If you’re a computer novice, it can be difficult to train yourself or call upon your IT support to train you to use another program to edit and customise your images, and it’s very likely that you’ve wished for one place where you can prepare all aspects of a document, spreadsheet, or presentation. Microsoft Office has never really provided that functionality beyond the basics – and sometimes not even those. In Office 2010, however, Microsoft have changed their game and added in some image editing choices and effects to help users make professional and customised images without heading to another program first. This post will focus solely on the addition of effects to Office documents.
For minor tweaks, Office now offers the ability to sharpen or blur images. Their new layout is incredibly convenient if you’re pressed for time or not really that fussed with perfection. When you choose the option to edit your photo from the pop-up toolbar, only accessible once you’ve actually imported the image, you’re presented with a range of thumbnails with your image sharpened or blurred to varying degrees. You can preview these to find the right one or choose to go in a little bit deeper and adjust a variety of sliders yourself to achieve precisely the correct level of effect.
Office also newly includes a variety of artistic and picture effects. You can apply surprisingly good looking sketch effects to your photos, for example, with a simple click of the mouse. Again, Office will pop up a range of choices, allowing you to choose which thumbnail suits you best, or allows you to fine tune the details yourself either from the original picture or the slightly edited version. You can also look at all the effects at once, deciding at a glance which best fits your document.
You’re even able to correct picture colouring or just play with the saturation and tone. If you’ve taken a picture of a particular shade of flower, you can use the recolouring tool to change it to another one. You can then go even further by using the background removal tool to get rid of the now improperly coloured background and import your new image back onto your old one – changing the colour of the flowers without disturbing any grass or sky that might surround it.
Office’s new photo editing features clearly enhance their bid to get everyone using Office – and Office only. These in no way surpass the capabilities of Adobe’s Photoshop, which has a price tag to match what it can do, but if these abilities prove popular, Microsoft could easily drive out lower cost software with less functionality. After all, most people have Microsoft Office somewhere, whether it be at work or home or both, and these features make it much easier to perform tasks frequently done elsewhere in the past.
Have you used Office 2010’s photo editing features? What did you think? Let us know in the comments.
Despite the fact that it feels like Windows 7 came out only yesterday, details about Microsoft’s plans for Windows 8 were recently leaked. The details not only seem legitimate with Microsoft branding across the images but are set to logically progress the operating system in a natural and relevant direction.
Microsoft seem to have taken a page out of Apple’s book, with a slide devoted to precisely what appeals to consumers about them. Apple’s products look good, work well, and encourage brand loyalty through those two factors. They’ve also included an Apple-esque design for a new PC, with all the hardware behind the screen.
They also have a few plans for the new features included. One of the most exciting is the ability to recognise users based on their appearance; Microsoft assumes that most Windows 8 users will have webcams by 2012, otherwise they would not be able to access the functionality. When you’re at your computer, it will automatically recognise your presence and log you in. Their goal is to make it easier to switch between user accounts; the accounts may also carry the ability to be attached to the cloud and seamlessly transfer information from the PC to the internet. You’ll also have the ability to carry your user account with you as you go, so you’ll be able to save your settings and take them with you to public or friends’ computers.
The company also plans to focus on security and speed, goals that Microsoft has been aiming towards for a number of years. They’re aiming to keep the speedy start up and shut down that Windows 7 boasts and make it even faster if possible. They’re going to assume every computer is connected to the internet and thus provide a robust combined solution of online services and software to protect users and give them access to all the programs they might need in a variety of different ways. This provides the potential for a Windows app store, which also seems to be part of their plans.
Microsoft similarly has specific goals to target both computing enthusiasts and ordinary users; at the moment it seems that evangelists (their term) target alternating operating systems, like Linux or Mac, to recommend to all of their friends. They’d like to catapult Windows 8 into that sphere of must-have programs.
We think that Microsoft will have some trouble with this goal; too many users have very good long term memory, and Windows is moreover the default, less-than-cool choice simply because of its market dominance. Regardless, their improvements look reasonably cool, and we can hardly doubt that we’ll still be using Windows 8 when it comes out, as will most London IT support.
What do you think about the proposed improvements to Microsoft Windows?
