Readers’ TipsSend yourtips [email protected]– win aWeb User Back Issues disc! 7 - 20August 2019^71documents and ebooks should open in
Edge whenyou double-click them.A
toolbarat the top of the page offers
some usefulfeatures, while a pin icon on
the far right letsyou toggle betweena
fixedtoolbarat the top and a floating
toolbar that hides automatically when
you start reading a PDF, givingyou a
bigger page area.
Another usefultoolbarfeature is the
‘Read aloud’ button. As the name
suggests, thisconverts a PDF’s text int o
speech, which meansyou can turn an
ebook into an audiobook.You can then
sit back and listen to it rather than
reading it.When Edge starts speaking,a
new toolbar appears that letsyou choose
from one of threevoices and set the
reading speed using a slider.
Gareth Day, via email
GENERAL PC
Changeyour mouse pointers
Microsoftrecently overhauled its
mouse pointer options, allowingyou
to make them bigger and more visible
on the screen. Apparently, it’s all part
of thecompany’srecent driveto make
the platform more accessible. Myeyes
aren’t what they usedto be, so I’m
certainly notcomplaining!
To changeyour pointer’s size and
make it morecolourful, searchStart for
‘pointer size’. In the menu that appears,
you can adjust the cursor’s size usinga
slider. Below thisyou’ll see the optionto
‘Change pointercolour’. Ifyou want
something other than thestandardWhite
or Black, click thecolour wheel. Finally,
you can adjust the cursor’s thickness,
which is useful ifyou often lose track
of it while typing.
Dave Greggs, via email
APPLE
GetiCloud onWindows 10
At last, Apple and Microsoft have
developed aWindows 10 iCloud app
(bit.ly/icloud481). One ofmy biggest
problems with Apple is that it’s so
insular, and I know othersfeel the
sameway, so this partnership can
only be a good thingfor cus tomers.
Like OneDrive, the new iCloud app
integrates with File Explorer, which
makes it much easierto sy nc allyour
media and files onyour computer.
Michael Seward, via emailSOFTWARE
Uninstall any program
One ofmy biggestcomputing bugbears
is when I install a new program
temporarilyto try it out, then discover
that I’mstuck with it because it doesn’t
appear in the Uninstall section of the
Control Panel. For an yone else who has
been frustrated by this, I have good
news: download the free IObit Uninstaller
(bit.ly/iobu481). Open the program, click
the Tools icon, then choose Easy
Uninstall(or use thekeyboard shortcut:
Ctrl+Alt+U). A target icon appears
on your screen. Drag the crosshairsover
any programyou want to remove –
literally setting the program inyour
sights – and thetool will ask whetheryou
wish to Uninstall or Delete the software
(you may see other options,too,
depending on the program). Makeyour
choice, confirm it in the pop-up and IObit
Uninstaller takes care of therest. Don’tforget to right-click the target andexit
Easy Uninstaller whenyou’ve finished.
Arthur Haskell, via emailBROWSERS
AddGoogle Chrome activity
to Windows 10 Timeline
I’m a bigfan of Windows 10 Timeline
because it lets me jump quicklyto files
I’ve openedrecently. However, becauseI
don’t use Microsoft
Edge – at least, not
until Edge Chromium
is finallyreleased–
Timeline has been
next to uselessfor
accessing web pages
I visited in Chrome. If
this problem sounds
familiarto you, I
recommend
Microsoft’s Chrome
extensionWeb
Activities (bit.ly/timeline481). Once
installed, it addsyour Google Chrome
browsing history to Wi ndows’ Timeline.
Heather Jules, via emailBLUNDER OF THE FORTNIGHTHave you managedto fix a PC-related disaster?
If so, please sendyour story [email protected]. ukWindows 10 is amazing, but sometimes
whenyou try to update it through the
Settings app, it gives no indication that
anything is wrong untilyou realise that
it’s stuck. When I updated fromversion
1803 to 1903,for example, the
downloadtook six hoursto reach 100%
and thenstayed there, even whilemy
laptopwas in Battery Saver mode.
When I noticed this, Iran the
troubleshooter and discovered a WU
DatabaseCorruption problem.
If Windows Update had run the
troubleshooterat the beginning of the
process instead – when it says
‘Checkingfor Updates’ – and then
applied fixes automatically, maybeIDon’t waste time on Windows UpdatesGENERAL PCwouldn’t have wasted my day tryingto
download acorrupted update.
I paused updates to avoid repeating
the problem, then downloaded the
Cumulative Updates from the
Microsoft Update Catalog and installed
the Microsoft Update Standalone
Package, whichcontains aversion of
the file that isn’tcorrupted. Now I have
to download and installfeature
updates using the WUA,rather than
leavingWindows Update to detect it. If
Microsoft integrates this into a future
feature update, maybe users will be
less reluctantto update and waste a
chunk of their day, as I did.
Giovanni Gesugrande, via emailView your Chrome
browsing history in
your TimelineMicrosoft’s latest accessibility options
make your mouse pointer easier to see
A new iCloud app lets you sync between
Apple’s online storage and Windows 10Uninstall any program quickly and easily
with IObit Uninstaller