COVER FEATURE

BEST NEW
PC SKILLS TODAY!
YOU MUST LE A RN
There are always new tricks to master
to help you keep up with the latest
technology. Robert Irvine suggests
16 ways to expand your digital skills
and the best free tools to use

I
n December, BT published research that in BT’s list, but technology is constantly
highlighted the importance of learning evolving and there are always new skills to
WHAT YOU CAN DO new digital skills among the older learn if you want to keep up with the latest
• Make your video calls better generation. Its report (see www.snipca. changes. In this feature, we recommend
quality com/44641) found that 39 per cent of older 16 secret PC tricks you should master to
• Secure and schedule email adults feel they aren’t ‘tech savvy’, but are expand your digital expertise.
messages still keen to master new technology. It listed We reveal how to perform activities
• Manage files on your PC like an 40 digital skills that the over-60s have you’re already familiar with in a faster,
expert learnt in the past 10 years, which ranged smarter and safer manner, and suggest the
• Improve your Wi-Fi and from basic everyday activities such as online best free software for these tasks. To keep
Bluetooth capabilities shopping, taking photos on a mobile phone things fresh and forward-looking, these all
• Capture audio and video from and streaming TV shows to more advanced involve using new programs or tools that
any source tech tasks including connecting to Wi-Fi, have been introduced in the last 12 months.
• Take control of your Windows setting up a VPN and using QR codes. Once you’ve mastered these skills, you can
software Most Computeractive readers should pass on that knowledge to your less
comfortably be able to tick off all 40 items tech-savvy friends and family members.

50 18 – 31 January 2023 • Issue 649

 BEST NEW PC SKILLS
YOU MUST LEARN TODAY!

IMPROVE YOUR VIDEO CALLS

1Enhance the quality of

your video calls
During the Covid lockdowns, millions of
Enhance the
quality of
video calls by
using Krisp
us discovered the benefits of making to remove
video calls on our PCs. Software such as background
noise
Zoom, Skype and Google Meet lets you
have free face-to-face chats with friends
and family anywhere in the world, so you
can stay in touch when you can’t meet in
person, and make group calls to several
people at the same time.
However, a common problem with
desktop video calls is poor sound quality.
Provided you and the person you’re
speaking to have decent webcams and are
sitting in adequately lit rooms, you can
usually see each other without any
problems, but you might not be able to
hear each other properly. Muffled audio, your PC, but no payment card details are page at www.snipca.com/44604 and
background noise and echoing voices can required. selecting ‘In Meeting (Advanced)’.
all affect the clarity – and your enjoyment Switch on ‘Automated captions’ ( 1 in
– of the conversation, almost as much as
accidentally muting your microphone.
To ensure all your future video calls are
2Display live captions
in video calls
Even when the sound in your video calls
our screenshot below) and optionally
‘Full transcript’ (which allows
participants to view the full transcript in
suitably clear and audible, install Krisp is relatively clear, you may not catch a side panel) and Save Captions (which
(www.snipca.com/44596) on your every word people say and vice versa, lets people save captions and transcripts).
computer. This program uses AI to especially if one of you suffers from In the Zoom video-call window, click the
remove background noise and echo from hearing difficulties. This is why it’s Live Transcript button (or the More
video calls, and enhance the quality of useful to know how to enable live button if you can’t see this) and choose
your voice. Specify which video-chat tool captions for your video conversations. As Enable Auto-Transcription 2 . Chat
you use, from options including Zoom, with subtitles on TV programmes, this participants can also request that the
Skype and Microsoft Teams, and Krisp feature transcribes speech in almost real feature be turned on.
will provide instructions for setting it up time, so you can read what other chat Skype makes displaying live
with that service. participants are saying even when you captions much easier. During a
In Zoom, for example, click the Settings can’t hear them. video call, select the Caption button
cog in the top-right corner, choose Audio Zoom used to reserve automatically to turn on the feature, then click it
and select Krisp Speaker and Krisp generated captions – or Live Transcription again to customise the caption settings.
Microphone from the Speaker and as it calls the feature – for its paid-for You can choose to show captions for
Microphone dropdown menus (see business plans, but now they’re available all the people you’re currently talking
screenshot above right) - Zoom offers its to free users, too. When you’re hosting a to, or for other participants but not
own ‘Suppress background noise’ option, video meeting, you can activate the yourself, and control where they appear
but Krisp works better. Next, in the Krisp option by visiting your Zoom Settings in the call window.
software, ensure your computer’s default
microphone and speaker are selected,
and that Remove Noise is switched on for
both. You can test the noise reduction by
clicking Test Noise Cancellation and
recording yourself speaking.
When you start or join a video call, 1
you’ll see a Krisp widget above the chat
window, which shows that noise
reduction is active – you can switch it off
if necessary and launch Krisp manually if
the widget doesn’t appear.
Krisp is free for personal use and works
for 60 minutes of video calls per day. If
you need unlimited use, you can upgrade
to a Pro subscription for $8 (£6.60) per
2 Activate automatic
captions so nobody
month. You need to register with Krisp misses a word of
before you can download its software to your video calls

