2020-12-01 Computer Shopper

possible combinations and sequences SOFTWARE BUGS
of words you could ask a word The word ‘bug’ is commonly used to refer to
processor to work on. Testers are faced
with the challenge of selecting a tiny defects in software, both in the mainstream

subset of this huge set because they media and by programmers. Coders often use
have a limited amount of time to run the phrase ‘debugging’ to refer to the
the tests and analyse the results.
They hope that their choice provides all-too-familiar process of finding and
reasonable coverage of the system, correcting errors that have resulted in the

finds most of the defects, or achieves incorrect operation of a program. You might
some balance of these goals,” he says.
be interested to learn that, in the early days
Despite the difficulties, however, of computing, the inevitability of correcting
trends in software engineering are software errors wasn’t appreciated.
providing ever better solutions to Until, that is, the penny dropped to ⬆ The first ever software bug, a moth that halted the
achieve these goals, and one of Harvard University Mark II computer in 1947
these is automated testing – that is, Maurice Wilkes, one of the masterminds
using software to test software, as behind the University of Cambridge’s pioneering EDSAC computer, which is generally
Reid elaborated. acknowledged to be the world’s first stored program computer that was put to real-world use.
“By June 1949, people had begun to realise that it was not so easy to get programs right as at
“If we need tests to be reusable – an one time it appeared,” Wilkes later explained.

attractive characteristic if we need to “I well remember when this realisation first came on me with full force. The EDSAC was on the
run tests again after a fix or system top floor of the building, and the tape-punching and editing equipment one floor below… It was on
update – or we want to automate test one of my journeys between the EDSAC room and the punching equipment that, hesitating at the
execution, then we will need to use a angles of stairs, the realisation came over me with full force that a good part of the remainder of
scripted approach in addition to my life was going to be spent in finding errors in my own programs.”

exploratory testing. The long overdue You’ll notice that Wilkes never used the word bug; in fact, software quality experts often
‘silver bullet’ of full test automation is discourage its use. The reason, apparently, is that having a bug in your software doesn’t sound
yet to arrive, with, on average, still less as damning on the programmer as referring it to as a defect or an error and this, they argue,
than half of all tests being run by tools results in errors not being taken seriously enough.
after many decades of test automation But how did the word ‘bug’ come to mean a software fault? The first ever bug to cause a
hype from tool vendors,” he says. computer to behave incorrectly wasn’t an error in the software but a real bug, specifically a moth
that had become trapped between the contacts of a relay. The date was 9th September 1947, and
So what about beta testing, and the computer was the Mark II at Harvard University.
where does that come into the mix?
DBBEEEFTFAEOCTUTENSSDTTOIHNTAGHTCEWRAOWNUFISLINDEDNOT big data to support their testing, while
Reid explains, “Alpha testing, in others it’s like taking a time machine
performed by the testers at the ⬇ Software testing But while a beta testing programme back to the 1970s before many even
development site, will ideally find the is increasingly an can undoubtedly reap benefits, it also considered software testing to be a
automated process poses its own problems. profession,” he tells us.
majority of defects in a system. using tools such as
However, the effectiveness of this Tosca from Tricentis “Beta testing can find defects that Interestingly, Reid foresees not so
testing is limited by two major would not be found otherwise, but much techniques becoming ever more
constraints. First, the testers are often care must be taken lest the users are sophisticated and hence capable for
ignorant of how end users will actually given a bad impression of system finding ever more errors, but of
use the software. Second, this testing is quality, which, in today’s world, they increasing sophistication having to be
limited by the availability of real-world can easily share,” Reid notes. used to test progressively more
test environments. For instance, the complicated software.
“A second problem is that users
tester of a mobile phone app will not are notoriously poor at reporting “A good example is AI. AI-based
have access to every different type of defects, which means that many systems create brand new challenges
Android phone, every version of the defects go unreported, with users for testers, but AI also opens up new
Android operating system, and every instead spending their time finding opportunities for both replacing
different network type in the world. workarounds. Often, a more effective previously manual tasks and performing
One solution is to use beta testing, approach to beta testing is to use a analyses that were not even possible
where an early version of the system is crowd-testing approach, where typical before,” he says.
provided to end users for them to use users are paid to report defects.”
in their own environments.” A discussion of software quality – or
TESTING TIMES AHEAD the lack of it – could be depressing, so
to close on a high note, we’ll quote
So what of the future? Is software Reid’s response to our query as to
testing a mature technology or is it an whether software is of a higher quality
area of ongoing research? Reid paints a than it once was.
somewhat mixed picture.
“I believe that today’s systems, on
“The practice of software testing average, are of considerably higher
varies dramatically from place to place. quality than their predecessors. As
In some organisations, you’ll find the software technology advances, so does
testers at the leading edge, using AI and software testing,” he explains.

“We have to improve our testing to
test ever more complex systems and, at
the same time, we try to adopt new
technologies wherever we believe they
can improve our testing.”

