[oe] STREAM TV TO EVERY ROOM Set up multipl Set up multine aceounts to Key EVERVON® hap eae PMTs 1 Locate the best Pca Carls Sere @ specific needs BBC: licence to bill? p9 ene eset emt Caiecon aa Ares ce —____—__aWATTLT = 161621950"oo PCSPECIALIST PC Specialist recommends Windows J Windows 10 CUSTOM GAMING DESKTOPS & LAPTOPS ORDER ONLINE NOW AT WWW.PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK THIS EXCLUSIVE VoucHER cope, MEANCLEAQ ©0333 0117000 Semen: mepieWhdows 10 Ute tthe Wros Sto tetas mu es EP snout Mensur a ther ged rare crocors Me Carat the id rte tek ena: ovcspeciaustWELCOME From the Editor ‘omry Create naar (Riebdenicek 402080905008 owvaso ests ‘splay rete enor obec SS we saws Scot hrcarennbinon te ae Setpocewronacan I Pin wrlting this in the second week of Jockdawvn, not knowing when it will end, Perhaps by the time you read this life ‘will be stumbling back to normality, but [ear soctal restrictions may have to last longer than originally hoped, possibly until June. The uncertainty is strange anel unnerving. Oneof the consolations of the past few ‘weeks is how websites and tech companies hhave sought to make our lives easier. ‘They've lined data caps, made paid-for tools free to us and released free TY, games and books. We've ‘Number of people prosecuted in 2018 for ‘not paying the TV licence fee-p9 £136 01323848588 Priceofthe five-star Phone number for Sanbisk Extreme Pro ‘Computers for Chartes’ extemal SSD -p24 = pi2 sguthered the best offers in our Cover Feature Thope they help to keep you entertalned during this difficue time. I'm not naive. Some of these responses have been cynical marketing opportunities. But generally companies have done the right thing, as indeed have most ofthe publi. T'd love (o hear how you're using the internet to cope during these tough times. How have your habits changed? What are you turning to for entertainment? Please let me know. Daniel Booth editoracomputeractive.co.uk pbb sia HOW TOUSE SNIPCA URLs We use snipcas to turn ong URL that are hard totype into ones that are short and simple. They aren't websites themselves, which means they won't bbe recognised if youtype them nto Google. instead, you need to type them Into your browser address bar, then press Enter. Doing this wil take you to the correct website. 22April-SMay2020. 3Contents 22 April — 5 May 2020 + Issue 578 6 News ‘Set up Skype chats without an account 10 Question of the Fortnight Willa virus-tracking app erode your freedoms? 11 Protect Your Tech Fake update pages for Google Chrome 12. Letters ‘Scandalously low’ USO exposes UK's digital divide 14. Consumeractive Does the Coronavirus lockdown affect my rights? 16 Grow YourFamily Tree Write family-history memoir 18 BestFree Software PowerToys, 21 Named &Shamed Junk Offender: DriverDownloader 22 Acer ConceptD7 Lightning-fast laptop is the white choice 23 AlphaBetaPC AMD Ryzen53400G Striking PCis all glow butno go 24 Best external SSDstested Sixof the latest solid-state drives you can plug into your PC for faster storage 26 Whatshould buy? ‘Work from home special Setupahome office for less than £700 ‘during the lockdown ‘Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite 28 Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Galaxy phoneis Lite years ahead of ‘mid-range rivals 29 Philips PH805 Comfortable headphones willhave you Grinning from ear to ear 30 Buy It/Competition 1 Wina Synology DS218) NAS drive 4 2 Apt-S May 2020Workshops & Tips 35 Howto..Stream TV toeveryroom inyour house 38 Find the fastest VPNserver 40 Subscribeto and manage podcasts onyour PC 42 Readers’ Tips Buy refurbished Dell PCs then upgrade to Windows 10 44 Phoneand Tablet Tips Disable your lock screen when at home 46 Make Windows Better Check which programs have used your webcam 47 Make Office Better Redact specific words from documents 48 Intheciub Createa Slack account for your clubs 49 What's All the Fuss About? Tablet posture 50 COVERFEATURE Survive thelockdown Beat the self-isolation blues as we reveal all the TV, film, music, radio, audiobooks and more that have become free in the past few weeks 60 Switch to Zoom for group video calls Keep in touch with family and friends with the best video-call software for groups 62 Bestlong-presstricks {for your phone and tablet Tapping your touchscreenis fine but find out how pressing produces more options. 64 ProblemsSolved Can|move my diary toanew iPhone? 71 Reader Support ‘Where's my Reliability Monitor blue tine? 72 Jargon Buster 74 Easy When You Know How Daniel Booth seeks his home's fastest Wi-Fi spot Subscribe now! See page 58 for our special subs offer Suet oan 22Apiil-SMay2020 5The top stories in the world of technology J Set up Skype chats without an account ‘ou can now set up Skype video calls, online with multiple people without anyone in the ‘chat group needing to sign up for an account. Microsoft, which owns Skype, describes the new Meet Now tool as a “hassle-free way to connect’. Itlaunched the feature in December ina beta version ‘of Skype, but has now made available to everyone as demand for video chat software continues 10 rocket during the Coronavirus lockdown. Do you Skype, Zoom or FaceTime? The lockdown has turned us into.a nation of video callers, as we keep Intouch with ourloved ‘ones. Zoom has emerged ‘as many people's Favourite tool, and with goodreason. ‘As we explain