| Switching To A Stand-Up Desk (Part 2) |
| Assuming you remain stationary while working, there’s more to consider than only the height of the desk. You’ll also want to make sure that the equipment on your desk is positioned ergonomically. Our first piece of advice here is to use a desktop computer if possible, rather than a laptop; the smaller keyboards and low-down screens of laptop hardware can cause you to hunch forwards, spoiling the postural benefits that a standing desk is supposed to provide. |
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| Switching To A Stand-Up Desk (Part 1) |
| Now, a growing number of people are discarding their chairs entirely and switching to taller desks designed for use while standing – or desks that can be easily switched to suit either position. Users of standing desks claim to have more energy in the office and improve overall health. |
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| Windows 7 : Network and Sharing Center |
| Most people will simply boot up Windows 7 for the first time, configure the network location for a Home, Work, or Public network location, and go about their business. But Microsoft provides a handy front end to all of the networking-related tasks you'll ever have to complete in Windows 7. |
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| Roccat Lua Tri-Button Gaming Mouse - Great Choice For Lefties |
| Roccat is a seasoned gaming peripheral manufacturer, and the Lua shows its pedigree. It’s nicely designed, and the compact layout will make it a hit for the ‘claw’ grip gamers as well as the left-handers. Personally I’m more of a ‘palm’ grip kind a guy, so I’d rather have a little more real estate under my hand. |
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| Restore Your Files |
| DocShield is a fantastically useful program that will allow you to restore earlier versions of the same file in seconds. Never again will you have to painstakingly reverse all changes made to a document, or try to remember the original draft and undo your botched rewrite. Now, you can pick an earlier revision of the file and either restore it over the current version or save it as a separate file and work on it independently. |
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| Create A Virtual Machine |
| Using a combination of VMware vCenter Converter and VMware Player, you can convert your computer in to a virtual machine, retaining all of your settings, applications and data, which you can then use in Windows 8. |
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| Internet Remote Desktop |
| It’s great because it’s a standard part of Windows and it’s super-fast. Although VNC is good enough for some circumstances, it works by effectively capturing and then streaming the entire desktop image. Windows RDP, on the other hand, can get away with capturing just the underlying data structure to recreate the Windows desktop locally. |
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| Rip And Mount Discs |
| Keeping your discs as ISO images is immensely useful, not just for the convenience of having your installation media wherever you go. If something happens to your original media a rogue child decides to interface your keys with our copy of Microsoft Office, for example – you’re covered, because you’ll have a carbon copy of the original ready to burn to another disc or mount and run straight from your PC. |
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| Windows Server 2008 : Creating Batch Files (part 2) |
| If the called batch file doesn’t exist or somehow fails, control is still returned to the calling batch file. The call command works only from within a batch file. If you execute it directly from the command prompt, it is ignored. |
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| Aerocool X-Predator X3 Devil Red |
| A quick glance at the Aerocool website reveals some spectacular designs that resemble the result of a torrid love affair between a Transformer and a plastic factory. Thankfully, the X-Predator X3 is comparatively refined. Sure, there’s still plastic and lighting, and a dual color scheme, but it isn’t excessive. The red motherboard tray and drive trays, viewable through the large side window, are particular highlights. |
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| WCUK Starter Cavalier Mesh 120 - Hard To Justify |
| All-in-one liquid coolers are all the rage at the moment, although the potential difficulty of installing them, or not knowing whether your case is compatible, are issues that many less technical enthusiasts are still trying to overcome. We reached a point some time ago where models such as Corsair's H80 could perform better than high-end air coolers, but cost a lot less than a custom water-cooling kit. |
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| Sapphire Edge VS8 – A Trinity Mini PC |
| Sand motherboards, but it's also spent the last few years ploughing its own furrow when it comes to small form factor PCs. Its first efforts were built around Intel's underpowered Atom CPUs, but it hopes that its latest system - the Edge VS8 will have more success with an AMD APU inside. |
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| Sharkoon Skiller Keyboard - Skillered |
| Functionally, the keyboard is only about as adequate as a gaming peripheral. The keys are quite soft to the touch and lack feedback. Not quite the platform I was hoping it would be. The repeat rate is slow, which means that there will be more than a few close calls during matches. |
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| The New ASUS ET2300INTI All-In-One (AIO) PC - The Next Level |
| ASUS has always been synonymous with exceptional PC offerings and performance hardware. In fact, it even has its own extreme computing range of products, which is parked under the Republic of Gamers (ROG) for those who are not in the know. |
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| HP Envy 20 TouchSmart - Where It Counts |
| The chassis of the Envy 20 is quite a block. It's not exactly heavy or very big. There is just a sense of largeness about it. I suspect that this is caused by the extra-large bezel. Extra-large in the sense that you get the idea that this chassis could easily accommodate a much bigger screen. |