98 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394



When radio went gaga
for computer programs

The sound of a program loading into an 8-bit computer is hardly music to
anyone’s ears but, as David Crookes explains, that didn’t stop pioneering
broadcasters taking it to the airwaves

T here was a time, not too long ago, right, and their warblings would not be Angels – only they didn’t know what they
when children would nip to their committed to the tape. were getting until the sounds were passed
bedrooms on a Sunday afternoon, into their BBC Micro or ZX81.
tune into BBC Radio 1 and record their In July 1983, however, listeners were
favourite chart tunes on to cassette. hoping to catch a different kind of tune: the The tuneless ‘tune’ was broadcast
sort of scratching, beeping, high-pitched across Bristol on the independent station
It ended up being something of an art noises that accompanied the loading of Radio West as an experiment to show
form. Down went the play, record and pause software into a computer from a cassette. that computer programs could be sent
buttons, with the latter released whenever a over the airwaves.
decent song was played as part of the Top 40 Not for them True by Spandau Ballet, The
chart rundown. Then it would be pressed Police’s Every Breath You Take or Rod By loading the streamed data broadcast
again as soon as the DJ began to talk. Time it Stewart’s Baby Jane. The big hit in their mind over both the station’s medium wavelength
was an image of Cheryl Ladd from Charlie’s and FM into their computers, listeners would

100 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

RETRO

⬆ This newspaper cutting (top) shows the first program to be transmitted by Datarama – a chunky Teletext-like graphic of Cheryl Ladd. The program displayed
a single pane of the image

see a Teletext-style image inspired by a presented by DJs, so the Datarama idea obtained approval, the gears were set in
photograph taken from an edition of the fitted nicely.” motion and everything was ready for the
London Evening Standard printed in 1975. show’s fourth instalment.
GOING ON AIR
“I’d been playing around with The pair’s experiments showed that they
microcomputers such as the Tangerine At first, the pair experimented with a few merely needed to take an audio cassette
6502, ZX80 and BBC Micro for a while, overnight test transmissions. containing a computer program and copy it
and I’d got a job as an audio engineer at to the reel-to-reel tape that Datarama was
Radio West,” explains Joe Tozer, who came “In those days stations would shut down recorded on to. This didn’t require any
up with the idea. overnight and broadcast a tape loop with the tweaks and, to the pair’s surprise, the
station’s ID, test tones, start and end times signal was more robust on the AM signal
“In those days – the late 1970s and early and other bits of promo information, so we when compared to FM.
1980s – micro computers used audio put a segment in the tape loop with an
cassettes to store their programs and, announcement and micro computer data. “This was probably due to the high levels
since the radio station broadcast audio, It worked well immediately,” Tozer explains. of audio compression used,” Tozer says.
I figured we could use the airways to
distribute computer programs.” “PTJIHHUTEOSWTDNABAESRT-NIAON’TRASAADPMSCRTAAEASSITDTEIEONPAOTNEFPTDIHMTBTAUYETSDDWICJNOAsIC,UNSELDOLDY”

This evolved into the idea for a But in order to begin broadcasting A local newspaper article claimed the
magazine programme about the evolving during on-air hours, they needed to get broadcast was about to make history,
world of personal computers. Called the nod from the Independent becoming “the first in the world to transmit
Datarama, it ended up being broadcast Broadcasting Authority. data information that can be programmed
each Monday between 7.30pm and 8pm, into computers during a live programme”.
and it was Tim Lyons, the station’s chief “This took a while, so the first three
engineer, who pushed the proposal with episodes of Datarama were just the This wasn’t strictly true. On 15th
the programming team. magazine programme with no computer December 1977, Computer Shopper’s very own
data included,” Tozer recalls. But once they Mel Croucher had broadcast a videogame
“The station’s programme management
was very supportive of the idea because one
of the conditions of the station’s licence was
that it should broadcast innovative and
different content,” says Tozer.

“It wasn’t a station that would just
broadcast pop music and phone-ins

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 101

RETRO

⬆ Radio West began broadcasting in 1981 as a ⬆ Joe Tozer put a segment of computer code in the radio station’s tape loop
competitor to BBC Radio Bristol, with Datarama
going on air two years later. It closed in 1985 the Radio Victory logo and the line of a show’s producers had gone to the bother
famous song beneath it. By guessing the title of commissioning the development of a
over the airwaves, making use of Radio of the song and calling up DJ Dave Carson, tape format called BASICODE, which allowed
Victory’s 257FM waveband as well as the they’d win a £5 gift token. data and programs to be shared across
medium wave in the south of England. different 8-bit platforms.
Then, in the same year, the Dutch
PET owner Croucher had been given a broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting Such a need became obvious as they’d
job creating a series of radio pub quizzes, began transmitting software on a radio found the need to air numerous versions to
and he decided it would be a great idea to show called Hobbyscoop. What’s more, that suit different computers – notably the Tandy
distribute a puzzle quest game on air, have
listeners load it, solve it, and call the radio
station with the answer.