Issue 649 • 18 – 31 January 2023 51

 TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR EMAIL

3Disguise your email address

to stop spam 4Encrypt your private emails
Sending an email is one of the first digital
One of the best features in Mozilla
Thunderbird (www.snipca.com/42560)
key, so they can reply with their key and
send you encrypted messages. It’s simpler
than it sounds and is an important skill
skills most of us learn, but protecting is the ability to secure your emails using to master if you value your privacy.
your email address from junk messages end-to-end encryption, so that only
requires expert know-how. In the past,
the easiest option was to use a disposable
email service, but this made it difficult to
you and the recipient can read them.
The latest version of the email program
(102) makes this even easier to do.
5Schedule emails to send later
Unlike in France, where employees
can legally ignore work-related emails
retrieve messages containing important To enable the option, click the three- outside office hours, we in the UK send
information and to reply to emails. line menu button in the top-right corner and receive messages throughout the day
A much smarter way to avoid spam, of the main Thunderbird window and and night. But it’s useful to know how to
scams and data leaks due to security choose Account Settings, then select schedule emails to be sent at times when
breaches is to use DuckDuckGo’s Email End-to-End Encryption. You now need to they have the best chance of being read
Protection service. Launched last August, create an encryption key for your emails and responded to. Hammering out a
this gives you an alternative ‘@duck.com’ using the secure OpenPGP standard. message at 3am may help you get
email address that you can share with Click ‘Add Key’ (see screenshot below), something off your chest, but can
websites. The service then forwards select ‘Create a new OpenPGP key’ and also appear strange to the recipient
messages to your usual inbox without click Continue. Choose your email several hours later.
revealing your real address. Unlike rival address in the Identity menu, specify
services, it lets you create an unlimited how many years your key should work
number of fake addresses for free, so if for – or select ‘Key does not expire’ – and
one of them starts forwarding junk to click ‘Generate key’. Click ‘Confirm’ and
your inbox, you can simply switch to a Thunderbird will generate your OpenPGP
new one. It also lets you reply to messages key, which consists of a public and a
sent to your Duck (@duck.com) address. personal part and will appear in the
To use DuckDuckGo Email Protection OpenPGP Key Manager.
on your PC, install the DuckDuckGo To send someone an encrypted
Privacy Essentials extension for message, you first need them to email
Chromium browsers (www.snipca. you their public encryption key. Open the
com/44608) and Firefox (www.snipca. email containing this key and double-
com/44607) – note that this changes your click the attachment that ends in ‘.asc’.
default search engine to DuckDuckGo. Click ‘Import’ to save the key in
You can schedule emails for Gmail to send
Visit the DuckDuckGo Email website Thunderbird. Once this is done, click the later at a more appropriate time
(www.snipca.com/44609), click Get Write button or press Ctrl+N to compose
Started and follow the instructions to set a new message to that person. Click the To delay sending an email in Gmail,
up your first Duck address. You can Encrypt button if it isn’t already selected, click the down arrow next to the Send
create subsequent addresses either by then type and send your email. Your button and select ‘Schedule send’. Either
clicking the extension’s toolbar button own public encryption key will be choose one of the three suggested times
and choosing Generate Private Duck automatically attached to the email, so or click ‘Select date and time’ (see
Address or clicking that option on your the recipient – and nobody else – can screenshot above) to specify precisely
account page (see screenshot below). decrypt it and read its contents. when to send the email, then click
You can share your public key with ‘Schedule send’.
people you haven’t securely messaged In the Outlook desktop program, click
before by clicking the arrow next to the Options tab then the Delay Delivery
Attach and selecting My Open PGP Public button. Tick the ‘Do not deliver before’
Key. They will then receive an email box and select a date and time to send the
attachment containing the encryption email. On the Outlook website, click the
arrow next to the Send button, choose
‘Schedule send’ and click ‘Customised
time’ to specify the details.
Thunderbird still doesn’t offer an
email-scheduling option, but you can get
the feature by installing an add-on. Click
the three-line menu button, select
‘Add-ons and Themes’ and search for
send later. Click ‘Add to Thunderbird’
next to the matching add-on and click
Add. When you compose a message, click
Disguise your email address by creating a Create an OpenPGP key in Thunderbird to the new Send Later button on the toolbar
Duck address to share with websites secure your emails using encryption to schedule a date and time.

