NewTech -Sturminster Newton Community Learning Centre

Details of Technology Tips published in Town magazines

and other useful hints

April 2016

An update on Superfast Broadband which is now available in most of the Sturminster Newton area.

Some people enquiring at the centre have been under the impression that their line will be automatically upgraded, however the upgrade only happens when you order it from your supplier and it usually involves a new hub. Typically it adds about £5 a month to charges but if you have not changed your contract in 2-3 years or more you may find that a new contract with Superfast costs no more than you are paying for ordinary broadband.

What speeds to expect: With ordinary broadband it was the distance from your house to the actual telephone exchange that mattered, most of Sturminster gets around 10 Mbits/sec, but in parts of villages as low as 1-2 Mbits/sec. Superfast in the UK is Fibre to Cabinet (FTC) and not Fibre to premises (FTP) – so with Superfast it’s how far from one of those dark green cabinets in the street that your speed depends on. Most suppliers offer a choice of 38 or 76 Mbit/sec speeds, if you are within half a mile of your cabinet you will get close to that speed, it will tail off with greater distance -see graph here.

Speeds above 10Mbits/sec are only really necessary for really heavy downloads (films, iplayer etc), uploads (cloud storage, maintaining a web site), live TV, on-line gaming but probably much more in future.

May 2016

FILE HISTORY - BACKING UP YOUR PERSONAL FILES in Windows 10:

For most people the concept of Back-up is of a job you do once every so often (usually not often enough!) and that job involves making a copy of all your files at once.

In Windows 10 the concept of File History is introduced. As long as your back-up device is plugged in the system automatically backs-up new and changed files as frequently as every 10 minutes. Further it keeps all versions of a file so that you can recover any earlier version (hence file history).

Full details of how to switch on and manage File History are in this PDF document.

Be aware that for the moment Microsoft confusingly use both terms BACKUP and FILE HISTORY in menus.

See also the February 2016 article for ability to recover SYSTEM (as opposed to personal) files.

May 2017

Cloud Storage:  Click the icon to read the full document on using cloud storage

1. Use cloud storage to access your files (most often pictures) from any computer whenever there is an Internet connection.

a. Access your files from your desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone

b. Access your files from any computer anywhere by logging into your cloud account

c. Set up an account to share files with family, friends or an organisation

2. Use Cloud Storage to back-up your files where they can never be lost

a. Back-up your most precious files with free cloud allowances and limited broadband speed

b. Back-up everything with paid for cloud and fast broadband

July 2016

All about Passwords:

Which passwords are most important. How to choose strong passwords AND REMEMBER THEM!  Please see this document for full details.

August 2016

Expect a major upgrade (looks like and is a complete new installation) of Windows 10 during August/September - “The Anniversary Edition”  effectively Windows 10.1. The only visible change is to the Start menu (all apps now shown automatically) but a lot of bugs are fixed and there are major upgrades to Cortarna, Ink and other features.

Review of features HERE (opens external PC magazine page).

September 2015

Virtual Reality now in Sturminster

Click for More Details

June 2017  Windows 10 Creator Edition

Microsoft started rolling out the “Creator” edition of Windows 10 in April. It is effectively Windows 10.2 and is a major re-install of Windows typically taking 90 minutes.

Most users will not notice any difference to the look and feel, it is mostly about incorporating 3D, and virtual/augmented reality support within Windows. There is a more logical arrangement to Settings and the Edge browser has two new icons (top left) to manage tabs / web pages.

Click here to go to Microsoft site for more details.

July 2019:   Windows computer running slowly?

Then have a look at what is starting up when you turn your computer on. Start typing Task Manager in the search box (in the task bar at the bottom of your screen) and Click on Task Manager when it appears above. Click ‘More Details’ if that shows. Click on the Start Tab. You can now see what your computer starts up when you switch on and you can ‘disable’ what’s not needed. For more advice with this or other performance issues bring your PC in to the centre. (Applies to Windows 10)

August 2019:          Mobile Phone Tips

Have you thought about programming some key numbers into your mobile phone? E.g. Bank(s), Breakdown Service, your Mobile Phone provider, a couple of friends or relatives listed under Emergency Contact 1 & 2 as well as their own names. Have you also thought about if your phone is lost or stolen, do you even have its number so that calls can be blocked? Do you have the IMEI number so that the handset can be locked completely? An IMEI number is unique to your handset and your provider will ask for it if you report it lost or stolen, locking your handset removes any gain for the thief if it was stolen. An IMEI is a 15 digit number sometimes printed on the handset, but which can be obtained in Settings or an ALL phones by dialling *#06# - write it down.