Croucher had formed the UK’s first
dedicated videogame company, Automata,
with Christian Penfold, and the broadcasts
became a regular gig every Thursday night
as its popularity grew. Prizes were handed
out to those who managed to the ring the
station with the correct answer first, and
the broadcasts continued for years.

Sinclair User revealed news of a
competition, which began on the station
on a Saturday in June 1983, describing how
the program would include a screen of text,

⬆ Mel Croucher (centre) was the first person in the world to transmit computer programs by radio in 1977

102 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

⬆ Educational program code aimed at teachers and students proved the most popular broadcasts on Radio West

TRS-80, Commodore PET, Apple II and Exidy Bascoder apps were also broadcast). They planet, or even in different parts of the UK, in
Sorcerer – to be rather cumbersome. refined this in 1984 with BASICODE 2, and it those times was almost impossible.”
went down very well with listeners.
By creating an Esperanto-like coding Similarly, Simon N Goodwin, co-presenter
system and having it in place in 1982, the GETTING FEEDBACK of The Computer Show on Radio Wyvern,
Dutch broadcasters needed to air only one didn’t know about Tozer’s broadcasts when
set of code, which could be run through a Tozer was not aware of these initiatives. “We he sent an animated BASIC Christmas card to
translation app called Bascoder, produced were all in our little local bubbles, so knowing Tandy TRS-80 and Spectrum users in 1983 –
for each machine (for good measure, the what might be happening elsewhere on the the same year, incidentally, that the Ventilator

⬆ Visit World of Spectrum (tinyurl.com/394retro1) and you can download software broadcast by Hobbyscoop
in the Netherlands

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 103

RETRO

➡ Reports of Datarama were printed in many anyone who inadvertently switched on at the Datarama ran for a few years, its
computer magazines of the time, including this time of the data broadcasts, perhaps baffled magazine format mixing news, games
one in the July 1983 issue of Sinclair User as to what they may have been (some reviews and letters with short and long
new-fangled dance music, perhaps?). tech-based features on topics such as the
202 show on Radio Belgrade began music industry, business and schools, as
broadcasting Speccy games before “The feedback we received through the well as hints and tips.
branching out with a host of software. post – snail mail, as there wasn’t any email in
those days – was unremittingly positive and “The live broadcast of the bleeping noise
In all cases, listeners could plug their enthusiastic,” Tozer recalls. was kept relatively short to avoid
computers into the headphone jack of annoyance,” Tozer says.
their radio to run the computer program “We seemed to hit a chord with listeners.”
immediately or record the software on to
cassette and play it back later. Most of the
software that ended up being broadcast
was written in-house or by listeners.

“To avoid copyright issues on Datarama,
all the content for broadcast was written
by myself and Tim,” says Tozer.

So did some programs work better than
others? “From a technical point of view, all
computer programs worked equally well, as
they are all just the same set of audio tones
that contain the data,” Tozer explains.

“From a content point of view, the most
popular content was educational stuff aimed
at teachers and pupils. The only one I clearly
remember was a Morse code generator that
took keyboard text and played it back as
Morse. Since it was for schools I’d hidden a
profanity filter in the code to prevent
naughty words being played, and I got a
letter from a local school teacher roundly
thanking me for including it.”

Indeed, the broadcasts were so well
received that Tozer can’t recall receiving any
complaints, although you do have to feel for

IMAGE: Nicolas Temese MANAGE ADF FILES be used within an emulator on a media makes this a must-
ON AN AMIGA PC or Mac. But getting them to have tool. Go to www.
run on a real-life Amiga is a little bitplan.pl/goadf to find
Look for Amiga software online trickier, which is where the out more.
and you’ll find that programs shareware application GoADF
generally come in the form of comes in. CREATE A
floppy disk images, or ADF files DIGITAL TAPE
as they’re known to the Running on the Amiga, it EMULATOR
computer’s still bustling provides a management solution
community. This uncompressed for the ADF format, letting you Many modern
format replaces floppies and can see and explore the available Spectrum owners
files, read information and even use a device called a
mount ADF drives on a hard TZXDuino, which plugs powered virtual tape
drive attached to Commodore’s into the 3.5mm audio deck by squeezing TZXDuino
input port of the 8-bit hardware (which includes an
celebrated computers and allows the Arduino Nano and a microSD
machine. You’ll reading of .TZX and .TAP files card reader module) into the
need an Amiga directly from an SD card. It’s shell casing of a cassette,
with at least a marketed as a replacement for a while making good use of a
68000 CPU, 1MB cassette player, but some users recovered tape head from a
RAM, Kickstart feel it loses the charm of running car cassette adaptor.
2.0, a hard drive games from tape.
and a couple of Users select a file by
libraries, but Step forward this amazing pressing a button and
having quick little hack by a fellow going viewing the name on a 128x64
access to ADF files by the name of JamHamster display. The tape can then be
and the ability to (tinyurl.com/394retro2). His
copy files to real T2XCassette creates a battery-

104 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

RETRO

⬆ Programs were originally broadcast for the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro computers