on page 60, Ws breathtakingly easy to tse. But Skype's Meet Now 's great too, while FaceTime, WhatsApp and Facebook have all been improved. With ‘somuch choice it'snot easy toknow whichis best for Your specific needs, so we're ‘going to explore themin depth toreveal the pros and cons of each. You can read the results in our next Cover To use Meet Now, visit ew snipes com 24536 and Click the blue ‘Create a free meeting’ button on the right ‘his will ereate a unique web link that begins with ioin.skvpe.com, Next, click ‘Share invite* tosee thre other people. None of them need aSkype account to join the call. Youcan also start Skype chats this way if you do have n account, and have the software Installed In your computer To do this, click the Meet Now button (next to New Chat, see screenshot above right) in the left-hand sidebar. The link to the meeting doesn't expire, o you don't have to send it straight away. Duringa meeting you can see which people taking part The NHS has given doctors permission to provide consultations to patients by viceo ina bid to ease ‘signfcant pressures” during the Coronavirus pandemic. government advisory notice (wwrw.snipca, com/34523) encourages the use of videoconferencing” services such as Skype, options, You ean share the link by Outlook or Gmall, or copy it to send it to Bin screenshot abovel, and share the link with others B. You can also record the call El, ‘commercial products {designed specifically for this purpose”. by which its probably referring to tools like Zoom, It says that the patient’ consents implied by them accepting the invite tojoinin ‘witha video consultation. ‘The advice also saysits "absolutely fine” to use mute and unmute your microphone Bland share screens, NHS APPROVES VIDEO CONSULTATIONS WITH PATIENTS contact patients where there's no altemative and the benefts “outweigh the risk’. However it warns workers to limit the amount of confidential information sent. concedes that there ‘are privacy risks, but states thatinthe current ‘areumstances “itcouldbe ‘more harmful not to share Feature, out on Wednesday 6 | | WhatsApp and FaceTime. messaging services like health and care information May. Unt then, stay safe Htalso mentions using WnatsApp andTelegramto than to shareit’. You'll like this... HG) but not this... during the lockdown. Garden centres are sellingitems online Scammers are tricking people into donating, money to the NHS. 6 22Aprl-SMay2020Govt tells websites to remove “crackpot” 5G conspiracies He Government has onlered social- media pot” conspiracy theories that link 5G to the Coronavirus pandemic. Videos posted online falsely ‘laim that 5G weakens the body's immune system, making it more susceptible to she virus, and that masts can spread the disease. Scientists have dismissed such claims as “complete rubbish and biologically impossible This misinformation appears to have provoked several arson attacks on phone ‘masts. Videos claiming to show masts on fire in Birmingham, Liverpool and Melling in Merseyside have bbeen uploaded to the web (pictured), but it’s not known whether they're genuine, oF ‘whether the masts contained 5G technology: ‘Networks have said other sites had been attacked, but didn't reveal the locations, down one A spokeswoman for theDepartment for Digital, Culture Media and Sport “We have recelved several reports of criminal damage tophone masts and abuse of telecoms engineers apparently Inspired by crackpot conspiacy theories circulating online” “These responsible for Criminal acts will face the full force ofthe las,” she added. Digital Secretary Oliver Doxtden has held virtual ‘meetings with tech firms to discuss the matter. He wants tem to take more responsibilty {or thespread of misinformation, and remove It more quickly: ‘Theorles are spreading on community sites like Nextdoor as well as major sites ke Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There are even online petitions on Change.ong, making false aims, Some sites have stepped up efforts to remove misinformation, Facebook, for example, said it had banned groups that were encouraging attacks on 5G masts. However, a video entitled “burn baby bum — it's begun” showing masts ablaze ‘was only taken down six hhouts after it was reported t© the company’s press office. ‘YouTube initially classified the videos as “borderline content”, but changed lis mind aller it live-streamed an interview with conspiracy theorist David Ieke in which, he linked 5G (o the pandemic. now says that any content that disputes the existence or transmission of the virus ‘violates its policy, and will be removed. Ithas now taken down the Icke interview: Broadband compensation suspended to help companies cope feom has said broadband providers won't have to pay automatic compensation to customers for delayed repairs for as long as the Coronavirus lockdown lasts The regulator introduced automatic compensation in April 2019, forcing companies {o refund you 88 for each day ‘hata broken service remains unfixed But in early April ir said that the lockdown is placing unprecedented strain on companies, particularly with, ‘many engineers unavailable to work due to illness or self Isolation, and therefore it's “legitimate” for companies to not pay compensation. Itadcled that some providers are helping with the national respomse to the pandemic. Engineers from Openteach, for