be confirmed. See
www.panasonic.co.uk for further details.
One-box surround sound
Yamaha has updated its range of one-box
surround sound systems, so you can listen
to wrap-around audio without having wires
all over the place. The new YSP-30D adds
a DAB tuner, so you can tune in to digital
radio if there’s nothing worth watching on the
box, and iPod compatibility so you can enjoy
your tunes in surround sound. The YSP-30D
will be available soon for £799. Keep an eye
on www.digitalsoundprojectors.co.uk for
more information.

Compare gadget prices at www.webuser.co.uk/prices 13 September 2007 49

 PRODUCTS GROUP TEST
ANTI-SPYWARE

Spycatchers
Neil Mohr examines the latest
anti-spyware programs to find
out which can best protect us
from the malicious software
that plagues the internet

S
pyware, malware, adware, stealware or PUP (Potentially
Unwanted Programs) – you can call it what you like, but
software you’ve been tricked into downloading is a menace.
Some of these programs may only be trying to track your browsing
habits for their own commercial purposes, but at its worst, other
spyware could be logging every key you press or attempting to root
out personal information about you.
We’ve tested some of the most popular dedicated anti-spyware
scanners, both free and paid-for, that can fend off spyware and
scan your PC for any that makes it through. Each program was put
through its paces against a handful of known nasties we found
lurking on the web.

Spyware Terminator 2.0, free Spybot Search & Destroy v1.4, free
www.spywareterminator.com www.safer-networking.org
Spyware Terminator was one of the few packages Consistently praised for good performance,
to spot all our malicious programs, both with its Spybot S&D has been around for almost as long
real-time protection and file scanner. On top of as spyware itself, and has always been a
this it offers an easy-to-use interface and provided freeware product. With one of the more intensive
meaningful, yet unobtrusive, warnings and alerts. installations, we were hoping it would deliver
Even before testing we had high hopes, as comprehensive protection and we weren’t
Terminator has a good range of features. Real-time disappointed. In both the real-time and scanning
protection is a key element, with tasks, start-up and services all tests it detected every threat we exposed it to, providing
monitored. It offers specific Internet Explorer protection, detection for malicious tasks, start-up protection and removal
covering the places spyware developers most like to exploit, of the many Internet Explorer exploits around.
such as toolbars. Full-scan times, while not amazingly quick, Speed-wise, Spybot is a mixed bag. Its quick-scan option is
were certainly better than some of the other scanners. certainly that – one of the fastest in the test. A full scan,
The real-time protection system either spotted and warned, however, takes an absolute age, leaving you hanging around,
or blocked entirely, the malicious programs, toolbars and but on the flip-side it is certainly comprehensive if you are able
website exploits we ran past it. Similarly it spotted those pre- to leave it running overnight. It also has the advantage that it
installed with its file scanner, helping protect you from existing provides comprehensive information on detected threats,
or future attacks. It can also install a web filter, which will block keeping you informed as it goes along.
known malicious sites and, if you use the built-in search engine, Our main problems lie with the user interface and the alert
provides site ratings. While it’s hard to evaluate its total methods, both of which lack refinement and are rather
effectiveness against obtrusive.
all threats, Terminator Certain alert
offers comprehensive buttons had Spybot S&D’s interface looks
protection and keeps their text better suited to Windows 98
you well informed of hidden, making than XP or Vista, but at heart
potential problems. it initially it's an excellent program
difficult to
Features ★★★★★ know which Features ★★★★★
option to
Performance ★★★★ choose, so a Performance ★★★★
A slick interface makes Ease of use ★★★★★ smartening-up Ease of use ★★★★
Spyware Terminator Value for money ★★★★★ of the interface Value for money ★★★★★
straightforward to use could be in
OVERALL ★★★★★ order. OVERALL ★★★★

50 13 September 2007
 GROUP TEST PRODUCTS
Spy Sweeper v5.5, £29.95 AVG Anti-Spyware Free Edition, free
www.webroot.com/uk http://free.grisoft.com
Spy Sweeper is another program that comes with We were a touch disappointed that AVG didn’t fare better in our
an excellent pedigree, a slick installation and a tests. Like some other programs, it missed a couple of the
great user interface. Oddly however, it does try to threats we put through both the real-time detection and the
install an IE toolbar – precisely what people full-file scan. On the plus side the software is easy to use, and
installing the package might be trying to get away provides informative and timely warnings when problems arise.
from. That aside, Spy Sweeper offers
comprehensive real-time detection, a file scanner
and the ability to remove software.
As it stands, the real-time protection passed all of our tests,
warning or offering to block potentially unwanted system
changes. The warnings could be considered a little obtrusive,
but plenty of information is given and, considering the threats,
the alerts are justified. The file scan isn’t quite as slick; again
obtrusive and unnecessary warnings are thrown up, but it did
detect all the threats.
The main downside,
of course, is that
you’ll have to pay
about £30 for it.

Features ★★★★ Features ★★★★

Performance ★★★★ Performance ★★★
Ease of use ★★★★★ The free version of Ease of use ★★★★
Spy Sweeper isn’t free, Value for money ★★★ Ad-Aware doesn’t offer Value for money ★★★
but it does have plenty real-time scanning
of useful features OVERALL ★★★★ OVERALL ★★★

Ad-Aware 2007, free (£18)
www.lavasoftusa.com
The trouble with the free version of
Ad-Aware is that there’s no real-time
scanning, so it’s only useful for doing
the odd scan. But as most of the others
packages here already offer this
alongside real-time scanning there’s not
much point considering it, unless you’re
happy to upgrade to the £18 Plus
version. It also managed to miss a
couple of our test spyware threats that
the majority of others caught.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor,
around £15
www.pctools.com/uk
With a slick interface and an expansive
list of real-time protection features for
browsers, cookies, files, keyloggers,
processes, start-up and root kits, we
expected Spyware Doctor to do the
business. However, it didn’t seem to
detect activity as we’d hoped. The file
scan did detect all threats and remove
them, but it wasn’t particularly speedy
in use.
Windows Defender, free
www.microsoft.com/uk
Windows Defender appeared to be
about as useful as a chocolate teapot –
until we turned on two options that
warn about unknown start-up and
system changes. With those in place
it fared much better, offering
reasonable warnings about undesirable
system activity and providing ways to
block it.

Features ★★ Features ★★★★ Features ★★★

Performance ★★ Performance ★★★ Performance ★★★
Ease of use ★★★★ Ease of use ★★★★ Ease of use ★★★★
Value for money ★★ Value for money ★★ Value for money ★★★
OVERALL ★★ OVERALL ★★★ OVERALL ★★★

VERDICT
As new spyware appears, the level of
protection offered by these packages
will change. However, at present both
Spybot S&D and Spyware Terminator
provide excellent real-time and scanning
protection at no cost. Some people may
be put off by Spybot S&D’s lack of polish,
but it’s a sound program beneath its
slightly dated interface. If you’re looking
for another free option AVG would be
our next best choice, as it offers both
types of protection, although Spy
Sweeper’s real-time detection worked out
better and so pipped it to third place,
despite its cost.

Find more product reviews at www.webuser.co.uk/products 13 September 2007 51

 PRODUCTS REVIEWS
NORTON ANTIBOT

Bots beware

Bots and botnets are the latest threats to any PC connected to the internet. Andy
Shaw examines Symantec’s latest software tool – the Norton AntiBot

J
ust when you think you know everything
about the online threats your computer
faces, along comes something new
you need protection against. Many anti-
malware vendors agree there’s a new strain
of menace that standard anti-virus and
firewall software won’t protect you against –
bots – and Symantec has released a new
tool to tackle the problem – Norton AntiBot.
Bots are a type of malicious program
that, should one find its way on to your
computer, could allow someone to access it
remotely. This might be to try and steal
personal information from you, or it might be
turning your PC into a ‘zombie’ computer,
using its processing power and internet
bandwidth. When ranked alongside other
zombie PCs in a ‘botnet’, the person
controlling the group of infected PCs
could use them to perform large-scale
computing tasks like sending out millions
of spam emails.
AntiBot’s aim is to run all the time, in the
background, observing the behavioural
patterns of your PC’s programs to try and
ensure there’s nothing untoward going on.
Performance ★★★
The obvious question to ask is “doesn’t my
existing security set-up already do this?” It
might, but it depends on what you’ve got.
Symantec’s Internet Security and 360
suites, for example, rely far more heavily
on blocking and scanning, which use
known virus behaviours, or ‘signatures’, to
stop malicious software Symantec already
knows about and that’s already installed
on your PC. By always being on and
analysing behavioural patterns on the fly,
AntiBot will do a better job of stopping new
problems. However, if you’re already
running software that works in this way –
and many anti-spyware products do – this
is less of an issue.
Ease of use ★★★★★
Using the software is easy – you can just
install it and forget about it. If you don’t get
targeted by a bot attack, you probably won’t
notice anything about the program apart
from its Sytem Tray icon – it’s about as

52 13 September 2007 Compare this to other security products at www.webuser.co.uk/products


