Wanted: a PC to get aging parents online | Ask Jack
Alastair Young's parents want to get online. Is there an internet set-top box he could plug into their TV set? My parents, both in their late 70s, want to get online. I think they'll only need a browser, ideally with Flash support. Is there some kind of set-top box PC that they could use through their TV that might avoid the worst of trojans/viruses etc? Or is there a better solution? Alastair Young This is a market that a lot of companies have tried to crack since WebTV was launched in 1996 with internet-enabled set-top boxes from Philips and Sony. So far, none of them has been successful. Google plans to make the next attempt with Google TV, and it will support Adobe Flash. Sony has agreed to make Google TV sets while Logitech will make set-top boxes that can be used with existing TV sets. Unfortunately, we don't yet know when systems will be launched, when they might reach the UK, how well they might work, or how much they will cost. Under the circumstances, there's no point in waiting
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Wanted: a PC to get aging parents online | Ask Jack
System Restore doesn’t work in Windows XP | Ask Jack
Arthur Whitemore says System Restore will create a restore point on his PC running Windows XP, but it will only keep the latest restore point. System Restore used to work OK, but now it only creates a restore point for the current day. A new one is created the next day, but the previous day's restore point is gone. My C drive has 12.3GB of free space and system restore is set at 12% of disk space. Arthur Whitemore System Restore mainly keeps track of changes made to your PC, including the Registry, so that you can go back to an earlier state if you run into a problem. You can see if there are earlier restore points because the calendar dates show up in bold. If you can't see any, try restarting your PC in Safe Mode. This loads a sort of "bare bones" Windows, which might not include the program that is stopping System Restore from working. This could be a virus or an anti-virus program. It's not too surprising if an anti-virus program tries to prevent changes to system files. If System Restore does work correctly in Safe Mode, then your next challenge will be to find out what's stopping it. Running MBAM ( Malwarebytes Anti-Malware ) would be a good start. If it's neither a virus nor an anti-virus program, you could try eliminating start-up programs. While you can use Windows' msconfig for this, AnVir Task Manager Free is worth a go. Of course, the most common reason for System Restore to stop working is that you have run out of disk space. There is a Microsoft Support page for this: System Restore "restore points" are missing or deleted . There's also a more useful document: Troubleshooting steps for issues when you try to use the System Restore tool in Windows XP . System Restore typically takes up 200MB to 400MB on home PCs, so you should have enough space (12% of 12.3GB is roughly 1.5GB). However, you can look to see how much space it is taking up. To do this, you must be able to see hidden files and folders.
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System Restore doesn't work in Windows XP | Ask Jack
A laptop for university
Phoebe Whitlock is looking for a portable that's more powerful than a netbook I'm looking to get a laptop for university. It needs to have a big enough screen for me to work on. A large memory would be a bonus so I can transfer my music and pictures to it. Weight is not really an issue as I will have it on my desk most of the time, it just needs to be portable from home to university. I was looking at a Dell as they are funky looking and practical. My dad has a Samsung netbook, which is excellent, but I definitely need something bigger.
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A laptop for university
Acer Aspires to lead us into 3D computing
There's a growing interest in 3D movies and games, and Acer is pioneering 3D displays in laptops – but the Acer Aspire 5738DZG probably doesn't have enough appeal for mainstream buyers The Acer Aspire 5738DZG is the world's first 3D laptop, and it's better than I thought. It could get even better in the future, if lots of 3D content appears, but there's very little available at the moment. The system comes with a TriDef 3D Media Player so it will only play TriDef content, such as the 20 titles available from Yabazam . These include a Rio Carnival travelogue ($14.99), The Curse of Skull Rock ($9.99), a pirate cartoon, and Stereoscopic Skydiving ($2.99). It's not a stellar collection, though even the short samples that ship with the PC show that the system has lots of potential. You can also convert 2D footage to give a sort-of-3D effect, with variable results. If you're a 3D buff, you could download a different 3D player and perhaps even make your own movies. But ordinary consumers who want to play off-the-shelf Hollywood titles appear to be out of luck. If your dream is to watch 3D Pixar movies on the train, don't hold your breath. The Aspire 5738DZG uses a passive polarising system, so you have to wear special glasses. The system comes with one pair of glasses plus a clip-on version for spectacle wearers. The TriDef system shows two images at once, using alternate lines, which effectively halves the vertical resolution of the 1,366 x 768 pixel screen. This isn't a problem with movies, but could make it hard to read text in games. Another drawback is that the 3D effect works best with the screen at the correct angle and your head at the correct distance in front of the screen. There's a "framing shot" of a vase of red roses so you can set it up before watching something. However, it's not suitable for family viewing. In other respects, the Aspire 5738DZG is a solid machine with a decent keyboard, glossy 15.6 inch screen, and Dolby Home Theater sound. It has 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory, a 450GB hard drive, DVD writer and 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium.