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| It’s Not Too Late For AHCI |
| If you’ve installed your operating system without first enabling AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) mode, then your HDD or SSD may not be performing as quickly as it could. In the past, we’ve noted that SSDs will not perform as well when the SATA controller is set to run in IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) mode, and switching to AHCI in the BIOS after installation won’t do the trick. |
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| Logitech T400 Zone Touch Mouse - Maybe A Little Rearranging? |
| Windows 8 is all about the touch interface, which is great, except that not all screens are capable of interacting by touch. Logitech has a mouse that is meant to simulate the finer points of the new Modern UI while still being a traditional pointing device. This means it lets you get to the desktop faster. |
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| Cooler Master CM Storm Mouse Pads |
| An unsuitable mouse pad may not grab your attention during day-to-day computing tasks. But try to game with one, or use it with software that demands precision control over your mouse pointer, and its shortcomings will become readily apparent. |
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| Cooler Master CM Storm Scout 2 Ghost White |
| White cases are hot these days, and the Scout 2 Ghost White provides the clean white exterior finish that you used to have to spend hours sanding and painting to get, accented by the black steel mesh inset in the front panel, the black mesh under the top panel’s ventilation holes, and of course the black rubberized handle on top. |
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| Rejuvenate Your PC (Part 4) |
| Your PC is almost certainly connected to the internet or another network, but is it giving you the best possible performance? In this final section, we’ll examine ways to speed up everything from video streaming to file sharing and web browsing. |
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| Rejuvenate Your PC (Part 3) |
| Speeding up working with your PC isn’t just about making your machine run faster; it’s also about improving your own efficiency so you spend less time on mundane tasks when you’re using it. Successive versions of Windows have made things easier with the addition of useful shortcuts such as the Favorites bar in Windows Vista, and the introduction of jump lists and libraries in Windows 7. |
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| Rejuvenate Your PC (Part 2) |
| Your hard drive isn’t the only component that stands to benefit from a thorough clear out – your PC itself can deliver improved performance if you limit the number of running programs and how much system resources they’re allocated. |
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| Rejuvenate Your PC (Part 1) |
| The first task is to strip back your PC and remove all unnecessary files and software from your system, such as unwanted programs, redundant files, duplicates and other leftover junk. One swift defrag later and your PC should be looking a little bit more healthy. |
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| 50 New Windows Secrets (Part 3) |
| Sometimes your PC slows to a crawl during the boot process because too many programs are trying to start at once. Use a free program called Startup Delayer on the disc to delay less important programs, so they start at a quieter time, speeding up performance and boot times in the process. |
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| 50 New Windows Secrets (Part 2) |
| Multiple windows from the same application are grouped together by default to save space. To change this, right-click the Taskbar and choose ‘Properties’. Change the Taskbar Buttons drop-down menu to read ether ‘Combine when taskbar is full’ or ‘Never combine’. |
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| 50 New Windows Secrets (Part 1) |
| They say that knowledge is power, and there’s little more empowering than learning new tips and tricks that can help you make the most of your PC. A few minutes saved here and there will really add up over time, giving you more time to do the things you really enjoy. |
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| Learn How To … Restore Files With DocShield |
| DocShield is a fantastically useful program that will allow you to restore earlier versions of the same file in seconds. Never again will you have to painstakingly reverse all changes made to a document, or try to remember how the original draft sounded and undo your botched rewrite. |
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| Learn How To… Stick Notes On Your Desktop |
| Whatever you’re doing with your Pc, sticky notes are the best productivity tool around. There’s no better way to keep your thoughts and to-do lists organized. The Sticky Notes app that’s included by default in Windows 7 lets you create the digital equivalent of paper notes ad paste them all over your desktop, but it’s quite limited. |
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| The Perfect Enclosure (Part 4) : Cooler Master Storm Trooper, NZXT Phantom 820 |
| Being NZXT’s flagship case, it has a futuristic design to it along with a host of amazing features. Its build quality is great and it also has a raised-steel stand. It can accommodate a 360 mm radiator at the top, a 240 mm or 280 mm radiator at the bottom, and the rear fan can be slid up or down to directly be in front of the CPU cooler. |
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| The Perfect Enclosure (Part 3) : Corsair Graphite 600T, Corsair Vengeance C70 |
| This case is designed to look like an ammunition straight out of an armory. The build quality of the C70 seems solid and you can carry it around by using two attached spring-loaded handles at the top. The power and reset buttons accentuate it’s military design – there’s actually a safety flap that you need to flip open to access the reset button. |
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