example, are bullding infrastructure at the Nightingale Hospitals being set upacross the UK. ‘Ofecm aclded that it didn't lake the decision lightly, and says it will take action ifit sees companies exploiting the situation, ‘The regulator has softened. other rules to help companies cope. From February providers have been emailing customers to tell them when thelr eontracts are about to end. Ofcom acknowledged these emails will be driving ‘many people to call companies customer-support teams at a lume when they've got far fewer staffto deal with enquiries, (Ofcom said it would take a “pragmatic approach to ‘compliance with rules like this", suggesting it wouldn't punish companies if they stop sending end-of-contract emails until the lockdown lifts added that relaxing such rules will help companies focus on keeping theit customers connected, particularly those “thatare vulnerable and depend on their services the most”, Masala) MNT oT Renu extents * There are so many hoaxes and seams about Coronavicus online that it canbe cficutt fofind gentine information. Here's an essentialist of legtimate tes whose advice | you can trust. | Asthma UK Advice trom the charity about how to. manage yourasthma: ‘wr sninca com/34551 “©BBC postcode map Check thenumberafcasesin yourarea: wins. Comes “carers UK Deas about how to stay safeif you're rng or someone: ‘weweisnipes.com/34552 -*Googte's official ‘Coronavirus page Contains links to useful videos and ‘commonty asked questions: woww,aooale com/covidi | elohns Hopkins global map Track thenumber of cases, deaths and recoveries ‘workdvde (pictured): wnwwssninca.com/34550, | | NHS Expert medical sevice, ‘including symptoms to look ‘Out for and how to protect. ‘your mental wellbeing: wwanisninca,.com/34548 - ‘*UK Government Check | forthelatest guidelines ‘onsodbalastancing plus ‘advice on businesses and the self-employed: “= World Health Organization Read about the latest International efforts to fight the virus: | vnsninca com/34549 22Apri- SMay 2020News] Coo That’s on the Monet! Transform “suvamzonerme | YOUF pics into works of art ee Yc ern yourot roe |Phone users rent films and photos into works of art ‘Tshowsdiectly thoughits using x new feature in rime Video app. Previously, Google's Arts & Culture app, ‘Amazon forced you to leave Many apps already do this, theappandvistthe Prime | but most simply place an Sieinabrowseritdidthisin overlay on your photo, or ordertoavoidhavingtoaive | blend ic with an image of Appleaportionofthefee | a painting. paldby customers. But the Google says its new tool is twocompanieshavenow | better because it creates “a sgreedasystemthataliows | unique algorithmic recreation diectpaymentMiathe app. | of Your photo inspired by the specificart style you have bottom followed by Art tochoose your artistie site 'SHARE FROM FILE chosen’. I¢transformsthe Transfer. Yoncan now kea then tap It to transform it EXPLORER TO SKYPE photo direety on yourdeviee, photo (normal orselfic).or Styles inelude Leonardo Da Youllsoonbeabletostare | rather than uploading it tapthe bottom-right icon __Vinel, Claude Monet, Edvard les directly from Fle online. and choose a photo stordon Munch, Vincent van Gogh and, Explorerto Skype by right Open the app on your joarileuie Andly Wath (se exaraples clicking. The option phone, then tap the eamera Onge you've chosen sour above ancl below le. iscurentiybeingtestedin ——buitoninthe middle atthe photo, scrollalong the bottom —__ Once complet, click the ye Due Share button at the bottom then choose to save the image or send it to others by email, by text or toa \WhatsApp group. You can also click the top-right scissors {con to cut out the part of the Image you want to transform, Ifyou don't yet have the Arts & Culture app, scroll to the bottom of Google's blog post human stupidity isn't immune (wowwssninca.com/34518) and tothe Coronavirus, He's lick the Android or iOS link. licking the tolet seatas part |, j ricer mie muncidctonsect | Drug gangs target ‘free Wi-Fi’ spots ciiaciiee nag ea ‘media encourage their fellow Hatingatoatrniriad | Pyrieaethiawsigiat ‘with public surfaces. There hargeting vulnerable exploited and abused” because are also videos of people children who hang around of failures in local and central licking trees, carhandles in locations that provide government. ‘and polesin train carriages. | free W-Fi There are over two million Unsurprisingly, some of them | Teenagers keen to stay free Wi-FI hotspots in the UK ‘are now in hospital alongside | _onlineoften congregate in according to Wiman (www ‘many who caught the such areas when they've ‘wiman.me),an app that disease fromthem through | used up the eredit on their shows where they are located, ‘no fault of their own, pay-as-you-go phones Itsays there are just over two AA report by the Floward million hotspots across the country. More than 700,000 of these are in London, ‘League for Penal Reform Birmingham comes next with the Skype Insider Preview, and should appearin the THE WORLD'S GONE MAD! This image proves that ‘warns that criminals will approseia children wherever they hang out, fathering locations suchas 65,000 hotspots, followed by. which includes Wi-Fi hotspots parks and bus stops. Glasgow (43,000), Liverpoo! as wellas at more traditional “Thecharity claimed that (42,000) and Leeds (34,000), 8 2Aptl-SMay2020Smart Copy and vertical tabs