52 18 – 31 January 2023 • Issue 649

 BEST NEW PC SKILLS
YOU MUST LEARN TODAY!

MANAGE YOUR FILES LIKE AN EXPERT

6Unlock and delete

locked files
It’s always frustrating when you try to
menu – or click More Options to customise
dupeGuru’s duplicate detection – then
click Scan.
delete, move or rename a file or folder, Results appear in a new tab, with the
only to be told that ‘access is denied’. The original versions of files highlighted in
error message may say that the item is in blue. Tick the boxes next to all the
use by another program, or you don’t duplicates you want to remove – or press
have permission to perform the action, Ctrl+A to select them all – then press
but Windows won’t tell you which Ctrl+D to delete them. Click ‘Details’ (see
program or service is locking the file. screenshot left) to preview images before
Rather than ignore the stubborn item, you bin them, and Dupes Only to show
you can use a new option in Microsoft only copies of files, not the originals.
PowerToys (www.snipca.com/44585) to Keep your PC free of duplicate files by running
determine which background process on
your PC is restricting your access, and
regular scans with dupeGuru
8Recover accidentally
deleted files
free the file or folder from its clutches.
The feature is called File Locksmith
and was introduced in version 0.64 of
7Find and delete
duplicate files
One of the most common requests we get
When you accidentally delete an
important file from your PC, and it’s not
in the recycle bin, it’s worth trying a
the free system utility suite, which was from readers is to recommend a way to file-recovery program to rescue the lost
released in November. delete duplicate files – particularly item. But many ‘free’ tools force you to
To use it, first ensure that PowerToys is photos. Now that many of us transfer files upgrade to their paid-for versions to
running in Administrator mode, then back and forth between numerous restore data – essentially charging you to
click the File Locksmith option and sources – including our phones, online get back your own content. To avoid this
switch on Enable File Locksmith. storage and USB sticks – it’s easy to frustration and cost, download WinfrGUI
Right-click the locked file or folder, accumulate several copies of the same (www.winfr.org) to safeguard you against
choose ‘What’s using this file?’ and File item, but more difficult to locate and future loss.
Locksmith will reveal the process remove them all. Based on Microsoft’s command-line
responsible. Click ‘End task’ next to it To avoid wasting valuable hard-drive tool Windows File Recovery, this app lets
(see screenshot below) to close the space on unwanted duplicates, run regular you recover unlimited photos, videos,
program or service, and unlock the item scans with dupeGuru (www.snipca. documents and other files for free.
so you can delete, move or rename it. com/43800). This excellent free tool was Simply select the drive or partition that
If File Locksmith can’t help, download updated last year to improve its accuracy you want to scan for deleted files – this
and run the free tool ThisIsMyFile (www. (previously it was erroneously marking can be a hard drive, SSD, memory card or
snipca.com/44584), which unlocks and some files as duplicates) and make it USB stick – then choose a folder to
deletes locked files “with no ifs or buts”. easier than ever to find and delete ‘dupes’. restore the files to.
Either drag the undeletable file into the Click the plus sign in the bottom-left Decide whether to perform a Quick
program’s Files/Folder box or click the corner of the program window to select Scan or a more thorough Deep Scan, then
Browse button to find and select it. Click the drive or folder(s) you want to scan, click Start Recovery (see screenshot
‘Unlock’ to free the file from the then choose an Application Mode – below). WinfrGUI will then find, recover
unknown process, then click Delete. For Standard checks for copies of all file and list deleted files. To save time in
particularly stubborn items, select types, while the Music and Picture modes future, click Advanced Settings before
‘Reboot & Delete’ to shut down your focus on audio and image files. Select scanning to specify which file types to
system and remove the file on start-up. ‘File name’ or Contents in the Scan Type look for and which folders to search.