When you start up your brand new computer, you’ll have a choice of browsers warring for your use when you browse the internet. If you’ve gone with Windows 7, you’ll automatically have Internet Explorer 8 installed and it will be your default temporarily. If you have a Mac, you’ll have Safari pre-installed. If you’ve gone with Linux, you’ll have to choose and download your browser before you can start using the internet. Unfortunately, if you’re at work, you may not have a choice; your IT support might have determined the browser safest for use or the one which has programs written for it. For those of us with a choice, however, we’ll talk about the biggest four: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Internet Explorer is most frequently regarded as a bloated dinosaur that few people who have any knowledge about computers would use. It has widely publicised security holes, loads far slower than any other browser, and seems to always be the last to offer the latest feature. Its worst instalment, IE 6, well known for bugs and hacks, is finally fading from mainstream use. IE8 offers a bevy of new features, including enhanced security, but it still lags behind other browsers on extendable functionality, speed, and site appearance. Many websites that work just fine in Firefox or Chrome will break in IE8 for no particular reason. At present, we don’t recommend that you stick with this browser, unless you don’t mind missing out on functionality or speed.
Firefox has been the most popular browser with geeks and the well-informed internet users for years now. They were the first to offer tabbed browsing, which compared to IE6 was absolutely revolutionary; you could for the first time see everything you had open easily and quickly. This is standard now, but Firefox still represents advanced features for many users. The vast number of extensions available for the browser mean that it’s suitable for almost any task, whether you just want your music player in your browser or if you need to tweak source code to see how a website would look if you took away a margin. Many have begun to complain that Firefox has slowed down and it has lately been hit by a few bugs, but by and large it’s a solid choice for functionality and design.
Chrome, Google’s first outing into the browser wars, is the up and coming choice for tech geeks and developers. Chrome has been proven to be the fastest of all the choices and also natively has crash protection; if one tab crashes, the rest of the open tabs remain as they were. Since it’s fairly new, some websites don’t yet work properly, but on the whole sites are less likely to break than they are in IE8. Chrome also offers a Google search from the address bar and a smaller but growing library of extensions and themes for developers and ordinary people alike.
Safari is Apple’s standard browser on Macs. Most people who own Macs do tend to choose Firefox instead because it typically functions much better and, as previously mentioned, has a huge library of extensions and themes for easy customisation. Apple has done their part to change this perception with their latest offering, Safari 5. Safari now has extensions, the highest level of compliance with websites (which means they’re unlikely to break or lose functionality) and increased security. Safari currently has the smallest marketshare of all browsers listed, so if you don’t choose this browser, you’re not alone.
Which browser are you using?
Anyone with a Windows PC knows that the operating system tends to slow down over time. Windows isn’t optimised for speed; most computers will continue working just fine until replaced with an upgrade, but they will gradually slow down to a snail’s pace that is almost unbelievably different from their initial behaviour. This has many Windows users wondering how to speed up their PCs beyond deleting useless programs and occasionally defragmenting their hard drive. These are both very important tasks, but there are a few more things you can do to rescue your PC from eternal sleep.
First of all, it’s entirely likely that some processes are starting up with your computer, slowing it down from the minute you turn it on to the minute you turn it off, without producing any real benefit to you. For example, if you have an iPod or iPhone, using iTunes will add to startup a little program called “iTunesHelper.exe”. If you ditch the hardware or software, this file will still exist and run on startup, slowing your computer down significantly.
To find superfluous programs, open up Windows Task Manager and select Processes. This will show you all the programs that are currently running on your PC. If you click on memory, you’ll be able to see which programs are hogging up your physical memory and CPU usage. If you don’t recognise a program (and you won’t recognise most of them) but the description doesn’t help, simply do a Google search on it. You will almost always find a definition and that will help you decide whether or not you need it.
To stop a process from running, simply right click on its name and choose end process. Be careful not to stop programs that are essential to your system, like taskmgr.exe. You may discover an unpleasant surprise when your taskbar disappears or your graphics card stops working. The good thing is that if you stop a process in the task manager, it will be restored if you restart your computer, but it’s best to avoid that circumstance.
You can also improve startup speed by preventing some of those unnecessary, bloating programs from starting in the first place. To find your list of startup programs, type “msconfig” into your search bar on Vista and 7 and into the “run” box on XP. Then choose the startup tab, where you’ll see all the programs that start with your PC. Be a little more selective with this list as a restart won’t cure any problems you create for yourself. For example, don’t uncheck the Windows operating system, or you may cause more problems than you solve! But if you don’t need any instant messengers starting with your computer, for example, uncheck them and don’t look back.
Let us know if these tips help you speed up your computer!
4.
Over time, PCs get slower. It’s inevitable; even uninstalled programs occasionally leave junk in your registry files, and as technology advances your computer can struggle to cope. If you install a lot of programs, it’s more than likely that a few of them continue running in the background, starting up with your computer and not stopping until you’ve turned it off for the day. The first thing you should do is access the startup folder, in your start menu, and actually look at all the programs that start when your computer does. If you don’t actually use them all the time, disable them. You can start them when you need them.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, defrag your hard disc – twice. You can find the disc defragmenter with a simple search. That should clear up many of the unnecessary files which are slowing down your PC. You should really do this and run a program like CCleaner on a regular basis once you’ve sped up your computer this time to prevent the problem happening again.
