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15/4/2021

How to!

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I need to start with an update on my last article. Just hours after the newsletter it's published in went to print, LastPass sent me an email telling me that the free version of their password manager would no longer work across multiple platforms. That left me having to decide whether to pay for the premium version or to find a new password manager.
​This brings me to a topic I've been planning to write about for a while … 
​One of the things I usually love about technology is that it's constantly innovating, looking for new or better ways of doing things. This video is an eye-opening reminder of just how far Windows has come since 1985. 
But not all the changes are for the better – and even the good ones can take some adjusting to. A client recently asked me ‘How do you find out about these things?’ Another told me that even when she Googles for solutions, she doesn't know which information to trust. So let me share with you some of the websites that may help.
HowtoGeek is possibly my favourite tech site. As its name suggests, it's full of How To articles, all written in very approachable language with lots of images so you can see exactly what you need to do. 
Make Use Of's style is similar to HowToGeek's. From tutorials to troubleshooting on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhones through to tips and tricks on hardware, gaming and smart homes, it's hard to find a tech area MUO doesn't cover.
wikiHow – no relation to Wikipedia – is a more general How To site. Delve into their Computers and Electronics section and you'll find an eclectic range of guides. They won't always cover what you need, but when they do, their instructions are so clearly written you'll struggle to go wrong!
PC Mag is great for side-by-side comparisons of rival products along with more in-depth reviews. If you need to replace an app that's no longer supported, this is a great place to start.
You can also use these sites, and others such as The Verge, Digital Trends, Windows Latest and even Twitter, to get ahead of changes by following their tech news. 70 Tech Websites to Follow in 2021 is a great list of sites that you can read to keep yourself updated on the tech industry.
For the record, having done my research on a replacement for LastPass, I've switched to Bitwarden. While its ‘Free forever’ personal plan lacks style, it has all the functionality I need. I even find its mobile app easier to use than LastPass's.
Keep on learning!!!

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28/7/2020

Quick Assist

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​I get my love of technology from my Dad, a real technophile who, until Alzheimer’s made it difficult, was never happier than when trying out a new gadget or experimenting with a new app. My Mum, on the other hand, is discombobulated by it all. She's fine doing familiar tasks on her laptop but gets thrown when something different happens. She's the first to admit she needs a lot of handholding – and she isn't alone in that.

When the Covid-19 lockdown happened and she knew I wouldn't be able to pop over and help with her list of problems, she panicked! Fortunately, the technology that scares her also came to her rescue, in the form of Quick Assist.
​
Quick Assist allows you to help someone less confident by giving you remote access to their computer. Its big advantage over better known alternatives such as TeamViewer is that it's built into Windows so there's nothing to install - although we still struggled a bit getting Mum to find the app on her computer. There are three ways to bring it up, and I think we tried all of them before we got it going:
  1. Find it in the Windows Accessories folder in the Start menu;
  2. Click on the Start menu, type Quick Assist and it shows in the search results;
  3. Hold the Windows key and tap R; in the dialog box that comes up type quickassist and click OK.
​But eventually we got it running on both our laptops and could set up the connection. 
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Clicking Assist another person brought me to a screen where I had to sign in with my Microsoft account. That's probably the one downside of Quick Assist as the helper must have a Microsoft account. I imagine that most people already have one, though, and it's easy to get a free one.

Once I'd logged on, it gave me a code which I dictated to Mum. She typed the code in the Quick Assist window at her end and then clicked Share screen. I then had two options: to take full control of the computer or to view screen. I chose then former; Mum then had to click Allow to confirm this was OK.

At this point, I should stress that anyone giving this access must trust the person helping them. No-one should give access to their computer to someone they don't know. Obviously, Mum trusts me so she went ahead. After a minute or two of watching the Connection dots spinning, a window opened on my laptop, through which I could interact with her desktop almost as easily as if I was sitting next to her.
​

Then we could get started on her list!
For a comprehensive guide on using Quick Assist, take a look at this Computer World article.

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14/8/2019

A knowledge of fonts

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As well as being Winchester Computer Tutor, since the spring I've been the editor of a local newsletter, the Badger Farm and Oliver's Battery Community News. I've enjoyed redesigning the newsletter and when setting up my first edition I took a long time choosing the fonts. Font choice is like housework – no-one notices when you do a good job, but everyone notices when you don't! 

The right font can make a difference in the way you get your message across, not just in publications like Community News, but in work and personal documents and even in emails. If you're designing a website, font choice becomes even more critical:
‘it can have a real effect on your site's bounce rates and conversion rates, especially if you choose a font that's hard for your visitors to read.’ kinsta.com/blog/best-google-fonts.
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Windows 10 comes with around 100 fonts already installed, with a few more available from the Microsoft store. While that sounds like a lot, you may still feel that you can't find the perfect font for your project. So where can you get new ones?

It takes time and effort to design a great font, so many cost a lot of money and have restrictions on, for example, commercial use. There are sites that offer free fonts, but some are notorious for pirating copyrighted fonts or including malware, so you must choose carefully.