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Acer Aspires to lead us into 3D computing
Looking for a laptop for home entertainment | Ask Jack
Neil Chivers has a shortlist and a budget but would like a bit of help I'm looking for a laptop for home entertainment, surfing the internet, photo editing, watching TV, YouTube etc. My specification includes a dual core processor with 2GHz+ speed, 17in screen, 300GB+ hard drive, and 3GB+ RAM, with Windows 7 Home Premium as the operating system. The models I'm considering are the Samsung R780, Toshiba Satellite Pro L550-17U, and Hewlett Packard Pavilion DV7-3101sa. My budget would ideally be close to £600. Is there any major disadvantage with the AMD Turion II Dual Core processor in the HP over the Samsung's Intel Core i3 processor, and also which is better: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit (HP) or 32 bit (Samsung)? Neil Chivers Three people have asked very similar questions, and you're all in what's known as the "desktop replacement market". In other words, you're looking for a big screen and fast processor, but are not concerned about weight or battery life. However, if you could find room for a desktop PC, you'd get a much faster machine with a bigger screen for less money. It would also be much easier to upgrade, so it should last longer, and ergonomically speaking, it would be better for your health. I still feel it's important to give this advice, even though no one takes it. Most companies offer desktop-replacement laptops with a choice of processors, and today's top-of-the-range models should have Intel Core i3, i5 and i7chips, which are now appearing in 32nm versions codenamed Arrandale. The Core i3 is the entry-level version and lacks the Turbo Boost feature that amounts to slight overclocking when the processor is fully extended, but it's still much more powerful than the old 45nm Core 2 Duo chips (codenamed Penryn) in most current laptops. After these come what Intel calls Pentium and Celeron chips, though this is now a matter of price/performance and branding rather than technology. (For example, a Pentium Dual Core chip could be a 45nm Penryn or a 65nm Merom design. It's not a Pentium in the old sense.) You can check the performance of the various chips using the benchmarks at Notebook Check . Tick the box that says "Still available (not archived)" then click Restrict to get a smaller table
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Looking for a laptop for home entertainment | Ask Jack
Is the virus warning about a hacker called Simon Ashton real?
Scary things are threatened to those who open a 'Mail Server Report'. But what would really happen? I received a virus warning from someone I trust which says that "If a person called simon ashton (simon25@hotmail.co.uk ) contacts you through email, don't open the message. delete it because he is a hacker!" and that I should "Tell everyone on your list because if somebody on your list adds him then you will get him on your list. he will figure out your id computer address, so copy and paste this message to everyone even if you don't care for them and fast because if he hacks their email he hacks your mail too!" It also says I may receive an apparently harmless email titled 'Mail Server Report' but that "If you open either file, a message will appear on your screen saying: 'It is too late now, your life is no longer beautiful.'" Should I send this message on to warn my friends? Richard, London The old ones really are the best. Nobody knows quite what Simon Ashton did to deserve this notoriety (or fame), but this is just one of a long-running series of internet hoaxes which try to bamboozle people into re-sending messages to everyone in their contacts books. So no, don't send it. Instead, gently send your friend a link to this post. This particular variant seems to have taken on new life lately (even Sophos's finance department was moved enough to go and ask the in-house expert Graham Cluley ), but as Hoax Slayer points out , it's not less fake than the first time it started doing the rounds - probably in 1995 with variations every year since. The Mirror's investigations team, who must have been having a quiet day, also dismissed it , as has Snopes . When you get emails like this, the best thing to do is not immediately hit the Forward button. Use a search engine instead: plug a few of the words into the search query and see what comes up. It can save a lot of embarrassment later. Internet Hacking Computing Data and computer security Charles Arthur guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Is the virus warning about a hacker called Simon Ashton real?
Medion’s The Touch all-in-one PC
The X9613 is not just an all-in-one touchscreen PC, it's a TV and home theatre system in a box The Touch , Medion's new all-in-one toucscreen PC, is a monster. But when you consider what you get, it's really not that big. After all, it's a 24-inch HD TV set (with remote control), a digital video recorder, a DVD and Blu-ray player, FM and internet radio, world map and digital picture frame, as well as a 64-bit PC. You can use the built-in webcam and microphone for video chats, and it also plays games. The Touch works well as a TV set and entertainment centre, once you've read the manual to figure out what the numerous buttons – the sensors on the front of the system, and the remote control – do. Windows 7's Media Center software does good job with the 10-foot experience. It includes an electronic programme guide (EPG) for one-touch recording, and Sky Player. The multitouch screen means you can do some things with fingers, without reaching for the wireless keyboard and its built-in mouse pad. It works well with Microsoft's Touch Pack for Windows 7 software bundle, which offers some stuff you might have seen on the Microsoft Surface, such as Surface Globe. As you'd expect from the specification, the X9613 works well as a PC, too. It has an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor with 4GB of memory, nVidia GeForce GT240M graphics and a 1TB hard drive running 64-bit Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. The Touch scores 5.9 out of 7.9 on the Windows Experience Index, which reflects the hard drive's (relatively) low score. The processor and memory both score 7.0, with the Aero and 3D graphics scoring 6.4. It has lots of ports including DVB-T and DVB-S for television; HDMI, Scart and VGA sockets; ExpressCard and multi-format card slots; S/PDIF for sound and eSATA for an external hard drive. For wireless connectivity, it has Wi-Fi b/g/n and Bluetooth. It also has fingerprint recognition and a small secondary touch screen for Microsoft Sideshow. It comes up slightly short in only having three USB ports, and one of those is used to connect the wireless keyboard supplied as standard. (There's no mouse.) The problem is that using a PC is a 3-foot experience, which means you might not want to mount the X9613 on your wall. If you're far enough away to enjoy the TV or watch a movie on the 24-inch screen, you're not close enough to read the text in your web browser. Stand it on a desk and you can have the TV in one window and Windows Live Messenger or Twitter in another, though that's not how most people watch TV.