Use File Locksmith to find out which process is locking your files (Word, Download WinfrGUI to easily recover important files you’ve
in this case) and free them accidentally deleted from any of your drives

Issue 649 • 18 – 31 January 2023 53

 BEST NEW PC SKILLS
YOU MUST LEARN TODAY!

IMPROVE YOUR CONNECTIVITY

9Diagnose problems
with your Wi-Fi
It’s easy to take Wi-Fi for granted until it
stops working – and then you need to
figure out what’s gone wrong. Perhaps
your PC has disconnected from the
1
wireless access point, your internet signal
has mysteriously dropped or a rogue
device has connected to your network
and is slowing you down. We’ve
2
previously recommended Wireless
Network Watcher from NirSoft (www. Switch on ‘Nearby sharing’ in Windows to Keep your Wi-Fi password secret by using an
snipca.com/42076) as a way to detect the transfer large files between devices app that turns it into a QR code that you share
latter problem (see Issue 633, page 56)
and the prolific software developer now PC and phone or another computer. selecting the device. On your Android
offers another useful free Wi-Fi tool. To do this, you first need to ‘pair’ the phone or tablet, tap Share in an app and
Released last May, WifiDiagnosticsView devices – open the Settings app in press Nearby Share to scan for and
(www.snipca.com/44593) monitors your Windows 10 or 11, choose Devices, connect to Bluetooth devices.
Wi-Fi adapter for changes and tells you then ‘Bluetooth & other devices’ and Note that ‘Nearby sharing’ only works
exactly when they occurred. These ensure Bluetooth is switched on. Click if your PC’s Bluetooth adapter uses at
include instances when it scans for ‘Add Bluetooth or other device’ (‘Add least version 4 of Bluetooth. You can
available networks, connects to and device’ in Windows 11), choose Bluetooth check which version you have by
disconnects from an access point, is and select the device to connect to. downloading a new program called
subject to a change in signal quality and Check that the six-digit PIN matches Bluetooth Version Finder (www.snipca.
other significant events. When a failure is on both devices then click Connect to com/43004), which saves you having to
detected, the tool provides an error code pair them. delve into the Windows Device Manager.
and description, so you can look it up To share small files, simply click the Click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’ if
online and diagnose your Wi-Fi problem. Bluetooth icon in your system tray (click you see a security warning.
It also tells you the SSID of your network, the small up arrow if you don’t see this),
the make of your adapter, whether
security is enabled and other useful
information.
choose ‘Send a File’ and click the device
you want to transfer the file to. Browse to
the file and click Open then Next to share
11Share Wi-Fi passwords
using QR codes
Android and iOS devices make it easy to
To keep WifiDiagnosticsView running it – tap or click Accept on the other connect to Wi-Fi networks by scanning
in the background, click the Options device to complete the transfer. QR codes with their cameras, and also let
menu and select Put Icon On Tray (see A better option, which allows for faster you generate a code for your own Wi-Fi
screenshot below). You can then click its and larger file transfers between Windows network that you can share with guests
system-tray icon to launch the program and Android devices (iOS devices use without disclosing your password.
whenever you need to check your Wi-Fi. AirDrop instead), is to activate ‘Nearby Although Windows doesn’t offer these
sharing’ on your PC. Open Settings and useful options, you can add both to your