Norton AntiBot offers a simple interface and runs
constantly in the background on your computer
unobtrusive as you could ask for. If it does
find anything suspicious it will quarantine
it immediately.
Value for money ★ All of these things and more can benefit
Value for money is, in our minds, the big
question that hangs over this software,
mostly because its functionality isn’t
covered by any of Symantec’s other existing
security suites. If we’d just bought a copy of
Norton Internet Security or Norton 360,
we’d be a bit miffed now Symantec has
suggested we need to fork out another £20
to be totally safe on the web. To make
matters worse, AntiBot won’t even appear in
the Symantec’s imminently arriving Internet
Security 2008. And frankly, it seems a bit of
a swizz to offer a security suite that needs
add-ons to operate properly.
Verdict ★★★
Unfortunately, the threat of bots is all too
real and this software has been designed to
tackle the problem head-on. As a result, it’s
a useful tool to have around, though those
already using behavioural scanning anti-
spyware software are already far less
vulnerable. It’s also arguable that the fact
that the anti-spyware elements of Norton’s
existing suites aren’t blocking these is cause
for concern. If you’re already a Norton user,
however, it seems a bit rough to have to fork
out for extra security on top of your existing
suite, while those happy to pick and choose
their security products may be able to find
similar protection for free from rival anti-
spyware programs.
Norton AntiBot
£19.99 inc VAT for one year
For Bots are a very real threat –
potentially well funded by spammers,
they mutate regularly requiring more
than signature-based software for full
protection
Against Other anti-spyware products
may already be protecting you ■
Shouldn’t it be provided free for existing
Symantec customers?
What you need 600MHz processor ■
256MB of memory ■ 50MB of hard disk
space ■ Windows XP or Vista
Contacts Symantec,
www.symantec.co.uk
Compare product prices at www.webuser.co.uk/prices
STEGANOS ONLINESAFE
Safety deposit
Andy Shaw investigates an online safe that stows
away valuable documents in a secret place online
S
ome things are simply best kept safe
and private, from information on bank
accounts, passports and passwords,
through to ‘just in case’ things like photos
of your valuables for insurance purposes.
from being held in a secure place, where
they’re safe from being lost and nobody
else can get at them. Steganos OnlineSafe
is like a web version of a safety deposit box
in a bank – rent a bit of space and it’ll keep
all your important files and personal
information in a highly secure box that you
can access any time you like.
Features ★★★★
To access the service you need to
download the program and enter a
registration key. You can then set up a
password and a connection can be made
between the software and your online safe,
which starts at 500MB of space. A drive
letter is assigned to it, so it can be accessed
directly through My Computer. Of course,
all this is useless if the computer it’s stored
on goes out of action, so Steganos provides
two separate servers that you can back up
your data to in its entirety, which should be
more than sufficient to ensure that you
never lose anything.
Performance ★★★★★
Your data is only as secure as your
password, so OnlineSafe gives advice on
how good yours is when you set it up.
Alternatively, you could use Steganos’s
excellent picture passwords, which let you
choose a sequence of images from a
selection on screen – perfect for outwitting
keyboard loggers. The software uses 256-
bit AES encryption (http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard),
which is widely considered to be excellent.
Even if someone could get access to your
safe, the data inside would still be
gobbledegook without the password.
Ease of use ★★★★
Unlike recent rivals that we’ve reviewed,
this also lets you work on documents
without downloading them from the web.
The space works just like a hard disk, so
you can run documents and files directly
from the safe. This saves a lot of bother if
you want to make a quick update to a file.
Because of the way the encryption works,
you can only get to your files by having the
REVIEWS PRODUCTS
software running. This makes it slightly
less easy to use – you couldn’t use it to
access your files from a different PC, for
example, unless you’ve installed the
software there too – but it does add
another layer of protection to your files.
Value for money ★★★
A highly encrypted place on the web to
store your files isn’t cheap. You can hire
500MB of space for a monthly £3.95;
commit to a year for £39.95 (or £3.33 per
month); double up on space and get 1GB
for £69.95 per year (£5.83 per month);
or go crazy and get 10GB for £169.95 per
year (£14.16 per month). If you’re looking
for standard back-up you could certainly
do better by shopping around. However, it
probably wouldn’t provide the privacy and
safety that Steganos offers.
Verdict ★★★★
We’ve all got things that we keep both on
and off our computers that would be
better stored somewhere more secure.
Whether it’s privacy, safety or both that
you’re looking for in an online storage
area, Steganos OnlineSafe has got it
covered. It doesn’t come cheap but peace
of mind is priceless.
Steganos OnlineSafe
From £3.95 inc VAT per month
For High-level encryption ■ Built-in
back-up facility
Against Safe storage comes at a price
What you need Windows 2000/XP/
Vista ■ 100MB hard disk space ■
80MB of memory ■ Microsoft Internet
Explorer 5.0 or better
Contacts Steganos,
www.steganos.com
13 September 2007 53
 PRACTICAL Web User’s Practical pages help you get the
best out of the web – whether answering your

WEBUSER
queries or showing you new techniques.
For an index of previous Practical Features and
Workshops, visit www.webuser.co.uk/practicals

PracticalFeature 55 PracticalExplorer 62 DIY Web Pages 67

How to expand Skype's functionality Get to grips with Musicovery Readers’ websites/web-building advice

PracticalWorkshops 59 ProblemSolver 64 Hints&Tips 68

Revo Uninstaller • Migratr photo backup Our experts answer your questions The best tips sent in by readers this issue

PRACTICAL FEATURE Add extra features to Skype

Get more from

We show you
how software
add-ons and
extra hardware
can bring much
more to Skype’s
online telephony
service

S
kype has become the preferred internet

✆
telephone system for millions of users
because of its ease of use and the amount
of money you can save on phone calls. But did
you know that there are many customisations,
tweaks and hacks you can make to further add
to its functionality?
In this Practical Feature we’ll show you some
of the best enhancements available to help you
make the most of this already multi-featured
application. We’ve broken them up into three
sections: software options or add-ons that are
free, one paid-for software option, and
functions that require some extra hardware.

About Skype
If you don’t already have it you can
download Skype for free from www.
skype.com. The installer is about 23MB
and it only takes a couple of minutes to
set up and create a new account. You
can then start making free phone calls
to other users right away.

13 September 2007 55
 PRACTICAL FEATURE

Section 1: Free software 5 Once in the

Extras Manager

1 One very handy Skype

enhancement is
AudioID (www.nhandz 1
you can click
directly on a game
image 1 to
1
2
.com/audioid.htm, free). 2 download and
With it you can hear Skype 3 install it. Or you can
calls announced through 4 select from the
your speakers. So, instead 5 right-hand side
of hearing a generic menu. 2 Each 3
computer ring, you hear a game you install will
clear message from your computer. Just ensure you have be added to your My
Microsoft’s free Speech program installed (details at nhandz.com), Extras list 3 at the
and choose a phrase, 1 voice to use, 2 output device, 3 rate 4 bottom left.
and volume 5 for each caller.

2 The latest versions of

Skype (since version 3)
1 6 You don’t need a webcam to have a
face-to-face video chat with other
Skype users. By downloading Crazy
come with the Pamela Talk (http://crazytalk4skype.reallusion.
audio recorder built in, com) you can have an avatar do the
which allows up to 15 talking for you. Switch between
minutes of recording. To Emotions 1 at the click of a mouse as
activate it select the Tools 2 your avatar lip syncs along with your
menu, 1 followed by Do voice. You can change Avatars, 2
1
More 2 and Pamela MP3 Background Music 3 and control the
Call Recorder. 3 Volume 4 and Mixer. 5
3 2

3
4
5

3 Once you get

to the Extras
Manager screen 7 You can have a lot of fun with
the voice changer DoNaut
click on the green 1 (www.donaut.com). Use it to totally
‘play’ button 1 disguise your voice so even your
to install the friends won’t recognise it. The
program and program offers a Main menu 1
1
2
you’ll then see where you adjust your settings,
the call recorder 2 3 Voice Changer 2 for choosing new
window pop up. voices, Background Sounds such
2 If 15 minutes as a car engine, 3 Sound Effects
isn’t enough such as pouring drinks, 4 a Text to
recording time Speech utility, 5 Music 6 and an 3
for you then you Info menu, 7 where you can 4
need to click on monitor sound levels. 5
‘Buy unlimited recording’ 3 to unlock the limitation. 6
7

4 There is an abundance
of excellent games that
you can play with other
1
8 If you struggle to get
out of bed in the
friends over your Skype morning, you may be
1
connection. You can find pleased to learn that
plenty to download on you can have Skype give
Skype Extras (http://tinyurl 2 3 you a wake-up call with
.com/yquom7) or, to access this hack. Just go to
2 3
them via your software, Scheduled Tasks from 4
select the Tools menu, 1 the Windows Control
Do More 2 and click on Panel and click on Add
‘Play games’. 3 Scheduled Task. 1
After the list of
programs populates, choose Skype. 2 If you wish, change the
default name of Skype 3 to something like ‘Skype Wake-up’, and
choose the time interval such as Daily. 4