“Then, overnight, we played what were that aspect,” says Tozer, who left after the first transmission, and on the day of the first
called the ‘night tapes’, when the station first dozen or so episodes, replaced as data broadcast, after the programme had
was off air. These had more, and longer, co-presenter by Martin Schimmer). finished, I recall one of the station’s
programs for more types of computers.” journalists, David Garmston, was seriously
But Tozer’s fondest memory is of that less than impressed, saying: “And now
In between, there would be specialist first broadcast, which he can recall as the moment you’ve all been waiting for:
advertising from local shops that sold though it was yesterday. BEEEEEEEEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEP.
computers, including Dixons (“the station’s Was that it?”
commercial management were happy with “Radio West had been heavily bigging up
the novel computer data aspect ahead of the

popped into the cassette deck titles as judged by a panel from NATIONAL Produced by Chris Baracani, who
and the file will be loaded into the University of Alicante. VIDEOGAME co-owns DevHour Games, it
the Spectrum. You can find MUSEUM IS allows visitors to gently peruse
instructions at GitHub (tinyurl. The deadline is 1st November, DOOMED the exhibits in Tourism Mode or
com/394retro3) if you fancy so if you fancy entering then else blast demons if you’re
having a go. you’ll have to be quick. The First of all, don’t feeling up for some action.
awards will be announced on worry: this isn’t a
JamHamster says that he’s 13th November, and they news story about Download the mod from
also considering creating a generally result in 40 or so the demise of the tinyurl.com/394retro5, where
small production run and original games being released for UK’s fantastic you’ll also find a couple of
popping a few on eBay with free, with past gems including National secret maps added by request to
a view to creating a Miss Input, Operation Alexandra Videogame the NVM’s owners. The 1980s
Kickstarter project. and Babas Palace. Find out more Museum in Sheffield – in fact, as arcade and the timeline of
by going to tinyurl.com/394retro4 of 22nd August, the NVM has console releases are certainly
CPC GAMES (use Google Translate if you been back open for business worth a look.
COMPETITION IS don’t speak Spanish). – check out www.
UNDER WAY thenvm.org/blog
for more details.
It’s game on yet again for Rather, this is
Amstrad CPC owners as the about the
eighth edition of a popular National
videogame development contest Videogame
gets under way. Museum in
Texas, which has
CPCRetroDev 2020 is once been re-created
again challenging game creators as a level in
to push Lord Sugar’s range of DOOM 2.
computers to the limit, with cash
prizes being offered to the best

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 105





HBeulpsifnilee&ss Hel

Whatever your PC, hardware, software, office application
or macro issues, Simon Handby is here to help

Send your problems to [email protected]

Router finding

I read your review of routers and mesh ⬆ Find the Asus router’s MAC address in the Clients page on the network map
systems in Shopper 390. My wife and I have
both been working from home due to the On the Vodafone hub, use the drop-down router’s WLAN port, but without bridge mode
pandemic and I am trying to revamp our box at the top of the admin interface to select this is far from ideal. The Vodafone router’s
home internet connectivity with an Asus Expert mode. Use the options to reserve the firewall would be applying network address
ZenWiFi AX dual-node system. IP address that you allocated to the Asus translation, designed to ‘hide’ the devices on
router, providing the MAC address you noted your network from direct internet traffic.
I’ve not seen anything recently in the down if required. Then connect an Ethernet However, the Asus router would be doing the
magazine to explain how you’re meant to cable between a port on the Vodafone hub’s same. This ‘double NAT’ configuration can
set up this kind of equipment with an switch and a switch port on the first Asus make it complex or impossible to allow
ISP-provided router. We have Vodafone’s router; don’t use its WLAN port. services through the firewalls.
Superfast 2 broadband with what the
mobile operator calls the WiFi hub – it’s a At this stage, you should be able to The best alternative to either setup is to
combined modem and router. I thought it connect to the Asus router’s wireless network buy the cheapest VDSL router you can find
would simply be a case of connecting and access the internet. Assuming this is the with a modem-only mode. Configure it for the
the ZenWiFi to a port on the Vodafone case, you can log back into the Vodafone Vodafone service by searching the Vodafone
router with an Ethernet cable, but I’m router and switch off its wireless network. forums for VDSL settings, then connect a
encountering terms I don’t really port from its switch to the Asus router’s
understand, such as ‘double NAT’ and The alternative configuration would be to WLAN port and configure this as you want it.
‘bridge mode’. connect the Vodafone router to the Asus

Unlike our previous Virgin router, the
Vodafone hub doesn’t seem to have a
modem mode. I’ve contacted Vodafone and
Asus technical support, but neither of them
can explain how best to set up the devices.
I’m particularly confused as to whether I
should connect my Asus router to the
Vodafone router using its WAN ports or
LAN ports. Can you help?

Alex Davies

Home hubs provided by the major ISPs are
usually fairly restricted, and it appears that
Vodafone’s example doesn’t have a modem-
only mode. Assuming that’s correct, there are
two main ways to set up your devices.