10Send large files quickly

using Bluetooth
Many of us now use Bluetooth devices
click System, then ‘Shared experiences’
(Windows 10 only) and switch on ‘Nearby
sharing’ (see screenshot above). You can
PC by installing the free app WiFi QR
Code Scanner from the Microsoft Store
(www.snipca.com/44623). This allows
such as earbuds, hearing aids and fitness now share a file from Windows by you to scan a QR code and instantly
trackers, but the technology is also a great right-clicking it, choosing ‘Bluetooth connect to a Wi-Fi network by holding
way to quickly share files between your device’ in the ‘Send to’ menu and the code – whether it’s on a phone screen
or a physical card – in front of your
laptop’s camera, with no need to request
or type a lengthy password.
To generate a QR code for your own
Wi-Fi network, which you can print and
stick on the fridge or email to other
people, click the Create Code tab at the
top of the app window. Enter your
network’s name and password, and click
Generate QR Code ( 1 in our screenshot
above). Test that the new code works by
scanning it with your phone’s camera.
Click ‘Save QR Code File’ 2 to save the
code as an image file that you can print
WifiDiagnosticsView monitors your Wi-Fi for changes to help you diagnose problems and share as required.

Issue 649 • 18 – 31 January 2023 55

 CAPTURE MEDIA CONTENT FROM ANY SOURCE

12Record your screen

including audio
Knowing how to record videos of what’s
to capture. Alternatively, click the Fullscreen
Mode button on the floating toolbar to
record your whole screen. Click the
sign on the toolbar and pasting the file’s
URL. Click the Download Web Page
Content button to detect and download
happening on your screen is a very useful Sound button to choose an audio source every file on the specified page.
skill to master. Not only does it let you on your PC, such as your microphone Additionally, there’s a Down Right Now
show friends and family how to carry out (see screenshot below left), then click the extension for Chromium browsers (www.
specific tasks, but it also means you can Rec button to start recording – click it snipca.com/44629) and Firefox (www.
demonstrate problems you’ve been again or press F9 to stop. snipca.com/44630), which lets you
experiencing yourself to get the technical By default, PicPick saves videos in MP4 download files in DownZemAll by
support you need. Last year, the brilliant format, but you can reduce the file size clicking its toolbar button then choosing
free (for personal use) screen-capture (and quality) by recording them as GIFs Download or by right-clicking a
tool PicPick added a Screen Recorder instead, and adjust the video quality in download link then selecting ‘Save link’.
feature that lets you make videos of your the program’s Recording settings. To Note that DownZemAll may trigger a
desktop with accompanying audio, so record videos of longer than two minutes, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen
you can narrate what you’re doing and you need to pay $24 (£20) a year for the warning, but it’s safe to use so just click
create your own how-to guides of up to premium version of PicPick. ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’.
two minutes in length.

13Download streaming
audio and video
Most websites now prefer us to stream
14Copy text from
photos and videos
Optical character recognition (OCR) is
their content in our browsers rather than traditionally used to convert scanned
download it, which is annoying if you documents into editable text, but it can
want to save a video or music track to also now extract text from images you
play later. One way around this is to capture, receive via email and view in
install DownZemAll (www.snipca. your browser. Last October, Microsoft
com/44635), a fast and free download added an OCR tool to its PowerToys suite
manager that makes downloading (www.snipca.com/44585), which can
streaming content a doddle. copy text from anywhere on your screen
Simply click the Download Video/Audio – including within images and videos –
Stream button on the program’s toolbar so you can paste it elsewhere.
PicPick lets you record two-minute videos of and copy and paste the web address of To activate this new feature, open the
your screen complete with audio the stream – such as a YouTube or PowerToys Settings screen, click Text
SoundCloud URL – into the Download Extractor and switch on Enable Text
To use the new feature, download, box, then click Continue. Alternatively, Extractor (see screenshot below). Press
install and run PicPick (www.snipca. wait for DownZemAll to detect the media Windows key+Shift+T and your screen
com/44626) then click Screen Recorder content automatically. Select the format will turn grey. Drag your cursor over the
on the program’s ‘Pick a task’ screen or and resolution you want to save the file image or paused video you want to
right-click its taskbar icon and choose in, then click Start (see screenshot below) extract text from, then release your mouse
the option there. PicPick will then open a to download it to your PC. button to save the selected area to your
Recording Area window with a default You can also download other types of clipboard. Open the program you want to
size of 640x360 pixels – you can move files, including images, PDFs, documents use the copied text in, such as Microsoft
and resize this to cover the area you want and ZIP archives by clicking the blue plus Word or an email client, and either press
Ctrl+V or right-click and choose Paste to
Use DownZemAll
to download insert it into a document or message. Text
streaming Extractor couldn’t be easier to use and its
content that OCR is pretty accurate, but it’s worth
you can play double-checking the result.
whenever you
want