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Medion's The Touch all-in-one PC
Lenovo ThinkPad X100e | Technophile
The ThinkPad X100e has both good and bad points, depending on whether you see it as an overpriced netbook or a cut-price ThinkPad business notebook The IBM ThinkPad became the industry's premier notebook brand after the launch of the 700T in 1992, and its distinctive black styling and red TrackPoint became a noticeable part of business travel. ThinkPads were never cheap, but they were very durable, had outstanding keyboards, and you could get support and spare parts almost anywhere. Prices came down after China's Lenovo took over IBM's PC division, but the brand has managed to retain most of its value. I've been carrying ThinkPads everywhere for more than a decade, so I was delighted to see the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e when it appeared at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. It was almost love at first sight. After using one (Type 2876), I'm less impressed, and my views might have tipped too far the other way. The main problem with the X100e is trying to decide what it is.
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Lenovo ThinkPad X100e | Technophile
Kneber botnet catches 2,500 companies worldwide
About 75,000 personal computers in almost 2,500 companies and government agencies worldwide have been caught in a botnet based on a new variant of the ZeuS Trojan About 75,000 personal computers in almost 2,500 companies and government agencies across the globe have been caught in a botnet uncovered by a researcher at the US-based NetWitness network forensics firm. Hackers were able to collect logins and passwords for Facebook, Yahoo, Hotmail and other accounts, including online banking sites. They were also able to access some corporate servers used to store confidential data, including one used for processing credit-card payments. Companies reportedly attacked include Paramount Pictures, Merck, Juniper Networks and Cardinal Health in the US, but affected computers in more than 200 countries including Egypt, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkey. The Wall Street Journal reported that Merck and Cardinal Health said they had isolated and contained the problem, and Merck said "no sensitive information was compromised". NetWitness's Alex Cox uncovered the botnet while installing monitoring software to help a large corporation deal with cyberattacks. He found a 75GB cache of data generated by the botnet, which NetWitness has called Kneber after a username linking the infected systems. NetWitness said in a statement: "Disturbingly, the data was only a one-month snapshot of data from a campaign that has been in operation for more than a year." The PCs in question, almost all running Microsoft Windows XP or Vista, had been compromised by a new variant of the well-known ZeuS Trojan, which is one of the "top five" in its class. Cox told the SearchSecurity.com site that the variant used in the latest attacks had a detection rate of less than 10% among antivirus software.
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Kneber botnet catches 2,500 companies worldwide
HP boosts computer industry with rising profit
The technology industry breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday, after the world's largest computer manufacturer, Hewlett Packard, announced a 20% jump in quarterly profit. The Californian company said that revenues and income had risen significantly from this time last year, in what many saw as the strongest sign yet that the economic slump's impact on technology spending was almost over. Revenues for the first quarter of 2010 were up 8% to $31.2bn (£19.9bn), with profits rising to $2.3bn - up from $1.9bn a year ago. The company also said it was expecting more signs of recovery in the coming year, with projected earnings narrowly ahead of expectations. "HP is well-positioned to outperform the market," said chairman and chief executive Mark Hurd, who has worked to cut costs at the company since taking over in 2005. The growth largely came from HP's computer and printer manufacturing businesses, as consumers - who had been reticent about purchasing during the downturn - started buying again. While figures released by industry analysts Gartner suggested that shipments in western Europe were flat, the company experienced what Hurd called "accelerating market momentum". That could be partially due to the impact of Microsoft's Windows 7, which launched last autumn and gave many PC manufacturers a boost by encouraging shoppers to purchase new hardware. The company's services business - which expanded significantly in 2008 with the $12.6bn purchase of EDS - did not enjoy a revival, however, with revenue falling by 1%. HP's results will please investors and analysts, but they have not been without its costs. The company has cut tens of thousands of jobs in the past two years, including 25,000 as a direct result of the EDS acquisition, and plans a further 8,600 by October. Last month more than 1,000 HP staff who work for the Department of Work and Pensions took strike action in protest at job losses. Shares rose marginally in after hours trading, to 50.12.
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HP boosts computer industry with rising profit