If nothing else works, you may need more memory. This can be purchased and almost always installed by you. Make sure you first find out how much memory your computer can hold (the maximum is 4GB for 32 bit PCs) so you don’t buy more than your computer can hold.
5.
If your sound suddenly becomes wonky or, worse, your screen shows up strangely or the display crashes often, your computer is not necessarily headed for the bin. The problem may be down to your sound card or video card, depending on the problem. There’s a simple fix for this that actually works most of the time. You’ll need to visit the manufacturer’s website and download new drivers. If you have a laptop and the sound or display cards are built into the motherboard, find the company from whom you purchased your laptop and ask them for the appropriate drivers.
If this fails, and you have a desktop, you may choose to replace your sound or video cards. Usually this is easily done; just find out the socket type for your PC and choose the appropriate, more powerful card. Keep in mind that a more powerful card will demand more of your PC, and as such if you’re making a significant upgrade it may be worth replacing your power supply as well.
6.
Older hardware and software often struggle to work on newer computers. With Windows Vista in particular, there are many cameras, webcams, and microphones that simply don’t work. Older games will also cease working on newer systems. If you fear that you have hardware or a game that won’t work on your new PC, you have a few options. First, if you’re running Windows 7, using Windows Virtual PC may solve all of your problems.
PCs running Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, and Enterprise can install Virtual XP mode, which essentially turns the computer into Windows XP and will work with all software that worked on that operating system. This is designed for businesses which normally use applications that worked well under XP, not consumers.
If your hardware doesn’t work properly, you may be able to find a workaround that helps. Popular equipment will have other users trying to make it work, and someone may have found a solution. If not, Windows 7 is designed to work with more devices than Windows Vista, so it may well be worth an upgrade if your equipment is essential and expensive to replace. There are websites which tell you precisely what equipment will work on the new OS. Don’t invest money on a fancy new camera until you can ensure it will work with your PC.
Believe it or not, you can often solve seemingly difficult computer problems on your own. Even poking around in a computer is not particularly difficult if you know what you’re looking for, so it’s often worth fiddling around inside your computer itself to see if you can fix the problem or at least identify it. Note that this only applies to desktop PCs, not laptops; it’s probably best to have an expert look at your laptop as many of the components are specially designed and difficult for the consumer to replace independently.
1.
If you’ve ever run a Windows PC, you know that crashes are virtually a part of life. There’s no chance that your PC will never crash. If it happens once or twice, there probably isn’t anything to worry about. When it crashes regularly, though, you may have a problem on your hands. Diagnosing the cause of a crash isn’t difficult. If you get a blue screen of death, note down every number on the screen. Often they’ll be the key to figuring out the exact problem. You can either Google them or use Microsoft’s website to find a potential solution.
If you’re not getting a blue screen, take note of what you’re doing every time the computer crashes. See if there’s a pattern. If so, there may be a program at fault using up too much of your PC’s memory. If that’s the case, an uninstall and reinstall should fix the problem. If it’s not, make sure to keep an eye on your PC’s virtual memory. Using too much will cause your computer to crash.
2.
Viruses sound scary and they are certainly a threat to your PC if you’re not vigilant. Some of them are surprisingly easy to fix, though, if you can tell when you have one. The most effective solution is actually to use an antivirus program. The number of people who don’t follow through on this simple task is absolutely astounding. Make sure it’s always updated and run a full scan at least once a week.
If a virus does hit you, disconnect from all of your networks and then run the virus scan. If your antivirus program doesn’t get it, download free trials of others. If no program detects it, have a look for suspicious processes. Technically proficient users will probably see the wrong files quickly; this may be the end of the line for some. If you’re vigilant, though, you shouldn’t have to worry about viruses.
3.
What if your computer just doesn’t turn on? This can be terrifying at first. All of your data now seems locked into this box that you can no longer access. Don’t worry. If the computer doesn’t work at all (and it’s plugged in), your problem is likely to be your power supply. These are readily available in retail shops and online. Measure your current power supply – you’ll recognize it because that’s where the plug connects – and get a similar new model, possibly with a higher voltage to ensure the problem doesn’t happen again.
Before you reach into your PC, though, make sure to touch metal and get rid of the static on your clothes. If you don’t, you risk ruining all the hardware – definitely not worth it.