Number one is to use most of the features
of the Vodafone hub while using the Asus
system only as a powerful wireless access
point. Doing this involves logging into the
Asus management interface, entering the LAN
settings and setting the router’s IP address so
that it’s within the range being used by your
Vodafone hub. Before applying the change
you should also turn off the DHCP server, then
view the Clients page on the Network Map
and note down the LAN MAC address shown
for the router. You should also configure the
wireless network if you haven’t already.

108 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

HELPFILE & BUSINESS HELP

Light reads

I’ve noticed that I can buy books in an electronic format for
much less than printed books. I spend 14 weeks in France each
year and the rest of my time in the UK. It would be useful to be
able to read ebooks in both countries, as that would save me
having to carry actual books backwards and forwards. Is there
a program that I can install on my Microsoft PCs that will let
me read them? If I knew the format of the ebooks I could even
write my own reader software. Can you help?

Robert Gordon Smith

Probably the simplest option would be to buy the Kindle edition of
books via Amazon. Although it’s a proprietary system (you’ll need
Kindle software or a Kindle reader to access the books), there’s a
wide range of reasonably priced publications available. Perhaps as
importantly, it’s simple to browse your library and read directly
from your devices. There are apps for PC, Mac, iOS and Android,
and a range of purpose-built readers with E-Ink screens.

There are alternatives if you don’t fancy committing to
Amazon, such as Kobo’s similar ecosystem. In both cases you
can ‘sideload’ other ebooks that you’ve downloaded elsewhere,
provided they’re in a supported format and not protected by
digital rights management. This would let you take advantage of
other sources, such as the large library of free ebooks from
Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org).

It’s worth pointing out that you can download many ebooks in
PDF and other widely supported formats, letting you read them
with free software you might already have. Most readers (Kindle
excepted) support the ePub format, based on HTML. It’s an open
format, which might make it a suitable choice if you do want to
try writing your own reader app.

➡ It’s hard to beat the Amazon Kindle ecosystem, but there are alternatives

Age concern services if you don’t respond. Samsung’s ⬅ It’s not an Apple
Galaxy Watch 3 has a similar feature. Watch, but Age UK’s
I live on my own and am of advancing – wrist button isn’t
nay, advanced – years. It sometimes One potential drawback of relying on a too offensive
crosses my mind that, should I have a smartwatch is that it needs to be connected.
nasty turn or possibly a fall, nobody You’ll either need a watch with its own mobile reach your home’s Wi-Fi. If it’s critical that
would be any the wiser until it was too connection, or you’ll need to be within you should be able to summon help, we’d
late. The obvious answer is a mobile Bluetooth range of your phone, or able to recommend considering a purpose-
phone, and indeed I have a smartphone designed, standalone product. While we
that does many brilliant things. However, haven’t tested it ourselves, Age UK offers a
it is so brilliant, that in fear of dropping it personal alarm service with a choice of wrist
into the pond or compost heap, I tend to or pendant-based alert buttons.
leave it on the kitchen table.

A better solution would be a
smartwatch with the facility to send
out an emergency signal to one or more
contacts. But while it seems that
wearables can all monitor my idleness,
fitness and even impending diseases,
they lack the single feature I need.
Does anything fit the bill?

Name withheld

It’s not something we’ve focused on in
reviews, but in fact it is possible to turn
a standard smartwatch into an emergency
call button. Since the fourth generation,
the Apple Watch has had built-in fall
detection, which can be configured to
notify contacts and even the emergency

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 109

HELPFILE & BUSINESS HELP

⬆ The Pixma TS705 has a five-
ink setup, with pigment black
usually used on plain paper

Acetate modern

Recently, my old Canon Pixma iP4200 died.
One particular job I found that this printer
was very good at was producing artwork
on acetate for printed circuit board (PCB)
production. In Best mode it would print
very sharp, dense black. Please could you
recommend a replacement? I have tried a
couple of other printers, but they couldn’t
match the Canon.

Derek Jones

The Pixma iP4200 used a five-ink setup, which
paired dye-based black, cyan, magenta and
yellow inks with a pigment-based black ink.
Depending on the paper you were selecting in
the driver, it’s likely that you were getting
strong blacks from this pigment ink.

The iP4200 may be long dead, but
Canon’s five-ink system lives on.
Most affordably, you’ll find it in the
Pixma TS705 single-function
printer, which costs around £60.
While we haven’t specifically
tested this model with
acetate, we’d expect it to
match the print quality
you had before.