56 13 September 2007 Get more advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

 FEATURE PRACTICAL

9 Now you
need to set
Section 3: Hardware
the Start time, 1
choose between
Every Dday and
1
2
4
13 Take your
Skype
installation with
Weekdays 2 and 3 you everywhere
select a Start 5 you go by 2
date. 3 On the copying it to a
next screen USB memory
choose your drive. Create a
computer user 6 folder on the
name, 4 and drive called 1
password. 5 Skype 1 and 3
Before you finish copy skype.exe
the wizard click on the ‘Open advanced properties...’ check box. 6 into it from C:\
Program Files\
Skype\Phone. 2 Open Notepad or another text editor and type the

10 At the Advanced
properties
screen, at the end of
2
following: start skype.exe /removable /datapath:“\Skype”.
Save the empty file as go.bat in the Skype folder. 3 Then run the
go.bat file to start up Skype from your USB drive.
the Run box 1 type
/callto:01234567891 1
where the number
01234567891 should
be replaced with the
14 Using a phone
diverter such as
the Vosky Call Center
telephone number to (£48 from http://
be dialled. If you wish tinyurl.com/3y49ef),
you can further fine you can route all
tune your scheduling incoming calls on a
by clicking on the line through your PC
Schedule tab 2 before and out again using
clicking on OK 3 to Skype, so you can
save the task. benefit from free or very
3 low-cost calls
worldwide on other
phones, including mobiles, as well as via your computer.

11 The KishKish
Lie Detector
(http://extras.skype 15 Do you use a
Bluetooth
.com/577) offers you headset with your
a tool to test whether mobile phone? If you do
the person you are and your PC is
talking with over Bluetooth-enabled, you
Skype may be lying. can also use it for
Certainly you can use making your Skype
it to monitor the calls. Just sync the
stress level of the headset to your PC and
person you are you’re set to go.
talking with in real-time, should that kind of thing be useful to you.

Section 2: Paid-for software 16 While away

you can

12 Using a Windows Media Center PC and a program such as

mcePhone (www.scendix.com/mcephone, around £10) you
can watch television as usual and be notified whenever you have an
monitor your home
office or anywhere
your webcam is
1

incoming Skype call. You can then Pick up, 1 Reject 2 or Hide 3 pointed at using
calls directly Skype. To do this
with your you need to create a
remote control. second Skype
You can also account. In Skype’s
mute your options set the first
microphone, computer to ‘Start
hold the call or my video
hang up, automatically when
among a I am in a call’ 1 and to auto-answer calls. Now use your second
multitude of 1 2 3 account on a laptop to call up the first one and the webcam video
other features. will automatically start.

13 September 2007 57
Q. Which circus act is performed by a
funambulist?
Find out with Web User’s
Ultimate Master of
Minds Quiz
FREE
Includes 300
of the toughest
general knowledge
DVD
questions for you to
play on either DVD, PC or Mac

On sale 27th September

58 13 September 2007
 WORKSHOP 1 PRACTICAL

Get rid of lurking PC junk with Revo Uninstaller Website: Revo Uninstaller
Time taken: 10 minutes

T
he Windows uninstaller is far from perfect. It’s slow to load and
its sloppy removal practices can often lead to files and Registry
keys getting left behind. Over time this abandoned content can
clog up your system, causing it to slow down or misbehave. Revo
Uninstaller (www.revouninstaller.com) is a much faster alternative
to Add or Remove Programs that can not only blitz unwanted
programs for you, but can clean up after them too – automatically
searching for any leftovers and giving you the chance to delete them.

1 Revo displays
icons of all the
installed programs
3 5 Drag this crosshair to any
program window, System Tray
icon or shortcut. When you let go
1
2
3
it has found on your 2 1 of your mouse button the software 4
system. The exact will target that item and display
number is listed at various options. You can uninstall
the top of the the program, 1 prevent it from
window. 1 To help auto-starting when Windows starts 2 and kill and/or delete the
you locate the process. 3 You can also go to the folder it’s contained in 4 or run a
program you want Google search on the item or its publisher.
to remove, there’s a
search box. 2 Enter a few letters and the software will narrow down
the files as you type. You can also switch the view from icons to a list
or details using the View button. 3 6 Right-click the crosshair and
you will be able to switch to
‘Drag and Drop Mode’. 1 This
2
1
works in reverse – you drag the 4

2 To uninstall an item
either double-click its
entry, or single-click it and
1 items you want to delete to the
icon, rather than the other way
round. You can revert back to the
3

then click the Uninstall normal interface by selecting Open Main Window 2 or close the
icon. 1 Revo Uninstaller software altogether by clicking on Exit. 3 You can also alter the size
will scan your system for a of the crosshair. 4
second or two and then 2
start running the target
application’s uninstaller
module. When that
finishes, and the program has been removed, click the Scan After
7 Revo Uninstaller comes with a
number of other useful features.
Click the Tools icon 1 and a sidebar
1

2
6 7

Uninstall button. 2 will load. Optimization 2 lets you

control the programs that run at 3
startup 3 and directly access useful

3 Any leftover content

will now be displayed.
Registry keys are shown in
Windows tools such as System
Restore and Disk Defragmenter. 4
It also has a general purpose Junk
4
5
the top window 1 and Files Cleaner. 5 Click Scan to start it
files in the bottom one. 2 running 6 and Delete 7 to remove
Study each item carefully 1 the files it finds.
and put a tick next to any you
believe are safe to remove.
You can also Select All 3
and Deselect All. 4 Click
Delete 5 to remove the
2 8 Track Cleaner eradicates all traces of
your computer activity. It can clear
your browsing history 1 on all popular 2
1

chosen items. 3 4 5 browsers and also wipe usage files from

MS Office 2 and Windows. 3 You can 3
even use it to remove evidence from a 4
specific drive. 4

4 There is
another way
1
to remove
unwanted
programs and
9 Click the down
arrow in the
Track Cleaner sidebar
that’s to use the and you’ll reveal the
special Hunter Unrecoverable Delete
Mode. Click the option. 1 This lets
icon 1 and the you permanently
standard Revo destroy unwanted
Uninstaller files 2 and folders. 1
interface will 3 Click the Delete
vanish leaving a Forever button 4 to 2 3
blue crosshair in blitz the selected 4
its place. items for good.

13 September 2007 59
 PRACTICAL WORKSHOP 2
Back up your online photos with Migratr
T
here are countless online photo storage services available, with
the likes of Flickr having increased in popularity in a very short
space of time. But suppose you have accounts with more than
one service and want to combine all your images into one, or you
simply want to move from one photo host to another. Done
1 Start by paying a visit to the
Calling Shotgun blog at
www.callingshotgun.net and
click the Download Migratr link
1 in the column to the right of
the page. Save the file to the
Desktop and then double-click
it to run through the installation
process in the usual way.
2 Launch the program
from the Desktop
shortcut 1 or Start menu
1
entry that has been created
and from the list that is
displayed 2 select which
photo service you would
like to import images from.
Click the Authenticate
button 3 and sign into
your account.
3 You will now need to
allow Migratr to
communicate with your
chosen online photo
storage service. The
message that appears will
vary depending on which
service you are working
with, but you need to click
the button or link that
appears to allow the communication to continue. 1
4 Once the link has been
established between Migratr
and your chosen service, you can
close down the browser window if
you like. Return to the main Migratr
program window and click the Finish
Authentication 1 button to
continue to step three of the process.
5 Click the Import button 1 and in
the window that appears use the
Explorer-style navigation tree to select
where images should be downloaded,
creating a new folder if necessary. 2
This done, Migratr will download your
images to your selected location at
which point you should click the
‘Continue to Exporting’ button. 3
60 13 September 2007
Program: Migratr
Time taken: 45 minutes
manually, this is a potentially lengthy process, but help is at hand.
Migratr is a free tool which can automatically transfer the images
you have uploaded from one service to another – 23HQ, Flickr,
Picasa Web Albums, Zooomr and SmugMug are currently
supported, but expect more to be added soon.
6 In much the same
way as you did
earlier, select the
service you would like
to import your photos
to from the list that is
displayed 1 and click 1
1 the Authenticate
button. 2 Again, you 2
will be taken to the
website of the selected service and invited to sign into your account.
7 You will also need to let
Migratr communicate
with the photo service you
want to import to, so click
the link or button to do so.
2 Return to the main Migratr
program window and click
the Finish Authentication
3 button 1 to continue to the 1
next step.
8 On the final tab of the
Migratr interface, click
the Export button. 1 In the
window that appears,
navigate to the folder you 2
have already downloaded
1 your existing images to 2 3
and click OK. 3 Migratr will
then start to upload the
images, and how long this
take will depend on your
connection speed and
number of images.
1
1
9 Once the
images have
been transferred,
click the OK button
on the dialogue box
that appears and
the process is 1
complete. Visit the
2 photo section of the
service you have
just imported your
pictures to, and
1 your images should
3 now be visible, 1
complete with any titles that had previously been assigned to them.
Get more practical help and ideas at www.webuser.co.uk/forums
 PRACTICAL EXPLORER

P
ersonal radio stations like Pandora and Last.fm are massively
popular because they let the listener tailor the playlist
according to their personal taste. Musicovery works along the

Get the most from same lines, but blends the concept with a neat interface similar to
the Discovery engine used by liveplasma (www.liveplasma.com).
The station lets you choose the songs you want to listen to based

Musicovery
on your mood. You can then refine the results by specifying the
decades and genres to include or exclude. The quality of the audio
isn’t fantastic, but there’s no waiting – songs play immediately –
and you can listen to the same tracks repeatedly during a single
session. Unlike Pandora, which caters only to US citizens,
Musicovery is European and available in both English and French.