The new Text Extractor tool in PowerToys

copies text from images and videos

56 18 – 31 January 2023 • Issue 649

 BEST NEW PC SKILLS
YOU MUST LEARN TODAY!

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SOFTWARE

15Install software more

easily – without junk
Knowing how to install software is a
Control which updates Windows installs
rudimentary PC skill that usually All the tasks in this feature rely on allowing essential security updates.
involves little more than double- Windows running smoothly, but Download and run the program, and
clicking an EXE file and following the Microsoft’s ‘Feature updates’ can you’ll see a message in red saying ‘OS
on-screen instructions. However, if you interfere with this, and cause more upgrades are not under your control on
want to install multiple programs problems than they fix. Although you this system’. Click the Take Control
without having to visit individual can delay or disable these updates by button and this will change to a green
download sites and decline unwanted tweaking the registry or the Group message confirming that ‘You are in
junk during installation, the expert Policy Editor (in Windows 10 or 11 Pro), control of OS upgrades’, and no system
solution is to use a ‘package manager’. it’s much easier to use a new free tool updates will be installed until you click
The built-in Windows Package Manager called InControl (www.snipca. Release Control. You can tell InControl
– called Winget for short – relies on you com/44637). This keeps your version of which version of Windows you want to
typing complex commands into Windows at the current release and upgrade to – when it becomes available
Command Prompt, but you can make blocks Feature updates until you’re – by changing the numbers in the
things considerably easier by using ready to install them, while still bottom-left corner.
WingetUI (www.snipca.com/44639).
This new free tool lets you search
Winget’s database, and that of another one go, while the Installed Packages
package manager called Scoop, via a tab 4 lets you remove unwanted
simple interface that doesn’t require programs in a couple of clicks.
you to learn commands. Click WingetUI triggers a Microsoft
WingetUI’s Discover Packages tab ( 1 in SmartScreen warning, but it’s safe to
our screenshot below) to browse more use so click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’.
than 4,000 packages (junk-free
downloads) of popular free programs.
Double-click or right-click an entry and
choose Install 2 to download and
16Stop programs
slowing your PC booting
An increasing number of programs and
install the software. apps now set themselves to start
The Software Updates tab 3 tells you automatically when Windows launches. HiBit Startup Manager lets you delay startup
items that are slowing your PC
which installed tools have newer versions You may not even realise these tools are
available and lets you update them all in running, but they slow your PC by you the programs that have the highest
consuming valuable memory and impact on your system’s startup speed,
processing power that would be and lets you disable, delete or delay
1 3 4 better allocated to more them by right-clicking and choosing the
important tasks. Although you most suitable option (see screenshot
can use the Startup tab in the above).
Windows Task Manager to disable Should you choose to delay rather than
unnecessary startup items, it’s disable a ‘high impact’ but essential
2 equally useful to delay programs startup item, you can specify how long to
so they don’t all run at once and wait after Windows starts before it runs.
compete for system resources. Alternatively, choose Automatic Delay to
The excellent free tool HiBit set the program to run when a certain
Startup Manager (www.snipca. percentage of your processor or hard
com/44640) gives you full control drive is idle. Delayed items are listed at
over your startup items, allowing the bottom of HiBit Startup Manager’s
Install and update thousands of free programs in one you to significantly boost the main window, where you can right-click
place using WingetUI performance of your PC. It shows them to edit or remove the delay.

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Issue 649 • 18 – 31 January 2023 57