➡ Canon’s pigment ink ⬆ You’ll need a dense black ink for printed circuit board production
might be responsible
for dense black prints
on acetate

110 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

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112

UPYLGOARUPRATDOEP
Rather than a useless box
that has to be thrown away,
laptops can often be
upgraded and improved.
David Ludlow shows you
how to give your notebook
a new lease of life
113

W hile laptops may ABOVE: This laptop has a removable back panel, Slimline ultraportable laptops and
feel like a different which gives you access to all the components tablet convertibles, such as the Microsoft
beast to a desktop Surface Pro, are packed into sealed cases.
computer, sold as INTERNAL UPGRADES Memory and storage are often soldered
a single device, to the motherboard, preventing any
they still share the Most of the upgrades you’ll want to do will future upgrades.
same base DNA. In many cases this means take place inside the laptop, including Wi-Fi
that a laptop is upgradable, just like a card, memory and storage. In this section, Traditional-style laptops with slightly
desktop computer, letting you change we’ll take you through how to perform thicker cases are usually upgrade fodder.
storage, boost wireless performance, each one, but we have to say that not all These models are typically provided
upgrade memory and more. Even if you computers can be upgraded in this way. barebones to the manufacturer, which then
can’t get into your laptop, there are often adds the requested storage size and
some clever external upgrades, too. memory at the point of purchase. We’ll
show you how to tell the difference and
In this guide, we’ll take you through all of work out if you can make an upgrade.
the main upgrade options and how to
perform them, so that you can make your Opening your laptop
laptop better and keep it going for longer.
RIGHT: Don’t get frustrated by your old laptop – How you open your laptop depends on the
there are lots of ways you can boost performance model. Before you start, you should properly
shut down your computer from Windows so
that the power is off. Most modern laptops

114 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

ADVANCED PROJECTS

ABOVE: Some laptops require you to remove the keyboard to access components

will have access underneath. If you can panel underneath for storage, but RAM memory sticks that Crucial sells, although you
unscrew the entire back panel, then you’ll underneath the keyboard. can buy them from other manufacturers.
get access to all the components. Make sure
you undo any screws in the side or rear of the Upgrading memory It’s best to buy RAM in pairs of the same
laptop, then gently lever up the sides to type and speed. Remember that laptops
remove the retaining clips. If your laptop doesn’t have enough memory, use smaller memory modules than
you may struggle to open all of the apps desktop computers, so you’ll need to buy
If you’ve got individual panels, then you you need, and it can make your computer SODIMMs. A 16GB kit of DDR4 RAM
can remove the retaining screw to access the feel slightly sluggish. As a minimum, we should cost around £55.
RAM, storage and Wi-Fi modules individually. recommend having 8GB of RAM, but
go for 16GB if you really push your laptop If you’re removing your old RAM, you
Some older laptops may give you access to its limits. need to open the clips on the slide to let
to components through the keyboard, the memory pop up. Then gently slide it
particularly for RAM. You’ll need a small The easiest way to check if your laptop is backwards. Next, you can install your new
flathead screwdriver to push in around upgradable is to use the Crucial System memory modules. You need to insert the
the notches in the keyboard. Use the Advisor (uk.crucial.com/store/advisor). memory at roughly a 30º angle, lining up the
screwdriver as a lever to unclip the Simply enter your laptop’s details into the cutaway in the middle with the notch in the
keyboard and remove the keyboard unit. Be box and select Find my computer, and RAM slot. Once the connection is firmly
careful not to stress the ribbon cable that Crucial will come back and tell you if your made, push down on the RAM to lock it into
attaches the keyboard to the computer. laptop is upgradable, how many slots it has, place; the clips will close around it. Repeat if
and the maximum amount of RAM you can you have a second stick of RAM. You can now
Laptops can have components hidden install. You’ll also get a list of compatible reassemble your laptop and turn it back on.
in multiple locations, so you may find a

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 115

ADVANCED PROJECTS

ABOVE: Carefully insert your new RAM, then press down to lock it into place

Upgrading Wi-Fi (pictured) is designed to be used with In both cases, the installation is the same.
any laptop and costs around £35 from First, you’ll need to download the drivers
If you want to use Wi-Fi 6 because you’ve www.amazon.co.uk. You can get the for your new Wi-Fi card. Then, take your
bought a new router, you may need to cheaper Intel AX200NGW instead, but this laptop apart to get to the Wi-Fi card slot.
upgrade your laptop in order to take full requires your laptop to support CNVi, Remove the retaining screw, gently unclip
advantage of the latest standard. To do this, whereby some of the tech usually installed the antenna connectors (the two wires), then
you need a laptop with an M.2 slot that on the Wi-Fi card is installed on the slide the old card out. Put the new card in
matches the Wi-Fi card pictured opposite. motherboard. Typically speaking, computers place, reattach the cables, then screw it
from 2018 and later support CNVi. back into place. Reassemble your laptop,
There’s a bit of additional complexity turn on your computer, install the drivers,
to this procedure. The Killer 1650x card and you’ve now got Wi-Fi 6.

Upgrading your hard drive

If you’ve got an old hard disk in your laptop,
an SSD can improve boot-up times and
responsiveness; if you’ve got an SSD already,
a new one can give you more storage space.

Once you’ve taken your computer
apart, you can see what type of hard drive
you have. Traditionally, laptops used 2.5in
hard drives. These can come in hard disk
or SSD formats.