Every issue we take a closer look at a website or

program. Our subject this time around is the
colourful web-radio site.
HiFi
The free service plays all the available tracks in LoFi
(32Kbps). The quality is reasonable, but if you would
Website address: prefer to listen at CD quality you can buy a subscription.
www.musicovery.com This costs 72 (£1.36) for a month, 73.99 (£2.71) for
three months and 79.99 (£6.80) for the year.

Older tracks All Genres Buy Music

Click the chevrons on the left- Click the tick box to Each song has links to Amazon, eBay and
hand side of the timeline to get toggle all the iTunes underneath it. If you’re suddenly
a playlist of songs from before different genres on or struck by the urge to purchase the album
1950. These include classical off. At least one that the track appears on all you have to do is
tracks and recordings from the genre has to be click one of the options. Unfortunately, the
likes of Benny Goodwin, Edith selected for the site links are currently only for the US versions of
Piaf and Bing Crosby. to find music to play. those sites.

62 13 September 2007 Get more practical advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

 EXPLORER PRACTICAL

Make a playlist to suit your mood 5 The year

the
Musicovery lets you choose the music you want to listen to current song 1
based on preference, style, genre and decade. was released
is displayed in

1 Creating a
personalised
playlist is just a
the timeline.
1 You can
adjust the
matter of clicking music you’re
somewhere in the 1 listening to
matrix. 1 If you based on a set
want to hear time period.
songs which are Drag the left
dark and calming, and right sliders to bracket the years to include, or click on a
click somewhere specific decade.
towards the
bottom left-hand
corner. For something positive and energetic, click towards the
top right-hand side. The site will display a collection of songs to
match the mood you’ve chosen.
6 Tick or
untick the
different
genres on the
left 1 to

2 One of the
songs will
begin to play.
1
2
choose the
style(s) that
Musicovery 1
2

1 You can stop should select

it temporarily by from when 3
clicking the creating your
Pause icon. 2 playlist. A
Clicking it song’s colour will match its genre. 2 You will also see a circle
again will pulsating over one of the genre boxes. 3 Its position reflects the
resume the style and mood of the current track. Hover your cursor over any
song from genre to set a mood for it.
where you left
off. When one
track finishes, Musicovery will automatically move to the next one
in the list. You can browse the songs on offer by clicking and
dragging the screen.
7 You can also
decide how
mainstream you 1 2
want your playlist
to be. If Hit 1 is

3 You can switch

to another
song at any point. 1
2
selected it will
play tracks you’re
likely to know.
Simply hover your Discovery 2 will
cursor over the focus on more
track you want to obscure songs
hear and it will or artists you
open up. 1 Click might not have
the play icon 2 heard of before.
next to the song’s
name to start
listening to it.
8 As well as
letting you
choose tracks

4 Clicking the
arrow next to
an artist’s name
based on mood,
you can create a
dance playlist.
1
2
1 will call up a Click the Dance
collection of songs tab 1 and then
by similar- click the matrix as
sounding singers 1 before. 2 The
or groups. This further over to the
may include an right you click the
additional track or more dance-
two by the artist oriented the
you were originally songs will be. The
listening to, but there’s no guarantee. vertical axis controls the tempo of the tracks.

Next issue: Practical Explorer – Spyware Terminator 13 September 2007 63

 PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVER

Our pick of the best posts from our reader forums this fortnight. To get help or offer advice
to other readers, visit us online at www.webuser.co.uk/forums – it’s friendly and free!
so are there any tips for a more simple way
BROWSERS to get online?
Tazz360, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
Firefox is hanging
A What software is on the laptop to
manage the wireless connection?

Q Normally Firefox runs very

smoothly, but lately the egg timer
symbol has been up on screen
quite a lot. It hangs around for some time,
although my computer doesn’t crash.
Could this be something do to with
websites designed with Flash?
Awam7, via Webuser.co.uk/forums informative MozillaZine website
Find out why Firefox has slowed down at the
This is conflicting with the Windows
wireless management. Try turning off the
Windows one: right-click My Computer,
then go to Manage. Click the plus symbol
next to Services and applications, then click
on Services. In the right pane, scroll down to
Wireless Zero Configuration, right-click on it
and select Properties. Set the start-up type
to Disabled and click on the Stop button.

A Many reasons are given at http://

kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_hangs
why Firefox might hang or be slow
to load pages. See if anything could apply.
The Flash plug-in is mentioned under the
heading ‘Hang loading sites with Java,
Flash, or PDF files’.
Mart, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
Restart your computer and see if the in-built
software picks up your network.
RichieP, via Webuser.co.uk/forums

GENERAL PC with Vista Home Premium. He plays games

on it – or would if he could – as all his
Three Vista problems games just will not load, install or run. They

Q I haven’t just got one problem, I’ve

got three. First, in Windows
Explorer there used to be an ‘up one
directory’ icon. Yet now with Vista it’s gone
(and I never realised how much I used it). I
know I can click on the tab at the top but is
there a way of putting an ‘up’ button in?
Second, when Vista boots up on my
Toshiba laptop (which connects to the net
wirelessly), I have set it to run Yahoo Instant
Messenger and Windows Live Messenger at
start-up. AVG tries to update at start-up as
well, but it takes longer for the laptop to
connect to the net than the ‘timeout’ timers
in those programs. The result is that I have
to clear warning boxes about programs that
couldn’t sign in, and AVG then enters an
error state (telling me I must reboot to
update fully). I put Internet Explorer into the
Startup folder hoping that would run first
and connect, but it hasn’t made any
difference. Any ideas on how I can get the
connection to work before the AVG and
Instant Messenger programs begin?
Finally, my son also has a Toshiba laptop
all ran perfectly well on his old Toshiba
with XP Pro. I read somewhere that there
is an emulation/compatibility mode in
Vista, but I can’t find it. Is there such a thing?
If not, does he have to buy new versions of
the games?
Jimfuk, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A First things first. At the top of the
Explorer window there is a directory
path showing where you are at the
time, for example: Computer, Local Disk
(C:), Users, Jimfuk, AppData, Local. To go
back up one level in the path you just click Turn off Windows’ wireless management if it’s
on AppData and so on. In regards to the AVG conflicting with your network adapter’s own drivers
issue, the whole point of an anti-virus
program is that it runs before anything else. VIDEO
All your security software should be fully
updated and running before anything else Large files on YouTube
happens on your PC. If that means you have
to wait a while before you can log in to your
instant messengers then so be it. For your
son’s gaming issue, have a look at http://
Q As you’re only allowed 100MB files
on YouTube, is there a way I can
compress a video before uploading?
The videos I want to place online are taken
tinyurl.com/2lkvt7 for advice on using Vista from my camera, which is an AVI format
Compatibility Mode. device. Also, can I compress MPEG as well?
Greysts, via Webuser.co.uk/forums Abbafan 1972, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
WI-FI
Connection palaver A AVI files do have a very big time/file-
size ratio. If you’ve got Windows
Movie Maker you can convert AVI to

Q Every time I want to connect to my

In Vista, use Windows Explorer’s directory path
to take yourself up through the folder structure
Wi-Fi network with my laptop, I
have to go through this process: I
first go to Network Connections, then
Wireless Network Connection, and then
Change The Order Of Preferred Networks.
Next I tick the ‘Use Windows to configure
my wireless network settings’ and click
OK. Then I choose Press WLAN Button
and Refresh Network List and this usually
connects me to my network. I don’t
reckon this is a common way to connect,
WMV which will reduce the file size. Don’t
forget YouTube also has a 10-minute posting
limit. MPEG is an already compressed
format, though with the right software you
could compress it further, but a loss of
quality is inevitable. To convert it, Open
Windows Movie Maker then, under the
Capture Video panel (on the left), click
‘Import video’, select AVI file, then click OK.
At the bottom of the Movie Maker screen
select Show Storyboard (as opposed to
Show Timeline). Now drag and drop the