coming to Microsoft Edge icrosoft has announced a new tool to make It easier tocopy and paste from Its Flge browser, and is also planning toadd vertical tabs that run. down the side of your sereen, The new Smart Copy feature retains the formatting of what you're copying, This means that when you copy something, from a website and then paste it into.a program such as Word, ‘you'll keep the same clements from theslte, ineluding tables, Images and links. At the moment, copying and pasting from the web can produce messy results, sith text unevenly presented in. documents. Imaddition, Microsoft has NRTA LT This dinches it Since Edge launched in January, we've been usingit almost as much as Chrome. Its just as fast as Google's popular browser, and devours less of your PC's resources. But we've stopped shor of decaring it ‘our new favourite browser because we wanted proof that Microsoft would add innovative ‘features. Now we have that reassurance, we're happy to Urge everyone to serfousty consider switching to Edge. ‘We'll explain all the best things In Edge n one of our upcoming Cover Features. BBC: licence fee could be added to broadband bills he BBC has sald the TV licence fee could be replaced bya charge added to monthly broadband bills, as it hit back aguinst the Government's proposal to decriminalise non-payment of the fee In ts response to the Government's consultation, the BBC said strongly supported keeping the existing policy of fining, people who didn't pay the fee. But itadded that it’s willing 0 consider following other European countries such as Maly and France by Implementing a funding ‘model “linked directly toan existing common household Dill, such as the intemet connection, electricity supply or even council tax. “This would bea significant change for the UK and we are not, at this stage, advocating it,” the corporation satd. “It ddoes however raise an Interesting question as 10 whether the current system could be made much simpler, ‘more fficient and more automated, We are open to exploring this further The BBC estimates that the proportion of households not payingthe licence fee would double to about 10 per cent ifit ‘wasn't compulsory, costing it ©200m a year in lost revenue, WATCH OTHER PLAYERS. INFLIGHT SIM2020 | Microsofthas shown off | the multiplayer mode of ts forthcoming Fight Simulator | 2020 game, due ater this {year As demonstrated ina | video posted on YouTube announced that vertical tabs are coming to Edge, letting ‘you place tabs down theft: hhand side of your screen (see sereenshot) rather thanalong the top. It claimed this “helps you easily find and manage ‘many open tabs at once” “Microsoft announced the tools ina blog post (www snlpea.com/34443), along ‘with several other features thatare comingsoon such as | Vodafone has increased the alerts if you enter passwords ‘length of its minimum 'super- that have been stolen. They'll fast broadband contract from appear first in beta versions of | 180244 months The change Edge before being added to ‘applies to Its Fibre-to-the- the fill edition of the browser. | Cabinet (ETO) 1 hile ts Fibre-to-the-Home ‘stay at 18 months, | conTRoL RoKU | WITH YouR Voice ‘You can now control Roku ‘media players using your voice via Google Assistant About 130,000 people were | and Amazon Echo devices. prosecuted in 2018 for non- “This new function is part of Rokus93,anupdatetoits ‘operating system. Rokutalso claims the update will make its players boot faster, and a “select number of channels" launch quicker: Read Roku. ‘og for full detais: www | snibca.com/34a42, payment ofthe licence fee. Five people in England and Wales were imprisoned for not paving fines issued by courts. ‘The current national lockdown has also led to the suspension of TV licensing officials visting the homes ‘of people suspected of ‘watching programmes without a Hicence | Would youpay tne TV cence itnon-payment was ‘secrminaized?Letusknon: leters@cemputeracive caulk E i 22April-SMay2020 9Question of the Fortnight Will a Coronavirus-tracking app erode your freedoms? Campaigners are worried that location technology will go too far authorities are planning to use some form of location tracking technology to help Life return to normal. the Prime Minister's chief advisor Dominic Cummings has spoken to tech companies about building a phone app. ‘hat uses GPS to caleulate ‘whether you've recently been ‘m contact with someone who has Coronavirus, ‘A spokesman for NHSX, the NHS's digital department, ‘confirmed that itis examining hhow such apps could work, and has “assembled expertise from Inside and outside the ‘onganisation to do this as rapidly as possible” (One idea is for users displaying symptoms to use the app to request a home test I 's becoming clear that the pressure to deliver new technology during the pandemle “must not lead to ethical corners being cut ‘that will undermine trust in the NHS". A the time of writing, wo weeks into the lockdown, the Government hasn't revealed GG ifatestcomes backpositive, an alert wouldbe sent to everyone you havebeen in close contact with 99 for the virus. it comes back positive, an alert would be sent to everyone they've been in close contact with. These contacts will be told to self isolate fora fortnight, but ‘wouldn't know who had triggered the warning. Scientists say this could play a critical ole in lifting the