In the wake of Google’s move away from using Microsoft Windows due to security concerns, many people are now wondering if they, too, should start using Linux or buy a Mac instead. In short, the answer is no, and I won’t hesitate to explain why.
Google has banned all usage of Windows company-wide. Permission to run the OS on laptops may still be attained, but from the higher levels of the company if at all. Google has blamed Windows for the China hacking incident of a few months ago and cites security concerns as their reason for the switch. All new employees are given a choice of Mac or Linux OS.
For most consumers with a bit of common sense, though, Microsoft Windows, particularly Windows 7, offers plenty of security features that will protect you should problems arise. Since Windows is the most popular operating system by a long shot, having anywhere from 80 to 95% market share depending on who you speak to, it’s naturally the target for viruses, Trojans and worms that can completely destroy your PC, necessitating a call to IT support.
So it’s true that in a sense, Windows users can suffer more from the actions of hackers. But that doesn’t mean Macs are invulnerable, and in fact if you use Safari you could quite easily fall victim to a virus, were criminals intent on targeting Macs. Of course, Google employees will be using Google’s browser, Chrome. If Macs gained a great market share, it’s undeniable that hackers would find holes in that OS as well, but at the moment it simply isn’t cost effective when the same amount of time can target 90% of the population instead of 10%.
Moreover, Google’s decision is not purely made with security in mind. In the coming months, the company plans to introduce its own operating system, Chrome. By switching employees (and persuading consumers) away from Windows, Google can effortlessly build up its market and quickly and easily switch its employees over to its own OS when the time comes.
That doesn’t mean you should switch. Using properly configured antivirus software, updating Windows whenever possible, and fully investigating and learning about Windows’s security settings will ensure your computer’s safety for years to come. No one appears aware of which Windows OS Google was using; apparently the China hack went through Internet Explorer 6, a browser which Microsoft no longer supports and no computer-savvy user would even consider opening.
If you enjoy using Windows, don’t let Google scare you away, at least not until they have a better product to offer. It’s almost universally acknowledged at this point that Windows 7 is actually quite good, with a large number of security, customisation, and optimisation features designed for the individual consumer as well as business users. Linux may be better in the end for those who really want to get into the details of their computer, but Windows simply works for many.
If you’re like most internet users, you Google something pretty much every day. Did you know that Google can – and does – store that information? If you’re a Google user, you can even see all of your searches for years by heading to Google.com/history and checking out your search results. You have to enable Web History to see it yourself, but Google stores the data regardless of whether you’ve enabled it or not. That’s how they give you better search results; these are nice, but do you really want anyone else to see all of the searches you’ve conducted?
If you don’t want all of these searches to be attached to your account, the solution is simple; sign out of your account before you search. Take care of your account business first then leave yourself signed out of your account for the rest of the day. If you’ve already activated Web History, you can deactivate it permanently. Google will still have your info, but at least no one hacking your account will. To get rid of this, head into Settings, then Google Account settings. Click edit, which is next to My Products in the middle of the page, and choose to remove Web History. If this doesn’t show up, then you never activated it in the first place.
Keep in mind, however, that Google will still track your IP address, browser, and operating system, which is probably enough for any hacker to identify you. If you really have to search for sensitive information, or if this just bothers you beyond belief, use a website that will shield your activity and make you anonymous. Many other websites beyond Google track you when you land on their websites, although many of them use Google Analytics to do it. They will record such information as your location, what site you came from, what search terms you used to get there, and how long you stayed on the site. So if you don’t want anyone to collect this information about you, it’s best to use a proxy website.
Many browsers will also allow you to set your browsing privacy levels. If you’re in private mode, the browser will delete all of your cookies, passwords and web history as soon as you close it. This is a good choice for shared computers, whether at home or at work, but it could be difficult to remember to change the privacy options before you do anything on the internet. You could also choose to block scripts, since most ads and tracking cookies run on JavaScript, but keep in mind that many websites will break if you implement this.
Finally, it’s very important to remember that nothing you put on the internet is truly secure. It doesn’t matter how many layers of security you think your data lies behind, because they can all be breached. Your password can probably be guessed, especially if you’re one of many users who use the same password in multiple accounts – and worse, choose a common English language word without any numbers attached. Most people’s passwords can be guessed just by someone that knows them, because we do all want to remember our passwords. Security in this respect is best gained by using different, varied passwords with letters, numbers, and case changes.
Do you have any tips for keeping secure on the web? Share them in the comments.
Cloud computing is one of the latest internet phenomenons. In essence, the cloud is the internet, and storing your documents there simply means uploading them to the web through a variety of ways. You can use your own server space but it’s generally more popular to use a dedicated service. Many companies offer this facility; some of the most well known include Amazon and Google. Microsoft also offers possibilities for storing documents on the web as well as on your computer. But should you be doing it?