64 13 September 2007 Subscribe to Web User now. Call 0845 676 7778

You can use Windows Movie Maker to compress
your video to a specific size
video clips onto the storyboard in sequence.
Remember to save the project at regular
intervals – mine has a habit of freezing with
larger files. Once all your clips are on the
storyboard, you can add transitions
between the clips if you wish, or just let one
clip run into the next with no transition. You
can also add titles and credits if you want.
Once that’s done click on ‘Save to my
computer’ below ‘Finish video’ on the left.
You will now get a dialogue box. Name the
video for export and select a location (the
Desktop maybe). Next select ‘Best quality
for playback on my computer’ to see how
big the file is at its optimum quality (see
lower panel). If it’s under the 100MB limit
of YouTube you could save it as is. If it’s
too big then select the ‘Best fit to file size’
option and enter the file size. I’d be tempted
to go below the 100MB limit, say 90MB.
Then click Next to start saving the file.
YouTube can be slow, and occasionally the
connection may time out, so you just need
to be patient and persevere.
For more great tips on preparing your
video for YouTube, check out the Practical
Feature we’ve got planned in Issue 172, on
sale 11 October.
The Fat Controller, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
VIDEO
BBC iPlayer in Vista
Q I have been reliably informed that
the workaround to get iPlayer to
work on PCs running Vista is to
change the user agent in IE7. All I know is
that this user agent tells outside servers
which OS is running among other
information. I have Vista Home Premium
and would be grateful if somebody could
explain how to fool iPlayer (via the user
agent method) into thinking I am running XP.
You can find details ofa workaround for using the
BBC iPlayer in Windows Vista online
PROBLEM SOLVER PRACTICAL
I am aware that this involves Registry GENERAL PC
tweaking and the importance of back-ups so
any help would be appreciated. Blank CDs
Pathfinder59, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
Q Every time I put a blank CD-R in the
tray and close it, the PC
A I found an article on the issue at
http://tinyurl.com/2upcgp, which
points out the iPlayer is not
currently meant to be configured for Vista
automatically starts up the
Ashampoo burning program when I don’t
want it to. Is there any way that I could
prevent this from happening?
machines but offers a workaround for those Rick3121, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
who are interested in trying it.
Dangermouse, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
VIDEO
MPEG to AVI conversion
Q Does anyone know if it’s possible to
convert an MPEG file to an AVI file?
If so, are there any good free
programs out there I can use?
AlBundy111, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A Yes, you can convert, but I don’t
know of any free software that does
this. I’d recommend River Past
Video Cleaner (www.riverpast.com/en/
prod/videocleaner) – it’s worth the money.
Mouse, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
Choose what you’d like to happen in Windows when
you insert a blank disc
A Try changing the autoplay settings.
Click on Start, My Computer, right-
click on your CD drive, choose
Properties and click on the Auto Play tab.
From the drop-down box choose blank CD.
Now under Actions you can click on the
‘Select an action to perform’ button, choose
one of the options, then click OK. Or choose
the ‘Prompt me each time to choose an
The River Past Video Cleaner can be used to convert action’ box if you’d prefer.
all sorts of video files Fifeflyer, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
EMAIL
Font too small
Q Can anyone tell me how I can
increase the font size of my emails
when I print them? I run Windows
XP using Internet Explorer for my emails.
The emails print in very small fonts at
present and I need to increase the size.
My printer is a Canon IP2200. What do I
need to do?
Poppy874, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A To increase the font size in
Internet Explorer 7, open the
Page menu and choose Text Size.
You can then select a larger font size, Control the size of your fonts in Internet Explorer
print your messages out, then change
back again if you wish. Another option Shrink To Fit option to 150% or 200%
might be to go to Print Preview (from the to expand what’s being printed.
drop-down Print menu) and change the Andy Shaw, Technical & Reviews Editor
13 September 2007 65
 PRACTICAL PROBLEM SOLVER
Each fortnight our experts answer your technical questions about the internet. If you’re
puzzled by a problem, we’re here to help. Contact us at problemsolver@webuser.co.uk
SECURITY
Dogged by virus alerts
Q When I use Windows Vista Picture
Gallery a Symantec pop-up (I’m
using Norton Internet Security
Suite 2007) tells me that Bloodhound.
Exploit.13 has been blocked and that my
computer is not at risk. This happens even
when I am not connected to the web, from
which I infer that the bug is already in my
system. This does not happen when I click
on the pictures in another program, only in
Picture Gallery where, presumably, the
bug lurks. Scans by Norton, Spybot,
Spyware Doctor, Spyware Terminator and
Windows Defender all tell me that my
system is clean, which leaves me baffled.
What is going on and what can I do to get
rid of Bloodhound?
Dougalas via Webuser.co.uk/forums
A This is a common problem and
you aren’t the only person to be
troubled by it. Fortunately, the
SECURITY
Security query
Q Could you please provide me with
information about a security
package called Kaspersky?
A
Mike Clayson, via email
Kaspersky is a
well respected
internet security
firm based in Russia.
Most famous for its anti-
virus software, the
company also recently
branched out, adding a
firewall and parental
control to its anti-virus
product as a security
A good anti-virus suite. Kaspersky has
program is vital proved popular with our
when using the net readers and has done
well in both Web User tests and
independent third-party tests. For more
information visit www.kaspersky.co.uk.
WINDOWS
Installation problem
Q I am having problems with
Windows Installer. I have
downloads from Microsoft and, on
trying to install them, I am presented with
an error message: ‘The Windows Installer
service could not be accessed. This can
occur if you are running Windows in safe
66 13 September 2007
Norton’s security software can sometimes trigger
a false alarm when you’re using the Picture
Gallery in Windows Vista
security software scans reveal nothing
because there is nothing to find. The
Bloodhound messages are false alarms
that are triggered by a particular pattern
of data in the pictures you are viewing.
It seems that Picture Gallery writes
temporary files to disk and these trigger
the false alarms. You can either ignore the
warnings or replace Norton Internet
Security Suite with some other security
software that doesn’t react to this
particular quirk.
mode, or Windows is not correctly installed.’
A further irritating problem is that I am
presented with the same error when trying
to install a new program. Can you help?
John Battersby, via email
A Windows Installer has become
corrupted and must be repaired.
There are several possible solutions,
but we’ll run you through Microsoft’s.
Click Start, Run and enter ‘cmd’. In the
command prompt window enter the
following text, pressing Return at the end of
each line:
attrib -r -s -h c:\windows\system32\dllcache
cd c:\windows\system32
ren msi.dll msi.old
ren msiexec.exe msiexec.old
ren msihnd.dll msihnd.old
exit
Now go to www.microsoft.com/downloads
and download Windows Installer. It was on
the Recommended Downloads list when we
visited, but if it’s moved, use the search
facility to find it.
EMAIL
In plain view
Q
Is there anything you can do to
make your newsletter more
readable? Or is it down to my
settings for Outlook?
Bruce Wilkie, via email
A There are two common formats for
email – plain text and HTML. Your
email software is set to display
everything as plain text and this means that
whenever an HTML message arrives, such
as a newsletter, all you see is a lot of strange
codes. Most email programs have the option
to view messages in the format in which
they were sent or in
plain text all the
time. In Outlook
2003 you select
Tools, and then click
the E-mail Options
button. Clear the
tick against ‘Read
all standard mail in
plain text’. You can
also open an email,
select Edit, Edit
Message and then Reading all email in plain
choose ‘Plain text or text format is safer, but
HTML’ on the not as exciting as in HTML
Format menu. In
Outlook Express select Tools, Options and
then the Read tab. Clear the tick against
‘Read all messages in plain text’.
EMAIL
Cleaning MailWasher
Q Having downloaded MailWasher I
have two problems. The first is that
this program has somehow picked
up two old deleted email addresses that I
cannot get rid of – it’s impossible to import a
new one unless you have the Pro version.
The second is that having set up an account
manually it refuses a correct POP3 server.
Phil, via email
A MailWasher Free should only import
the first email account it finds no
matter how many you have, so
maybe you’ve tried the Pro version and then
downgraded to Free. You should be able to
select Tools, Accounts and use the Remove
button to delete unwanted accounts. When
there are none left, clicking the Add button
will let you add one. If this doesn’t work,
uninstall the software and delete C:\
Documents and settings\yourname\
Application
Data\
MailWasher
Pro. Then click
Start, Run and
enter ‘regedit’.
Go to HKEY_
CURRENT_
USER\
Software\ MailWasher helps keep your
FireTrust\
Inbox free of unwanted spam
MailWasher Pro in the left-hand pane,
right-click it and select delete. Now re-install
the software.
 DIY WEB PAGES PRACTICAL

Keep your site safe from spam Website: www.recaptcha.net

Time taken: 30 minutes

3 To add a similar Captcha to

V
irtually every website in existence will have suffered from a WordPress blog, return
the problem of spam. Whether you have created a blog with to the main ReCAPTCHA page
a commenting system, or you have placed your email and click the Get ReCAPTCHA 1
address on one or more of your pages, the chances are that you link followed by ‘WordPress’.
have fallen victim to spamming from automated spam-bots. Click the Download link to be
Using ReCAPTCHA you can quickly and easily put a verification taken to the Google Code site
system in place that ensures visitors to your site are human and download the latest
beings rather than automated tools. Here we’ll show you how plug-in that is available. 1
to protect a WordPress blog and an email address, although Extract the zip file and upload
ReCAPTCHA is available for a number of other services such the folder to the wp-content/plugins directory of your web server.
as phpBB and Drupal – full instructions are available on the
download page of its website.
1