lockdown, but privacy ‘campaigners have urged ‘caution, saying people's rights, ‘could be jeopardised, In an open letter (ww sninsa.com/34559), a group calling themselves “responsible technologists’ has warned that YO. 22Aprit-SMay 2020 what its plans are. But other countries, including South Korea, Singapore and Israel, are already using location- tracking apps. Some mobife networks in Europe have offered to hand over anonymised data about users’ mavements to help detect “hot zones” where the virus might be spreading quickly. Taiwan, meanwhile, is using what itcalls an “electronic fence” that tells the local police ifa quarantined user leaves their hhome nr switches off their phone for too long, Such measures make privacy groups very uncomfortable. Tie leter, signed by academies, priva advocates and computer scientists, acknowledges that technology will have a “vital” role to play in fighting the vinus. But it also asked for reassurrances that the data collected will not be “stored indefinitely or for a disproportionate amount of time, or will be used for unrelated purposes’, To ease these concerns, the letter called on the Government to follow three key policies: provide devails of the models used to interpret data, set up a panel with the public to check that privacy rights are upheld, and publish ‘lear terms and conditions for any new apps. Ie refers to Singapore's TraceTogether app as an ‘example of authorti respecting public privacy. Launched in March, theapp, "uses Bluetooth to identify when people spend more than 30 minutes within two metres of each other. Singapore's Ministry of Health must get THE FACTS The Governmentis planning tolaunch alocation- {racking app to help contrat the spread of Coronavirus. + Privacy groups have asked authors not to saciice ‘people's rights inthe sh to bull the app. “= They point to Singapore's ‘raceTogether app as. ‘good example of a Government respecting Is citizens’ privacy, ‘each person's consent to upload the app to their phone. In ordinary times people would never accept such intrusion into their lives, But ‘will they be more willing 10 lose aspects of their privacy in the national battle against Coronavirus? They've already given up the right to go down the pub, Many may decide that to ‘win back that right, more temporary sacrifices will need to be made, Give people the ‘choice between privacy and health and they typically pick the latter, To win over the public, the Government must do two things: he transparent and precise about how the app ‘works, and state explicitly that the data collected will be ‘erased when the crisis is over And to encourage usage, the app should also let people perform practical tasks, such as ordering food and medicine. The lockdown is hurting society hadly, so getting the app right fs essential,Protect your tech =1 Scams and threats to avoid, plus new security tools WATCH OUT FO! Fake update pages for Google Chrome What's the threat? Scammers are redirecting users from ‘websites (0 fake updates for the Chrome browser. They're infecting certain sites boullt using WordPress with malicious, JavaScript code that sends you from your Intended site to the fake update page. These bogus updates install ‘TeamViewer, a legitimate program for remotely accessing someone else's ‘computer from your own (see how you're meant to use it on page 20). Using this tool, they disable Windows Defender and then perform malicious tasks on your PC. How can you stay safe? ‘The most important thing to remembers that Google will never ask you to update Chrome via a website. Instead, It updates automatically whenever you restart your PCor Chrome its, You ean alwass check whether you have any pending ‘updates by clicking Chrome’s menu. (three vertical buttons, top right), then. i aterels} Evenone's Riccbookis diferent. [=———————} ‘What you see in your News Feed is determined by what Facebook thinks you're ‘interested in, based on actions ‘you've taken on the site. I calls these “inferences”, giving the example that 'you share an anicle about football i infer” you like football and therefore show you more football news. FFaceboolslets you download the data {tholds on you, and has now added inferences fo this. Click the top-right arrow on your profile page, then Settings atthe bottom, then Your Facebook Information onthe left. Nex, Click View tothe left of ‘Download your information’. You'll now see all the daia that you ean download, including everything you've ever posted on Help, About Google Chrome. Researchers from Dr Web, the Russian. security firm that discovered the scam, say around 3,000 people worldwide have fallen victim, including In the UK. That's a small number, but the fake update page (sce screenshot) is so realistic that we can see it increasing rapidly: Not only does it use the correet Chrome logo anda convincing download button, but it also lo lerelel ey Download Your Data Facebook (comments, posts, photos: and more), All these options are pre-ticked on the ight side lin screenshot). Untick any you don’t want to download, then choose the date range of the data Bits format (HTML or JSON £1) and the quality @, Finally, click the blue Create File button Bat the top, Facebook provides these Snsiuctions at ows. com/448, borrows word for word Goo description of the browser: "Now mare simple, secure, and faster than ever wlth Google's