September 2019:    File Storage (Windows)

Storing files on your ‘Desktop’ slows down your PC because it scans the files whenever the Desktop is displayed. Store all files in folders (Documents, Pictures etc), the new Quick Access facility in File Manager will quickly show you all the files you have recently worked on.

October 2019:        Cleaning Touchscreens

Not very technical really but people have done this: Touch screens (including all smart phones and tablets) should not be cleaned whilst they are switched on. Countless buttons/icons can be pressed and options and switches changed by giving the screen a vigorous clean whilst the device is powered on!

November 2020:     Microsoft / Apple / Google Android Accounts

We have noted that the use of existing Email addresses to set up accounts with Microsoft / Google/ Apple causes considerable confusion and complications (unless the existing account is Outlook or Hotmail / GMail / Icloud respectively). We now recommend always taking the option to get a new Email address (Outlook for Windows computers, GMail for Android and iCloud for Apple) to use as the account for your device. You can of course carry on using any existing Email address as normal.

December 2019:  Buying Smartphones & Laptops;    Duplicate files

We have seen a number of people buying smart phones and computers off the shelf in places like Tesco and Argos. Whilst the price of this technology is a huge bargain for what it does, the very cheapest ones simply do not have enough memory. They will work out of the box but it’s not long before they start saying they can’t do things through lack of space and can’t update. The minimum permanent memory (RAM) for a Smartphone is 16Gb and on a Laptop 128GB. If you are paying more for a higher end device then double these figures to make it future proof. See here for more details and what various memory types mean and do (document coming soon).

On similar lines: Chromebook Laptops look very cheap, but be aware they are not a brand of Windows PC, they are a very different device where everything is kept in ‘the cloud’ (on-line) and can be cheaper because there is little internal storage and software (such as the word processor) is also in the cloud.

Short of space? Copied the same pictures from your camera several times? We found “Duplicate File Deleter” in the Windows store (free version).

March 2016

SAVING PRINTER INK:  Some fonts use significant less ink (or toner) than others. Compared to the most common TimesNewRoman or Ariel, the font Garamond used 28% less ink.

The stationers Ryman offer a free font saving 33% on the most common fonts. Search “ryman eco font”, go to the site and look for the download button in the top right corner of the page.

February 2016

SYSTEM RESTORE:  Should you download or install something that upsets your system, Windows has a Restore function that can restore all the system files to how they were on particular date (i.e. before the something that went wrong) – your personal files are not reverted.

This is not always switched on in Windows 10 because it needs significant disc space which some Windows phones and tablets do not have (but most laptops and desktops do have).

Once switched on, should something go wrong you can restore yourself or make it much easier for the Learning Centre or a professional to get your computer back to normal.

Full details are in this PDF document.

See also May 2016 article for backing up your personal files.

Digital Phones & Full Fibre (Oct 2022)

BT is planning to switch off the analogue phone network in 2025. All telephone providers will have to have converted their customers to digital phones by that date.

The following is what will happen for BT customers, other providers will follow similar process and provide similar services.

The advantages:

 Crystal Clear Calls

 More reliable service (except in a power cut)

 Members of a household can all make calls at the same time (obviously each with a digital phone but sharing the single phone line)

 Free services (that used to cost extra): Voicemail, Call Protect, Call Waiting, Caller Display, 3-Way Calling, Call Diversion, Withhold Number.

The process:

BT are offering conversion to digital to customers in rotation and when changing or renewing a contract. You can request conversion if the service is ready in your area. You get a letter with details about four weeks before the switch.

There is no cost to customers, a hub and one digital phone are provided and your contract stays the same. Digital phones talk to the hub wirelessly, they need to ‘register’ with the hub when first turned on, instructions come up on the phone’s screen.

Your existing phone(s) can still be used in addition but the phone’s base station must be plugged into the hub (Green socket, possibly covered by black tape) and not into the wall socket(s) – which are redundant.

If your old phone cannot be placed near the hub there is a simple adaptor that enables it to be placed anywhere there is a power point.

There is no change to the way you use your phone except that you cannot leave off the dial code for local numbers (01258 for most readers).

Full Fibre

Not to be confused with switching to digital phones. Full Fibre just increases the speed of your internet connection (and further increases reliability).

Again taking BT as an example: When full fibre is available BT Openreach will run a new fibre cable from the street to the entry point to your house and a new master socket is installed in the house. That socket requires mains power and for the hub to be plugged into that master socket. If you do not have power near the present master socket and/or cannot place the hub there, the engineer can create a new entry point to the house up to a reasonable distance.

There is no extra charge from many BT packages to switch to 120GB fibre. You can switch to even higher speeds at extra cost.