1 Pay a visit
to the
ReCAPTCHA
2

website at
www.
recaptcha.net
and click the
‘Protect your 1
email’ link.
Enter the
email address
you would like
to include on
your site and
click the
Protect It button. The required HTML will be automatically
4 Visit the Admin section of your WordPress blog and click the
Plugins link 1 at the top of the page. Click the Activate link next
to the ReCAPTCHA entry in the Action column to the right of the
generated for you 1 and it can be edited if required before you page and then click the link that appears reading ‘ You must enter
insert it into your existing code where the email link should appear. your reCAPTCHA API key for it to work’. 2

2 After
updating
the code of
5 Click the link to sign up
for a free ReCAPTCHA
key and work through the
your site, click process of signing up for a
the link that new account, making sure
you have your domain name is
created and correctly detected. Click
you can test 1 3 Create Key, and then copy
the Captcha 2 and paste the public and
that has been private keys into the relevant 1
created. Type boxes on the ReCAPTCHA
the two disguised words that are displayed 1 and then click the plug-in page of your site
‘Reveal email address’ button 2 and your chosen address will be before clicking Update
shown. Visitors to your site can also click the audio button 3 to Options. The Captcha will
have words read out to them. then be activated on your comments. 1

READERS’ WEBSITES Post details of your own non-commercial website

on our forum at www.webuser.co.uk/forums

Little Legends www.littlelegends.biz

L
ittle Legends is an online resource for
parents. It’s designed to help them
discover resources for children around
using Google Maps, making it easy to home
in on local events and services. Vicky Wood
and her brother Piers have done an excellent
Written by Mark Wilson

the country – from finding childcare and
nurseries to learning about days out and
family-friendly restaurants.
In addition to a great clean look, the site
benefits from an advanced search facility
job of putting together a truly valuable
website. Not only are the pages themelves
incredibly useful, but there are numerous
links to other blogs and sites that could be of Whether you’re looking for a babysitter or a day out,
interest to parents. Little Legends can point you in the right direction

Get more web-building advice at www.webuser.co.uk/forums 13 September 2007 67

 PRACTICAL HINTS & TIPS
Send your tips to hintsandtips@web-user.co.uk – we pay £25 for the best tip we
receive each fortnight. Or visit the Hints & Tips forum at www.webuser.co.uk/forums
TOP TIP £25 Winner!
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Preserve your memories
W
e have all seen the floods around the
UK recently and thankfully I was not
one of the unfortunate victims this
time. But you never know, you could be
next, and you might lose
£W 25
your PC or external hard
disk that you have
diligently backed up
your precious photos
inne
to. It may not happen in
r a flood either – what if
they are both stolen?
Then all your precious
photos will be gone forever.
For £12 a year you can get a Pro account
with Flickr.com, which now has unlimited
storage and unlimited bandwidth. I’ve just
AUDIO
Better audio
If your music and other audio doesn’t sound
as good as it should, it may be because
you’re using the wrong settings. Double-
click ‘Sounds and Audio Devices’ in the
Control Panel and then click the Advanced
button on either the Volume or Audio tab.
On my computer there are more than half a
dozen types of speakers to choose from,
including desktop stereo, laptop stereo,
headphones, speakers built into the monitor,
surround sound and home theatre. Choose
the most appropriate one for the best sound.
Jeannie Carr, via email
MUSIC
iTunes error
This morning I got an iTunes error with a
message including the words ‘C++
debugger’ and something about the
program closing in an unusual way. I’ve no
idea why this happened, but if it happens to
you, just re-download iTunes from Apple’s
website (www.apple.com/uk) and reinstall
it to the same directory as before. This did
the job for me and any playlists or ratings
you have added shouldn’t be altered.
Robert Holdcroft, Wolverhampton
GENERAL PC
Start customising
I found an interesting article on the
Microsoft support website at http://support.
microsoft.com/kb/292504 that reveals lots
68 13 September 2007
Why risk your memories? Back-up your photos
with Flickr in case disaster strikes
uploaded 6,000 photos using the Flickr
Uploadr. While you’re at it, why not take
photos of all your valuables and expensive
gear and upload those to Flickr, just in case
you need them for an insurance claim?
Paul Gibson, Wiltshire
of hidden settings for customising the Start
menu. For example, you can remove the
pinned programs list on the left and the
most-used programs too. You can stop
anyone from moving the My Documents
folder, remove Favorites and My Computer
from the Start menu and much more.
To use these settings you need to click
Start, Run and enter ‘regedit’ to open the
Registry Editor. You then find the HKEY_
CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\
Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Policies\ Explorer
key and set the Registry values listed in the
article to 0 to disable them or 1 to enable
them. If they don’t exist, you select Edit,
New, DWORD value and create them.
These are advanced Registry hacks and are
for experienced users only!
Paul Carroll, Wigan
MUSIC
Careful what you record
One thing that might be useful to bear in
mind when using MP3myMP3 Recorder
(www.mp3mymp3.com, featured in a
Workshop in Issue 165) is that if any other
tasks are performed while recording and
you have any of the Windows event sounds
turned on, these will also be recorded along
Turn everything else off as you record MP3s or you
might get Windows sounds in your final recording
Subscribe to Web User now. Call 0845 676 7778
with the desired material! Personally, I can’t
stand all the plinks, plonks, tings, warbles
and other noises that Windows makes and
have every last one of them turned off.
I presume that these all have to be found
from the hard disk when required, so I
imagine there is a slight performance gain to
be had from this and I’m all for that.
David Perriman, via email
GENERAL PC
Name your comptuer
Fancy having your name (or whatever you
want) written on your Windows XP
Desktop? First off, make a new folder, which
should remain empty. My Documents is as
good a place as any to do this, though it
doesn’t matter where it is. Name it whatever
you like. Now right-click on a blank area on
your Toolbar and move your mouse over to
Toolbars on the menu. A new window will
pop up alongside it – move down to New
Toolbar and click on it. A small window
should pop up called New Toolbar. Browse
through the list of folders to find the one you
created earlier, click on it and press OK.
Whatever you named the folder should then
appear down the bottom right-hand side of
your Desktop toolbar.
If you decide to rename your folder it won’t
update until you remove and replace the
named toolbar. Do this by right-clicking on
the named bit, move your mouse over
Toolbars and a new menu will pop alongside
it. You will see that your name (or whatever
you named the folder originally) has a tick
next to it. To remove it, click on the named
folder and it should disappear. Make another
by simply going to the place where you made
the folder, renaming it to whatever you want
and repeating the steps above.
Robert Gibson, via email
Add your name to your Desktop by creating an
empty folder and linking a Toolbar to it
GENERAL PC
XP Pro features
There were originally two versions of
Windows XP – Home Edition and
Professional, with the Pro version having
more features. Not a lot of people know this,
but the Media Center Edition is based on XP
Pro and not XP Home, so you actually get
the features of Pro with the great Media
Center software. Here’s a Pro tip: click Start,
Run and enter gpedit.msc. This starts the
Group Policy Editor and it lets you change
lots of hidden settings that are stored in
the Registry, but without having to use the