Newer computers use the modern M.2
interface, where the SSD looks like a long
stick of RAM. These slots can usually take
LEFT: Crucial’s online tool tells you if your
laptop’s RAM can be upgraded

116 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

ABOVE: Upgrade your laptop with a card such
as the Killer 1650x to get Wi-Fi 6 speeds

M.2 SATA drives, which are slower but ABOVE: You can replace your existing Wi-Fi card to get faster speeds
cheaper, or M.2 NVMe drives, which are
faster but more expensive. However, the around £14 on Amazon; NVMe-to-USB installation’ links and untick all the choices
interface is the same. Just take a note of the adaptors are around double the price. to install any optional software.
type of drive you buy.
If you have a 2.5in drive, you need a Start Todo Backup Free and select the
Once you know which type of drive regular SATA-to-USB 2.5in converter, Clone option. Select your source disk by
you have, you can buy a replacement. which should cost you around £7. Power putting a tick in the square tickbox. You can
We recommend that you go for a minimum on your laptop and then connect your identify disks by looking at the drive letters
of 256GB, but 512GB or 1TB is better. new SSD via the external adaptor. they use. The boot drive has the C: drive
Most importantly, if you’re upgrading from a letter, for example. Click Next and select
hard disk, don’t buy an SSD that’s smaller, as Download and install EaseUS Todo your new disk as the destination.
you’ll immediately want more disk space. Backup Free from easeus.com/download. Acknowledge the warnings about your
htm. This will also try to install some data being erased and wait for the clone
The best way to get a new hard drive set additional software, so make sure you to complete. This could take several hours.
up is to clone it, copying everything from select any ‘Click here to customize
the old drive to the new one. As you can’t Now, turn off your computer, take your
have more than one hard disk in a laptop, LEFT: A simple USB-C laptop apart and remove the old hard disk.
you first of all need to buy an external dock is a great way For 2.5in drives, you need to remove any
enclosure for your new drive. An M.2-to- to expand your
USB adaptor for SATA drives costs laptop’s options retaining screws. Then, slide out the old
hard disk, removing it from the SATA
port. If the disk was in a caddy,
then unscrew and remove it.
Put your new hard disk in
the caddy and secure it with
the screws (if required).
Insert the new hard disk into
the laptop’s drive bay. Reattach
the panel and switch on your
laptop. For an M.2 drive, you need

to remove the screw, which should
make the drive pop up a little.

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 117

ADVANCED PROJECTS

ABOVE: Remove your old hard disk from the
case, and remove the drive from a caddy (if it’s
installed in one)

Now gently pull the drive out backwards.
Next, take the new M.2 drive and slide it into
the empty port, push it down and screw it
back in place. Reassemble your computer,
turn it on, and you’re done.

EXTERNAL UPGRADES ABOVE: You can use Todo Backup to clone your hard disk for free

If you can’t open up your laptop, or if all of want to use your slot as a card reader, there but be careful which files you store on them.
the key components are soldered on to the are a few things to watch out for. For example, don’t use your SD card for
motherboard, you still have the opportunity photo storage if you can avoid it: when
to make some external upgrades, which First, don’t install applications on the card, you try to import photos from your camera’s
we’ll look at here. as you’ll lose access to them if the card is SD card using your laptop’s reader, where
removed, and performance will also suffer. would you copy the file to?
SD cards as storage Memory cards are good for documents,

Many laptops have an SD card slot, while
some, such as Microsoft’s Surface Pro, have a
microSD card slot. These are designed as
both a card reader and a way of quickly
adding storage. A 256GB SD card with up
to 100MB/s read rates costs around £28, but
we’d advise paying a little more for a faster
170MB/s card, such as the SanDisk Extreme
Pro. MicroSD cards cost a similar amount.

All you have to do is slide the chosen card
into the slot on your laptop, and you’ve
boosted the storage space that you can use.
As this is removable storage and you may

118 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

ADVANCED PROJECTS

ABOVE: If your laptop has an SD card slot, you’ve already got a quick and
easy way to add storage

ABOVE: M.2 drives are replaced in a similar way to RAM, but you have to ABOVE: A USB-C port gives you the option of connecting a huge number of
remove the retaining screw first peripherals, and even a way of getting power

USB-C / Thunderbolt ports You can also get more advanced – and next to it. Thunderbolt 3 is four times faster
obviously more expensive – docks with than USB-C (up to 40Gbit/s). This extra
If you have a modern PC with a USB Type-C additional ports if you need them. bandwidth means you can have faster
port, you’ve already got a handy way of external storage, and compatible docks
attaching accessories and power to your Thunderbolt 3 uses the same connector give you more outputs, such as dual 4K
laptop with a single adaptor. Buy the as USB-C, but it will have a lightning symbol options. This gives you more flexibility.
Kingston C-HUBC1-SR-EN
Nucleum (around £40), for For some laptops, you can buy
example, and with a single external graphics cards, too.
cable plugged into your These are boxes that house a
computer, you can get HDMI full-size GPU, connected to your
out, additional USB ports (say, laptop via Thunderbolt 3. These
for external storage, keyboard are expensive, however, and
and mouse), a card reader and some only work with one brand
power into your laptop. That’s of laptop. The Razer Core X
a great way of providing more should work with all Thunderbolt
power, and means you can just 3 systems, provided they’re
dock when you need to, and running Windows 10 RS1 or
unplug and carry your laptop later. This model costs £310, but
when you go on the move. you then have to buy a graphics
RIGHT: External GPU housing card and an external monitor,
is expensive, but it gives you too. Still, this will turn any
desktop graphics performance Thunderbolt 3-equipped laptop
into a gaming powerhouse.