smarts built-in". Visit Google's genuine Chrome page (wv snoale.com/chrome) and you'll sce the Siriking simiaiti, Dr Web sad that hackers appear to be targeting news blogs and corporate sits, so avoid these as mutch as possible ScamWatch Pood UN Sincerely, a Three scam ‘Amid all the Coronaviusestupton, its almost reassuring to get a scam that doesntrefero the disease Maybe ites getting back tonormalt The scam received claimed tobe from the network Tee. Isak! my latest payment couldnt be processed and ad to download a for tof in The email came from’ontine@three cous’ and was signed "Yours sincerely, 3G Customer Services”, The subject Tie wasnt very conviacing:'2G Your ‘mobile services Your Account. knew itwas ascam straight away, but this is confusing time for everyone, soit would surprise meif normally sceptical people ae tricked Len Doyle ‘Warn your felow readers about scams atleters@ecomputeracve cok 22April-SMay 2020 11Tell us what's on your mind We're in crisis, but free broadband remains a ‘bad idea’ Itswns heartening to read all the cays tech companies are making, ‘our lives easier during this time of natfonal crisis (News, Issue 577, page 7). But another story made my heart sink: proposals to make broadband free for everyone, Ice! like this subject was discussed ad nauseum during last year’s election ‘campaign, and was generally dismissed, asa bad idea because It would lead to ‘underinvestment and Government ‘control of broadband. We ‘very careful during the ‘emergency not to rush through ideas thet ‘scem good at the time, but will have terrible consequences later on, What really worries me is that history teaches us that once something hhas been implemented, it’s very har (o revert to the previous situation, We have to remember that the current crisis ‘will pass, We shouldn't make bad decisions naw that will be hard t0 ‘overturn later. Pat Morgan We need free broadband in ‘extraordinary times’ Tapplatd imernet providers for Ded) taking seriously plans to offer broadband for free. Asa self employed photographer, | can normally bank on raking most of my year's earnings daring the summer, with weddings ‘every weekend, But these have al been cancelled. have no idea how 'm going 0 make money forthe next four months, and yet bills - including for broadband = wil continue to arrive. Tm not asking fora hand-ot, ldon't think broadband should be re permanent But extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. It would bean enormots help to me fT could have a payment holiday. ve writen to Virgin asking ft could implement this. Fm more than happy to make up the money when life (and business} returns to. normal. I urge other customers to write to their providers. With enough public clfor, we can persuade them responsibly i's in their interest too. IF they trea us well in desperate times, theyll tam us into customers fr lie David yer 2 22Apit-SMay2020 [The Coronavirus outbreak has forced the issue of free broadband back on tothe political agenda Do you think providers should cut bills during the crisis or even halt them completelv? Oris that too drastic a measure which ‘willbe hard to reverse once the emergency passes? Fix W10 update problems, then I'll upgrade Re David Bank's Star Leter in Issue 576 (‘Updates put me off ‘upgrading to Windows 10°), there's probably a queue of leterson this subject but I'l reply anyway: {share his reservations about moving from Windows 7 to 1, and your comment that “some Windows 10 ‘updates have caused problems, but Mierosofis getting beter at fixing them quik" is exactly what Io nor want to hear. It encapsulates precisely the reasons. for my hesitation: afterall this time with Windows 10 they are stil getting updates wrong, What [want to hear is that osafl doesn't create update problems in the first place. ‘Andrew 1S Herbert Ifyou want a silver lining for the Coronavirus cloud, look no further ‘han page 6 of Issue 577: ‘Mierosolt and Google pause updates during criss’. 1 reckon this period of lockdown will make lots of companies reconsider whether their previous strategies were strictly necessary. Hopefully, Microsoft, Google and others will stop updating their products every ‘month or so, and only do so when there’s serious security risk Nicholas Highfield Alan Mellwaine realy is deluding himself iPhe thinks Mierosoft is ‘wer going to serap Windows 10 and release a brand new operating system (Letters, Issue $77). I sympathise with his loathing of updates, bur Microsoft has made it perfectly clear that there's never going to bea Windows 11, Atsome point everyone will have to make this simple decision: stick with Windows 7 (or 8.1) oF upgrade to Windows 10. Terry Connor Please donate your old laptops Deg ecmezets thse error alocal charity in Eastbourne called Computers for Charities, which formed 25 years ago when it was realised that many computers could be refurbished instead of going into landfill sites. Since then it has gone from strength to strength. ‘The machines that are donated to the charity are aiding charities and organisations across the UK, and indeed globally in conjunction with the ‘Microsoft Refurbisher programme Gewwmsregrefurh com), ‘However, as a charity we rely totally ‘upon donations and presently we are desperate for laptops, particularly at this critical time when so many people have to work from home. Currently, we are