Registry Editor. Expand the Administrative
Templates folder and you’ll see lots of
settings to explore. Select a setting and it’s
explained on the right – double-clicking it
lets you change it. It’s a great utility for
tweaking the system.
Geoff Butler, Maidenhead
GENERAL PC
Free faster disk drive
Windows can speed up the hard disk using
‘write caching’. Basically this means it saves
data in the cache, which is super-fast, and
then, when the PC is idle, it writes it to disk.
It should be turned on by default, but it’s
worth checking. Click Start, right-click My
Computer and select Properties. Click
Device Manager on the hardware tab and
expand the disk drives section. Double-click
the hard disk and make sure ‘Enable write
caching on the disk’ is ticked.
Michael Abbot, Southport
BROWSERS
Personalised search in Firefox
Most of us will be
aware that the
search plug-ins
in the Firefox
browser (in
the top-right
corner) can be
customised by
clicking on the
drop down box
Add your own search
plug-ins to Firefox
and choosing
‘Manage Search Engines’. This lets you
delete the default plug-ins and add more by
clicking on ‘Get more search engines’, which
will take you to Mozilla’s Add-ons page,
where thousands of search engines are
listed. But what happens if there is a
particular website you use a lot and you
would like to add it to the Firefox search
engines? Don’t despair, there is a way.
Unfortunately, unlike Internet Explorer 7,
Firefox does not have a tool built into its
browser to let you customise plug-ins.
However, we can ‘borrow’ IE7’s tool to help
us. First of all, open up your IE7 browser and
navigate to the website you wish to use for
your plug-in. For this example I have used
PC retailer www.pcworld.co.uk. When you
are at your chosen website, find the site
search box and enter the word ‘TEST’
(without the quotes and ensuring it is in
capitals). Hit the button to search then copy
and paste the URL that appears in the
address bar. Locate IE7’s browser search
box (top right of browser) and select ‘Find
More Providers’. Paste the address you
copied from the previous page into the
‘Create Your Own’ box and enter a short
name. Do not hit ‘Install’ unless, of course,
you want to add this plug-in to IE7, but click
‘View XML’, which will produce a page of
XML code. In amongst it will be a long URL,
HINTS & TIPS PRACTICAL
probably in quote marks after ‘template=’.
Copy this info to your clipboard, as you will
need it for the next step.
Open Firefox and go to http://tinyurl.com/
33btog and enter your chosen name in the
box labelled ‘the search name’ and then
paste the URL you copied to the clipboard
into the box called ‘the front of search term’.
Make sure that nothing other than a plain
URL is copied into this box. Finally, click the
‘Make search plug-in’ button. Click on ‘Open
search plug-in’ and then confirm by clicking
add. Your new search plug-in is installed.
Graeme Lowery, via email
GENERAL PC
Not so plug and play
When removing USB devices such as
memory drives, external disks and the like,
it is advisable to click on the Taskbar icon
labelled ‘Safely Remove Hardware’ before
you pull it out. This should show you what is
plugged in to your computer. Click on the
item you want to remove and wait for the
message telling you that it’s OK to take the
device out. This might save you from
destroying an MP3 player, like I did.
Nick Ashby, Eastcote
GAMES
Play for free
In need of a new game to play on your
computer? There’re lots of free ones for
Windows at http://mywebpages.comcast.
net/SupportCD/XPGames.html.
George, via Webuser.co.uk/forums
EMAIL
Speedy mail
When Outlook
Express starts
it displays a
splash screen
(an image
showing the
logo, among
other things),
and then it
starts the
program.
However, it’s Save time by going straight to
easy to bypass your Inbox when Outlook
this time-
Express starts
wasting screen. Click Start, Run and enter
regedit. Find the following key HKEY_
CURRENT_USER\ Identities\ {a random
selection of weird numbers and letters}\
Software\ Microsoft\ Outlook Express\ 5.0
and click Edit, New, DWORD value. Enter
NoSplash for the name and then double-
click it and enter 1 for the value. Now start
OE and select Tools, Options. On the
General tab, tick ‘When starting, go directly
to my Inbox folder’. Now the program will
start up much faster.
David Elsworth, Ipswich
Web User’s top tips
TRILLIAN
Scan for viruses
One of the tasks a virus
performs when it infects
a PC is to email a copy of
itself to every contact it
can find. This means that
files received from your
friends may actually be
viruses. Fortunately you
can protect yourself when
using the Trillian
messaging program
(www.ceruleanstudios
.com) by automatically scanning
incoming files for viruses. Click Trillian,
then Trillian Preferences. Select the File
Transfers category and tick Virus
Scanner. Click the Browse button and
find your anti-virus program on the hard
disk. Whenever you receive a file your
anti-virus program will open and you can
scan the downloads folder.
Trillian can open your anti-virus software so
you can check transferred files
Organise your downloads
Trillan automatically stores the files you
receive in the C:\Program Files\Trillian\
Users\Default\Downloads folder, but this
isn’t a convenient location. Go to My
Documents and create a Trillian
Downloads folder. Now click Trillian,
Trillian Preferences and select the File
Transfers category. Click the Browse
button under ‘Save files to’, and choose
the folder you just created. The three
options below let you organise
downloads by network and the sender’s
name. You might want to tick them all so
you can tell who has sent you the files.
Create a downloads folder and change the
default to something more convenient
13 September 2007 69
 � � � �

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user
Webuser ≤
ESSENTIALS
Our regular guide to the web’s best products and services
SOFTWARE
≥ PASSWORD MANAGERS
RoboForm
www.roboform.com
When you install RoboForm it
adds a toolbar to your browser
and an icon to your System Tray.
Log in to any website and
RoboForm will offer to save the
details as a new ‘passcard’.
Our rating ★★★★★
i-Vault
http://i-vault.comodo.com
Comodo’s software creates a
secure space for all your personal
data, including passwords, bank
details and serial numbers. The
information is stored in cards.
Our rating ★★★★
Clipperz
www.clipperz.com
Clipperz is an entirely anonymous
web-based password manager.
You don’t need to give an email
address when you sign up, just
enter a new username and
passphrase.
Our rating ★★★★
KeePass
http://keepass.info
There are two versions of this
program. Version 1.x is rather
basic but it’s more stable than the
2.x alpha. Both, however, are very
good and offer support for third-
party plug-ins.
Our rating ★★★★
≥ FREE FIREWALLS
Comodo Personal Firewall v3
www.personalfirewall.comodo.com
There’s no easy route into this
firewall but if you’re willing to
spend time exploring, it will
Updat
every isesude
reward you with the best free
coverage that you can get for both
Windows XP and Vista.
Our rating ★★★★★ www.diigo.com
Ashampoo Firewall Free 1.20
www.ashampoo.com
Ashampoo performed well in the
majority of our tests. However,
you will also need to protect your
system with anti-virus and anti-
spyware software.
Our rating ★★★★
PC Tools Firewall Plus 2.0
www.pctools.com
PC Tools’s free firewall was one of
the first to work with Windows
Vista and, for that reason, has
won a lot of new fans. It’s very
easy to use and uses a well-
structured interface.
Our rating ★★★
ZoneAlarm
www.zonealarm.com
ZoneAlarm has been popular for a
long time and it’s easy to see why
– it blocked all attacks from the
outside in our tests, not only
securing ports but also disguising
their presence. However, it failed
our Trojan tests and isn’t the
easiest program to use.
Our rating ★★★
≥ FREE WEBMAIL
Yahoo Mail
http://mail.yahoo.com
Messages can be sorted by all
manner of criteria including
unread, sender, date, size and so
on, while searching through your
Inbox simply requires you to enter
a few keywords.
Our rating ★★★★★
Google Mail
www.googlemail.com
Google’s webmail service offers
2.8GB of storage space, is fast
and behaves just like a Desktop
application – in fact most of the
time it’s easy to forget you’re
working on the web.
Our rating ★★★★★
Find more great shopping deals at www.webuser.co.uk/shopping
Windows Live Hotmail
www.hotmail.com
The oldest of the webmail
services was recently given a
makeover. It now offers 2GB of
storage and a choice of interfaces.
Our rating ★★★
≥ NOTE-TAKING SOFTWARE
Diigo
Although you can easily use Diigo
as a simple note-taking tool, it
also has aspirations to take on the
likes of del.icio.us as a means of
sharing bookmarks.
Our rating ★★★★★
Fleck
www.fleck.com
Fleck comes as either a browser
extension or bookmarklet and
works with Firefox, Internet
Explorer and Safari. The extension
adds a big yellow button to your
browser. Press it, and a toolbar
appears, which lets you add
TOP CHOICE HARDWARE
≥ DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES
Philips Digital Photo Display
9FF2M4/05, £189
www.philips.co.uk
With a 9in display, the Philips
digital photo frame wasn’t the
biggest of the screens we tested
and it doesn’t come loaded with
options like Wi-Fi connections.
But it has a five-way directional
button on the back, like the little
joysticks you might find on a
mobile phone, so navigating its
well-presented and feature-
packed menus is a
breeze. It’s not a
superfluous
gimmick – there
are a lot of options
and menus to
navigate on the
device, which can
be used to perform
a variety of
functions including
simple image
processing such as
cropping, rotating
and recolouring. It
ESSENTIALS
new notes.
Our rating
Stickis
http://stickis.com
★★★★
Stickis has a fairly minimal impact
on your computer – you can
download browser buttons for
either Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Stickis notes aren’t restricted to
specific bits of information but to
an entire page, so you can’t
highlight individual elements but
you can add a sort of overlying
index card to any web page, with
any notes you want to make on it.
Our rating ★★★
JumpKnowledge
http://info.jkn.com
JumpKnowledge creates a version
of the web pages you want to
annotate on its own server. It’s
easy to type your notes directly
into this simulated web page
because the text on the page
moves around your notes.
Our rating ★★★
can display photos at 680 x 480
pixels and has a natural-looking,
crisp screen. It also has some
unique features, such as an
automatic orientation detector,
which will rotate your pictures
if you hold it a different way,
and four interchangeable
face-plates so you can alter
the look of the frame depending
on its surroundings or your
mood. Most important is the
interface though.
Our rating ★★★★★
13 September 2007 71
 ESSENTIALS
online image-hosting service. including memory cards, your PC
HARDWARE Our rating ★★★★ or your camera.
Our rating ★★★★
≥ DIGITAL PHOTO FRAMES Vivitar Digital Photo Frame
Philips Digital Photo Display VDF7, £34.99 Canon Selphy CP730, £103
9FF2M4/05, £189 www.amazon.co.uk www.canon.co.uk D-Link
www.philips.co.uk This is a great price for a digital A smart-looking, compact little Draft N ADSL2+
Top Choice, see page 71. photo frame but it’s clearly printer that promises hardy Modem Router DSL-2740B,
Our rating ★★★★★ positioned at the lower end of pictures that will last 100 years in £109.99
the market. www.d-link.co.uk
an album. Canon has managed to
Kodak EasyShare EX1011, Our rating ★★★ carve prices down to about 22p
Performance with D-Link is
£179.99 per print.
decent, with a good range. The
www.kodak.com ≥ PORTABLE PHOTO PRINTERS Our rating ★★★★ set-up process is swift and simple
Kodak’s HP Photosmart A618, £99 thanks to D-Link’s software
photo frame www.hp.com Lexmark Portable Photo Printer which takes you through step-by-
has a Like most of HP’s P350, £99.99 step instructions.
superb- printing products, www.lexmark.com Our rating ★★★★
looking 10in this device is This handles prints up to 15 x
screen, with sleek and 10cm, and can connect directly Buffalo Wireless-N Nfiniti
a resolution dark, and to your computer (USB), camera ADSL2+ Modem Router, £108.10
of 800 x oozes quality (PictBridge) or memory card www.buffalo-technology.com
480 pixels and a bright, vibrant from every (Secure Digital, xD, Memory Stick Buffalo provides good coverage
display that can really bring out angle. It’s a truly or Compact Flash). and maintains a fair level of speed
the colour in your images. portable printer – small and light, Our rating ★★★★ across the network but it isn’t easy
Our rating ★★★★ with a decent carrying handle. to set up a network of more than
Our rating ★★★★★ ≥ 802.11N WI-FI ROUTERS two devices.
i-mate Momento 100, £159.99 Netgear RangeMax NEXT Our rating ★★★★
www.momentolive.com Epson PictureMate PM240, DG834N, around £90
The i-mate Momento 100 has a £99.99 www.netgear.co.uk Find links to all
great 10in screen with a white www.epson.co.uk Netgear’s broadband modem
border and a transparent outer Epson’s PictureMate looks a bit router is positioned vertically and websites in this issue
edge. It can connect to your like a bucket but it can print has no external aerials. Even the at www.webuser
pictures via USB, memory card or great-quality snaps from a advanced set-up is easy to master.
Wi-Fi, with the latter including an reasonable range of sources Our rating ★★★★★ .co.uk/forums