If in doubt, go with the big boys. And they don't get bigger than Google. With over 900 free fonts at fonts.google.com, your problem may be that there's too much choice. You can use the search tools to find fonts based on their type (serif or handwriting, for example), language or other characteristics. You can also use the font pairings recommendations to find fonts that work well together. When you've found your ideal font, select, download and install it: HowToGeek will guide you through this process.

If the Google fonts don’t meet your needs, other reputable font sites are dafont.com, fontspace.com and fontsquirrel.com. 

Some of my favourites for fun projects are Ink Draft from the Microsoft store; Courgette, Parisienne, Poiret One from Google; Kingthings Wrote, Montez and 1942 report from Font Squirrel. The medieval section of FontSpace has a great collection of illustrated letters and there's a party atmosphere in the Mexican section of daFont!

​One word of warning – too many fonts can slow down your computer, so don't get too carried away. 
​

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4/6/2018

Time to say goodbye

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A few years ago, I couldn’t have imagined giving up on Windows Live Mail. But in January 2017 Microsoft ended support for this much-loved program, leaving it susceptible to security vulnerabilities, so I decided to hunt for a replacement. If you make the same choice, this may help.

Windows 10 Mail

​The easy option is the Windows 10 Mail app. This offers a very modern look and a simple interface, which makes it easy to learn. Being an inherent part of Windows 10, it integrates well with Microsoft’s other apps such as Calendar and People. But its simple interface brings simple functionality: you can read and write emails, sort them by date or name, print or flag them or organise them into folders, but that’s about it.

​Outlook

​With an interface that’s familiar to Live Mail users, but with enough extra features to keep the most mail-addicted business user happy, this may be the obvious choice. That is, until you see the price. Outlook is only available as part of Microsoft Office, either in the Home and Business version, with a one-off price of £229.99 (RRP), or as part of the Office 365 subscription package with an RRP of £59.99/£79.99 (one/five users) a year. If you already use Office or if you want the extra functionality it’s probably worth it but otherwise you may want to consider alternatives.

Thunderbird

​Often recommended in reviews of email clients is Thunderbird. Developed by Mozilla, who make the Firefox browser, its pedigree shows in its unique design using tabs to show your messages. Also like a browser, you can use Add-ons to extend its functionality or change its appearance. If you love tinkering with apps to get them just how you want them, it’s a good choice. But be warned, it has a much steeper learning curve than the others.

eM Client

​If you only have one or two email addresses to manage, take a look at the free version of eM Client. Easy to set up, with the option to import your information directly from Live Mail. It’s similar enough to Live Mail, both visually and functionally, that it’s easy to find your way around, although it uses a classic toolbar rather than Microsoft’s ribbon. Nice touches are an automatic backup, the variety of colour themes, the “deduplicator” and the nifty conversation history sidebar.
​If Windows 10 Mail is too simple, Outlook too expensive and Thunderbird too different you may find that eM Client becomes your new favourite.

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30/11/2016

An art gallery on your desktop

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​A picture can inspire, can calm or can amuse. And if you spend many hours in front of your computer, what better showcase for the pictures you love than your desktop? Fortunately, Windows makes it really easy to create your own exhibition. Here’s how!
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The first thing to do is create a folder for your chosen pictures. Open File Explorer and navigate to an appropriate place—probably the Pictures folder. Right-click and select New > Folder. Give this folder an appropriate name, eg Desktop pictures, then close File Explorer. Now right-click anywhere on the Desktop and select Personalise. In the dropdown menu underneath Background, select Slideshow. Click Browse under Choose albums for your slideshow, navigate to the folder you’ve just created and then click Choose this folder. Choose how often you want to change the picture and then Choose a fit—I find Fill usually works best. The final tweak I like to make is to click Colours on the right-hand side and then tick the box next to Automatically pick an accent colour from my background.

Now the folder’s ready, it’s time to get some photos in there. The obvious thing to do is to use your own photos so you’re constantly reminded of that wonderful holiday, that amazing sporting achievement or the cute antics of your cat. Just copy those pictures into the Desktop pictures folder you created earlier and sit back and enjoy.

But what if you just want something different, perhaps views of places you’ve never been? Sites like Pixabay and unsplash.com have an amazing variety of quality-controlled, copyright-free photos submitted by the community that you can download for free and use for whatever you wish. Just be aware that some of these sites include a few sponsored non-free pictures in their search results to help finance themselves.
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Picture
Personally, I’m currently inspired by the stunning high-resolution images, like the one above, from the Windows 10 lock screen. These are so easy to download using the SpotBright app from the App Store. Read more about this on Windows Central.

Don’t forget that you can ring the changes just by swapping the photos you have in your folder, or by choosing a new folder. Feeling stressed? Immerse yourself in some calming beach scenes. Feeling artistic? Show off your Prisma creations. Feeling festive? Get your desktop “beginning to look a lot like Christmas”.

And on that note, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy Christmas. If you didn’t get a chance last year, enjoy my advent calendar with a different festive video every day.
​
   Ann

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