inundated with requess for support nationwide, and we therefore asi if sour readers ean help us with laptop donations fo enable our voluntary sector to maintain this necessary support within communities. ‘The full details ofthe charity ean be found at wwvccomputersorcharities, ‘ony Gee screenshot) You can contact ws by phoning Pippa on 01323 818588, or ‘via iw.computersfonchartes ons! contact, ‘Bian GauntletFat cat slims thanks to automatic pet feeder In Isue 576 Andrew Grainger says you should ask neighbours to feed {your ci, but stutomatic pet feeders can serve a purpose (My son has two cats, one big and one ‘small. The big one is getting bigger and hhas to go on a diet. Ifyou put food in ‘separate bowls for them, he just eats both, How do you feed one cat without starving the other one also? To solve the problem, my son bought ‘6vo SureFlap automatic feeders (www. ‘snlbea.con/2.4452), he eats have one feeder each, which Is programmed so that only the assigned cat ean access the food it contains (the feeder reads the chia in the cat's neck), Therefore the fat cat ‘can go on.a diet while the other can eat her portion as usual David Pearson Zen out of Zen for customer service Teouldn'tagree more with John lan Haley's pralse for Zen Internet in Issue 575 (Credit Where It's Due, page 15). When I moved house to the south coast last year, [finally made the switch from Sky Broadband to Zen based on recommendations. For too many years I had put up with Sky and their regular-as-clockwork. above Inflation price rises. But enough was enough and am delighted with the switch. {twas not perfect. For the first few months I sometimes had a crackly phone ine and frequent internet drop-outs. But what stood out was the customer service from Zen in getting i resolved. The problems weren't the fault - they were ‘due to problems on the BT Openreach network, which eventually they resolved. Openreach made several visits to sort things out until one of their senior ‘engineers got to the bottom off. Now I am getting broadband speeds of about :SMbps, compared with 38Mbps from Sky at a similar price. Robert Brown Broadband sometimes hits ‘dizzying’ 3Mbps “There's been lots of discussion about broadband speeds recent so hete's our experience, We live in rural Devon, and our regular speed isaround 1.5Mbps, which is just sufficient to watch ‘etfs films in standard definition Sa 3 Fi racevs Bemane [email protected] 00k: Tonle orp uwuptulttercom /eomouteractive ae ‘Scandalously low USO exposes UK's digital divide /Dwoartices in issue 4577 ilustrated the broadband chasm that divides the UK. In Question ofthe Fortnight (page 10, pictured), you explain how people can Iegally request 10Mbps using the Universal Service Obligation (USO). ‘That's all welland good, but fn page 9 von mention ‘plans {0 make sure all newly ‘bullt homes can get 1Gbps broadband. |Whata shocking difference! On one hhand, people stuck on pathetic single- «digit Mbps now have the incr of demanding 1OMbps, while on the other ‘hand, people moving into new homes an join the broadband aristocracy 0 ‘bathe inthe splendour of Gigabit speeds. ‘When there's sucha disparity ‘between available speeds, it’s scandalous that the USO Is set as low a 10Mbps. The crucial factor is that around three milion homes can now ‘get 1Gbps, Irs not some fantasy speed enoyed by just.a few extremely rich and privileged people. ‘know atleast three households in different areas near me who get it. ‘This divide breeds resentment among those trying (0 cope with sub 10Mbps speeds. ‘the problem reminds me of the massive gap between ‘wha bosses earn and ‘what thelr workers get > Lots of economists ‘argue that there should bea fixed relationship between these salaries, 0 they rise atthe same rate. {think the same should apply to broadband speeds. Here's what should be done. Fins, increase the USO to 24Mbps.. ‘Then cut back on Gigabit tnvestment until everyone is able to get 24Mbps. ‘Once that’s achieved, new targets should be set that raise speeds together, Never again must the digital divide be allowed to grow so wide, Martin King Miner) gee Colm ineeed eeu Tie c-Te Aag y without buffering, There are just two of us oldies, each witha desktop PCand an {Pad, so we manage. ‘When the cap, automatically imposed by BT's distribution machinery, is. removed on occasions by our broadband supplier, speeds can reach the dizaying, heights of 3Mbps. Jimand Paddy Wrench My landline is a lifeline ‘The debate about the future of landlines feels very timely. The Coronavirus lockdown seems to have placed a colossal demand on mobile networks, so pethaps we've been too quick to abandon the kandlines? I don’t use mine much, but I've never seriously considered ditching it because I always regarded it asa lifeline in an emergency. ‘And the past few weeks have certainly felt like an emergency! Views expressed don'tnecessarily reflect those of Computeractive People miss the point about landlines. I Jeep mine not because I use it every day, but because I may have no choice at some point. I'sa last resort that can’t be easily replaced, It's the same reason you keep candles ina kitchen drawer, ora spare tyre in the boot, You won't need them, ollen, but they're lifesavers ina crisis. Doreen Hook ‘When | renewed my broadband contract, Thad to have the landline and pay for it at nearly £20a ‘month just to have