Stopping employees from making changes to their PCs is something that businesses have been keen on for years, and it’s something that’s available to home users, too. Implementing user accounts is a step in the right direction, but it’s not the end of the story.

Windows SteadyState is a free tool for XP and Vista, which provides a fine degree of control over what individual users are able to do. Restrictions can be put in place to prevent users from running particular programs, viewing certain websites, using system tools or accessing drives and devices SteadyState also includes a disk protection feature that can be used to retain the state of Windows and block any modifications to the system. Users are permitted to make certain changes within their account, but these can then be reversed automatically after a pre-defined period of time or at the next restart of the system.

Sensible restrictions ... read more »

You may have noticed a story in the news yesterday about a fake "dislike button" application in Facebook that tries to trick the user into completing a survey, for which the scammers receive payment. It spreads by updating the status of an infected user to "I just got the Dislike button, so now I can dislike all of your dumb posts lol!!" The user's friends can then click through to get the button themselves. The application that's installed doesn't work as a dislike button. ... read more »

52 Windows Fixes

We know that Windows isn't perfect and at some point it will throw up errors that just don't mean a thing to you. That's why in the latest issue of PCAnswers we've sifted through more than 50 of the most common Windows irritations that don't have obvious solutions and presented them in an easy to read format for you to keep at your PC at all times.

PLUS...

There's 12 pages of other Helpdesk questions and answers to help you solve issues with XP, Vista or Windows 7.

Also this month... ... read more »

Making home videos and slideshows has been a staple of Windows since XP, but even Vista’s built-in tool didn’t do the best job. But since the Windows Live team has been developing a set of tools to better those found in Vista and XP. That’s why Windows 7 doesn’t have these features by default, you have to download them, and the new Windows Live Movie Maker is a brilliant free way of making photo and video movies. The whole editing process is a lot easier than you would think. Even adding cool effects and uploading to YouTube is only a mouse click away. ... read more »

Dig deeper into Chrome's interface to unlock its secret power with these super tips

Tab history
Show a list of sites that have recently been visited in the current tab by right clicking the back or forward button.

Drag and drop downloads
Most browsers do not allow downloads to be dragged and dropped into another folder, but with Chrome you can grab any downloaded file and drop it into a new location. ... read more »

There's plenty of new videos online at our dedicated YouTube channel. Head on over to www.youtube.com/PCAnswersMagazine to view the new videos and don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already done so. Just up are videos on how to manage your font collection in Windows, how to print more efficiently from the internet and how to extend your battery life in Windows. You'll also find dozens more videos on our YouTube channel which will help you get more from your PC. Enjoy!

It’s quite satisfying to eek a little extra performance out of your PC without installing any new hardware, and this is a fairly simple procedure.

The memory in your computer will be set up in one of two ways. If it’s a high-end PC then you should find that your memory is asynchronous, which means its frequency can be adjusted independently of the frequency of your processor. Cheaper PCs tend to feature synchronous memory, which means its frequency is tied directly to the processor’s. If your computer is in the latter category then unfortunately you may not be able to overclock your memory at all. Overclocking involves a little tweaking of your BIOS settings, and a lot of patience. ... read more »

Keeping in touch with your friends and family has never been easier. Facebook has made socialising a quick and simple process, and it’s great for sharing your photos with others, too. Adding an image works in a similar way to any other kind of update, and you can manage who is able to see it. ... read more »

Flickr is the tool of choice when it comes to sharing and editing photos online. It puts many other sites to shame because you can upload huge files at original dimensions, quickly edit them, group them and receive feedback from some of the world’s best photographers. However, its super-clean interface doesn’t always show off the best features of this top web app. We’ve picked five of the best things to do with Flickr that will change the way you work with your digital photos. ... read more »

Prevent Windows freezes

This month we reveal the very best tips for stopping Windows lockups, from stuttering applications to browser crashes. We show you how to spot problems before they occur and how to remedy errors that do crop up.

Master HD video making

In this month's Explained! section we look at how to shoot and edit HD video. Our 16-page masterclass uses Adobe Premiere Elements to edit raw footage, add effects and even mix audio tracks alongside your videos. With dozens of tips you'll be editing video like a pro in no time.

Your PC problems solved! ... read more »