That depends on a variety of factors. First of all, it’s important to note that documents in the cloud are by definition more easily accessible to outsiders. In most cases, your data will be reasonably secure. Unfortunately, particularly in the case of Google, you’re not actually protected. This is because Google’s terms of service state quite blatantly that although you keep the copyright to your work, Google also has the right to use it whenever they like – or terminate your access so your important documents are simply lost in the ether. They can do this whenever they like, without the need to notify you. That’s a bit scary.
Amazon’s terms are slightly less forbidding, in that they will provide you notification of cancelled services and, if you aren’t breaking the law, will allow you to retrieve your data so long as you pay the bills.
Regardless, it’s probably a bad idea to store important data in the cloud. Even personal emails could vanish at any time, reminding us all why switching your business over to Google Apps feels disconcertingly dangerous. I recommend it as a back-up. Your physical business could always run into problems, after all; floods, fires, earthquakes, and tornadoes are just a few of the natural disasters that can completely destroy in-house servers. No amount of insurance money is going to get that data back. Don’t forget viruses and Trojans, especially those that spread themselves across a network. If a copy of important information is stored on the internet, it’s not likely to go anywhere at all.
In the end it comes down to your own individual research and needs. Personal email services, like Hotmail and Gmail, have these same restrictions, but no one appears to mind that they serve ads tailored to the content of your email messages. But for businesses with important, secret products and services that plan their strategies around big surprise announcements, a single Google or Amazon employee could spill the beans. I don’t know how much access they’re granted but the fact that they probably have some is no doubt uncomfortable. Most companies, however, have plenty of others that could leak the data, including personal employees and their outsourced IT support. Companies should weigh the risks between safe, cost-effective data storage and privacy leaks or occasional service disruptions.
For personal users, though, the decision is a little bit simpler. Plenty of people already store their CVs – with all of their personally identifiable information – on their personal websites for easy access by future employers and business contacts. As such, making the leap to storing such information in the cloud is not a very big one. Personal computers are more susceptible to damage than workplace servers as well, and it’s less likely that you’ll back them up with any frequency. For people in London IT support may be able to rescue your files, but for most of us they would be lost forever.
In short, I recommend using the cloud as a backup server if your data is not highly secretive. It’s always worth having multiple copies of important documents and storing one on the internet is a great way to safeguard yourself against natural disasters and computer viruses.
So far, Windows 7 has not attracted much criticism from anyone at all. For once, it seems like Windows did a good job providing an operating system that is a genuine improvement over Windows Vista, the much maligned and flawed 2007 operating system. If you’re using Vista or even Windows XP, you might be considering switching over. Should you? To help you decide, here are a few of Windows 7’s features that are new or have been improved over Vista’s initial implementation of them.
- Pin. This feature is quite simple; you can pin programs or files in the task bar, the start menu, or a “jump list”. Pinning originated with Windows Vista but there is limited to the start menu and doesn’t include documents. The pinning feature allows quick and easy access to your most important files and programs.
- Snap. Easily “snap” two windows side by side for easy comparison. You can also use the feature to quickly maximise and minimise your window if you want speedy access to what’s behind. You can also use the “peek” feature to look behind all open windows at your desktop without closing or minimising anything.
- Speedy start-up and shut down. Though Windows will never be quite as speedy as Linux, Windows 7 has made substantial improvements to its boot speed. The system will also recover faster from stand-by, reducing the lengthy wait times that Vista in particular is famous for. It’s been out since 2009 and so far there are no complaints about reduced speed; another change that Microsoft seems to have done right.
- Easy sharing. Windows 7 PCs can share files, music, photos, and even sufficiently up-to-date printers over a network. This feature unfortunately isn’t helpful if you already have a Windows Vista or XP PC hanging around on the network but if you choose to upgrade all of them, this is a fantastic cure to the prominent headache caused by Windows sharing.
- Fewer security alerts. Windows 7 has improved security but reduced the number of irritating security alerts which again featured heavily in Vista. Those security alerts weren’t necessary because almost all users are administrators – so Windows 7 keeps all the good parts of the security system while eliminating the annoying ones.
- Better search. Windows 7 now searches the entire system from just the start menu. Easily find documents, files and programs by typing just a few letters.
If you do choose to make the transition, remember to back up your PC beforehand. Even upgrades will sometimes destroy all of the files on your PC.
If your business chooses to upgrade all of its PCs, you may need some help. If you’re in London IT support is plentiful and can get to you in a hurry; more rural businesses should ensure that their IT team is on hand in case of any issues.