Best deals for heavy users (based on a user requiring a minimum speed of
SECURITY VITALS BROADBAND 2Mbps and no download limit)
Our pick of the best software for Package name Max speed Restrictions Set-up cost Monthly rate 1st-year cost uSwitch customer
protecting your computer.
satisfaction score
≥ FIREWALL 1 Virgin Media Broadband Size M * 2Mbps Unlimited £25.00 £10.00† £145.00 76%
Comodo Personal Firewall v3, free www.virginmedia.com
www.personalfirewall.comodo.com
The best free protection you can 2 AOL Broadband Silver** 2Mbps Unlimited Nil £14.99 £164.89†† 76%
get for XP and Vista in our tests. www.aol.co.uk
Our rating ★★★★★ 3 Tiscali 2Mb Broadband 2Mbps Unlimited Nil £14.99 £179.88 72%
www.tiscali.co.uk
≥ ANTI-VIRUS
AVG Anti-Virus, free 4 Orange Broadband Unlimited 8Mbps Unlimited Nil £19.99 £209.88††† 65%
http://free.grisoft.com www.orange.co.uk
Completely free of charge and 5 ToucanSurf up to 8Mb 8Mbps Unlimited Nil £17.99 £215.88 n/a
packed with handy features. www.toucan.com
Our rating ★★★★★
6 UK Online LLU Broadband up to 2Mb*** 2Mbps Unlimited £54.99 £14.99 £234.87 n/a
≥ ANTI-SPYWARE www.ukonline.net
PC Tools Spyware Doctor 3.8, 7 Demon Home 2Mbps Unlimited Nil £19.99 £239.88 n/a
£19.95 www.demon.net
www.pctools.com
Not free, but Spyware Doctor 8 BT Total Broadband Option 3 8Mbps Unlimited Nil £24.99 £293.88†††† 75%
zaps pests its rivals can miss. www.bt.com
Our rating ★★★★★
9 Pipex Max Broadband 8Mbps Unlimited Nil £24.99 £307.38 72%
≥ ALL-IN-ONE SECURITY www.pipex.net
McAfee Total Protection
2007, £60 * Only available to customers in a Virgin Media enabled area † Special offer. Standard monthly cost is £18
www.mcafee.co.uk ** Price applies to customers in AOL LLU areas †† First month free. ††† Special offer. 3 months at £9.99 per month
Lives up to its claim to keep your *** Only available to customers in a UK Online LLU enabled area †††† Special offer. 3 months at £22.99 per month
PC safe and healthy. Data based on users paying by Direct Debit and requiring a broadband modem Data supplied by uSwitch.com. Correct as of 28 August 2007
Our rating ★★★★

Find more great shopping deals at www.webuser.co.uk/shopping 13 September 2007 73

 VISIT! Daily Seen This blog
Send us stuff: http://seenthis.webuser.co.uk
EDITORIAL
Editor Claire Woffenden
Deputy Editor Daniel Booth
PLAY THIS WATCH THIS Features Editor Robert Irvine
Technical & Reviews Editor
Andy Shaw
Leo Himura’s Jonny sings Mika News Editor Ben Camm-Jones
Staff Writer Veronique De
http://tinyurl.com/28bztz
No Exit
http://tinyurl.com/
Singing children regularly feature in
Freitas + Art Editor Jann Fabia-
Lechelle + Senior Designer
popular, if somewhat vindictive, Sam Dorrington + Staff
2ysmmb viral videos. Watching rising Photographer Alan McFaden
The aptly-named No YouTube star JonnyMas93 trilling Production Editor Anthony
Exit finds you trapped his favourite tunes, however, raises a warm rather than Green
in a graffiti-strewn mocking smile as he’s so clearly enjoying himself. In this Senior Sub Editor Miki Berenyi
public bathroom. To gain your freedom you must rendition of Mika’s Grace Kelly, he’s joined by his little Editorial Tel: 020 3148 4327
determine the purpose of some toiletries and other, cousin, as they gamely try their best to hit the high notes. Visit www.webuser.co.uk/forums
less obvious, objects; decipher a mysterious code; for technical or buying advice
and – well, we’ll let you work the rest out for
yourselves. This is trickier than the average point- LEARN THIS ADVERTISING
Email: advertising@web-user
.co.uk + Advertising &
and-click game, with an intriguing (if irritating)
cliff-hanger ending. How to give a neck Sponsorship Manager
Nicola Ponting, 020 3148 4246
Difficulty rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ and shoulder Senior Sales Executive
massage Lucy Ferguson, 020 3148 4248
Display Sales Executive
SOLVE THIS http://tinyurl.com/2ru4cb
In these stressful times, the ability to relax a friend or
Lucy Reddin, 020 3148 4247
Advertising Production
loved one with little more than your hands is certainly a Stephen Turner, 020 3148 4193
Here’s the latest grid in our series of Sudoku welcome one. Watch this video to learn a simple neck- INSERTS
puzzles. You can also tackle a new Sudoku every and-shoulder massage technique to ensure you cause Innovator Sales
day at www.webuser.co.uk/sudoku. more relief than injury. All you need is a chair, some Mona Amarasakera
● The answer to this issue’s puzzle can be found at cushions and a tense, non-litigious volunteer. PRODUCTION
www.webuser.co.uk/answers. Production Director Richard Hill
Production Manager

BEAT THIS Peter Wesson

MARKETING & CIRCULATION
Marketing Manager Mary
Thor Towers
http://tinyurl.
de Cinque, 020 3148 4323
Marketing Executive Elliot
Smith 020 3148 4321
com/2dpb5u Circulation Executive
Can you beat our Katie Sharp
score of 9,790? If so, PUBLISHING TEAM
email the proof to Publishing Director Alex
robert_irvine@ Robb, 020 3148 4320 Managing
ipcmedia.com and Director Paul Williams
we’ll honour the best Origination FE Burman Ltd,
in Issue 172. Crimscott St, London SE1 5TF
Congratulations to Granville Fowle from Egham Printers Southernprint, Upton
whose 95,254,030 was the highest score we received Industrial Estate, Poole, Dorset
for The Crossing (http://tinyurl.com/2qvloq) featured in Cover printed by
Wyndeham Litho, Grafton Way,
Issue 168. West Ham Industrial Estate,
● Revisit previous Beat Web User games and high-scores Basingstoke, Hants
at www.webuser.co.uk/beatwebuser.
Web User™ is an IPC Trade Mark © IPC Media 2007 Published on the Thursday as coverdated by IPC Inspire, a part of IPC Media Ltd, a Time Warner company. Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 4th floor,
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Next issue on sale Thursday 27 September PLUS

DO
MISSNI’TT!
SMARTER ■ Web messengers

SEARCHES
The convenient new way to chat
to friends online
■ Accessibility options
Make your PC and the web more
From music and photos to people and comfortable to use
places, we reveal how to find anything ■ Bookmarking services
Top tools for saving and sharing your
on the web quickly and easily favourite sites

PLUS! A FREE QUIZ CD FOR EVERY READER!