the internet. Five months later they're doing packages that include the landline and don't charge for iil Cdon't use it apart from weekends and Tse it just because iis there. I could generally live very well without it apart from when the mobile- phone network as outages, Carolyn Gyseman 22Aprt- 5 May 2020 BConsumeractive Does the Coronavirus lockdown affect my rights? properly. However, because the stores are shut during the Coronavirus lockdown, I can't return i as faulty within 30 days. Will be left with a broken laptop after the lockdown is lifted? What are my rights in this unique Dp | bought a laptop from PC World three weeks ago, but it's nat working situation? people during this difficult time. he Consues Runs (CRA spo tft tee’ ne proviso be ‘emergency: After 30 days, customers must put up with a repal, which Mark understandably doesn't want to do. You could file a small claim and see fa judge is willing to sce it your way: Some judges interpret the law more loosely than others, applying what's known as the Purposive approach. They use this during exceptional times when the litera etter Can PayPal refuse refund for shoddy shuttle? ordered a model ofthe Space [By Sissi ie website htips:/xiaostaoin net, But when it arrived, it was made of cardboard and didn't have the materials aimed on the ste I refused delivery, and Because Pd pald using PayPal made Mark Trelawmey, aclalm for goods not as described. But TayPal has refused a refund, saying delivery was made, Can it do this? Ronald Hemes ‘company: Although a badly designed ‘Currys @ PCWorld ‘of the law isn't going to live up to what was originally intended. In the current erisis, _ suspiclous. It has all the correct images the 30-day limit clearly isn’t long enough. and videos of Bandat'sotfictal model of We hope PC World will understand the difficulties in the current situation. Why? tae Space Shuttle, winich costs £308.95 Well, it already lets you reject goods for 21 days, whether or not there's anything wrong with it It doesn’t have to offer this, so it’s very generous, We' rather than the £94 it's advertising. It's e emailed the unsurprising that customers will think ‘company asking how it will handle cases while the lockdown continues. Refusing to they're buying the genuine Bandai relax its ru es will ora yi nerate negative press, so we're hopeful it will o the right thing model, which appears to have been. and give Mark, and those ina similar predicament, a full refund, discontinued. Soo Exo PayPal refunds watch after website ignores reader @ ___ WhenreaderLen Winstanley ECommerce Regulations, a full geographic Frotection scheme for faulty goods. paid £34.99forawatchthat address must be given on a website. PayPal asked Len to send the watch fumed out to be faulty, he Pus, the website's registered to toanaddressin Scotland via Royal thought gettingarefund would someone in Toronto, Canada, so Mail. which he did. tone point it bbe straightforward. Butas wereportedin __we'renot even sure whether the ‘appeared the watch had gone Issue 575, the website he bought from, selleris basedin the UK. ‘missing in transit, so he lodged a younwalldonedirecticom,wasnitreplvingte _Lenwas dearly nt going to claim with Royal Mal for missing his emails, andits phonenumberwasdead get arefund from the website, ‘goods, but eventually itwas shown as ‘We had no luck contacting it either. sohe was thankful he had paid delivered and PayPal gave him his refund, We investigated the website and didn't for the watch through seers like what we found.Itsusing aPO boxas.an PayPal, which meant he P Pi | shows the benefit of paying for ee eee: (PayPal =e. 34 2Aprit-5May2020Contact us so we can investigate your case Bem de yourname, eB computeract vane number and Did Ihave to register my five-year warranty? Thought a Samsung tablet from Currys PC World on the 17 March 2018, but it stopped working at the end of March, thls year. The reason 1 bought it was because Currys sald it hhad a free five-year warranty: However, Samsung said this five: valid because didn't register Itwithin 90 days of purchase. wasn't told I had to do this, sso what are my rights? Marie Wardle How soonafter purchase doesa warranty begin? warranty for my Toshi laptop Dd ran out in two months, but "ve been told by the company that it actually ‘ends in six weeks because it started from the date of purchase. But it took two weeks after purchase for the laptop to arrive, so surely that period shouldn't be counted as part of the warranty. Am I right? Melanie Shaw ila ae thought my 12-month IfMarie wasn’t told that she had 10 register the ‘warranty, she's covered by the Unfair Trading Regulations, which forces retailers to reveal relevant information when ‘customers buy items, But who's to blame here Samsung or Currys? Itsa ‘manufacturer's warranty, so normally Currys would have no Habllity. But Currys ollered the warranty (0 Bb ‘Trading Standards has always told us that a warranty’starts, running from when you take possession of goods, not the date of purchase. This would mean Melanie is right, and the warranty should run out in ‘wo months. But the trouble is we can't actually find any legal confirmation that ‘warranties begin when items are delivered to you, which clouds the issue somewhat, Companies are allowed to put any terms into, their warranties as long as they’re not deemed unfair Qa