ISSUE 394 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | DECEMBER 2020 119

HOW TO rwfioCuguohnhrresothninanigsagPhhvCbeisrasstucerpskero,eviksatiecsst,eatMbskouifaanitdrgsSmemhalionatpeellprBrbeieurbnslrenienaeteodttslelsfrooewnsunahdroe

BSTERAEHEITGHHERO

F ollowing on from our guides on selling Before Before
online and taking payments, we talked
to Computer Shopper reader and small After After
business owner Kevin Bricknall. Bricknall has ⬆ The firm sorted out a rat’s nest of cables ⬆ From fire hazard (top) to well-cooled machine
successfully established and expanded his PC
services company during the pandemic to The client told us that the machine was The idea is that people can view items in a
support local people with all their computing unstable and kept crashing. Upon taking the setting that is very much like a home, and
and smart home needs. case cover off, the image (top right) shows then purchase the equipment from ourselves
what we found. We can only assume this was and we come out and set it up. In the past
What prompted the move to packaging that was left in the machine by the few weeks, we have had a run on wireless
set up this new business? company that sold the desktop, as when they security cameras and doorbells.
were shown this they had no idea it was there.
2020 has been a challenging year so far for Have you found new ways to use
many reasons. Though we have been going The image below that one is the machine the web to get more business?
since 2001, up until February this year we restored to its original glory.
had been part of the family business, which We have in the last week just set up an eBay
was not related to computers (building Are you looking to expand into shop. We’re very new to doing that.
contractors, in fact, who had been trading other areas than PC services?
for 50 years), operating as a subsidiary. ⬆ The smart home demonstration room
We have identified a need for smart home
However my father, who owned the services in Milton Keynes and the surrounding
building business, decided to retire in areas. There are lots of places that will sell you
February. It was very fortunate that this the equipment, but not many that will come
happened just before the current Covid-19 out and install it for you or even have a smart
situation as that could have complicated home demonstration room (pictured right).
matters. So Bricknall’s PC Services was
separated into a separate limited company. We have started to set up one of these in
our new office. We have not currently had any
How quick was it to get visitors as we are still setting it up, and also
up and running? need to work out the best way of accepting
visitors under the current Covid-19 situation.
It took four months to sort out a new office
location, which is situated in the heart of
Stony Stratford, part of Milton Keynes. My
new office is just 50 metres from my house,
which cuts down travelling time.

As well as Bricknall’s PC Services Ltd
(www.bricknalls-pc-services.co.uk), we have
operated The Gadget Guru for a number of
years locally, helping people with everything
from smartphones to smart lighting. We also
carry out website design under the Bricknall’s
Web Design Services name, and back in 2016,
one of the websites we designed won
Outstanding Website of the Year at the
National Car Club Awards.

What type of customers
do you work with?

We deal with small to medium-sized companies
as well as private individuals. Here are some
examples of the customers we have helped in
the last few months.

The picture (top left) is of a cable cabinet at
a client’s office, which had this mess of cables
in the box and four – yes, four – switch boxes.
This was soon tied up to have just the one
switch box in it and a lot of shorter cables.

For another customer, we were called in to
investigate problems they were having with
their PC. What we found in this PC was rather
shocking, and I told the client they were lucky
nothing had caught light.

120 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

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magazinedeals.co.uk/technology

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PARTING SHOTS

Zygote

Tech firms and governments the world over are collecting personal data like there’s no
tomorrow, yet they still can’t work out when a six-year-old’s buying a car

SIX APPEAL India, and the timetable for that every step of every journey when people willingly post their
completion is 1,000 days. will be recorded and the data mugshots on social media it
Ario Faraji from Wallsend in harvested has serious privacy immediately becomes public
North Tyneside sat down with The most ambitious element implications, but hey, your phone information. Revoking access to
the family laptop and logged into of the pledge is the fact that all already does that anyway. public information violates the
eBay. He knew what he wanted, the infrastructure and technical First Amendment of the US
and successfully bid for the components for the system will Zygote is surprised it’s taken Constitution, which protects the
customised Land Rover he was be self-sufficient in terms of Toyota and Amazon so long to rights to free speech, expression
determined to own. But then development, manufacture and catch up with our very own and information. No further
things went horribly wrong and installation, and there will be no British alternative By Miles, evidence, your honour.
now Ario Faraji is being chased reliance on foreign suppliers at all. which even though it won Best
by debt collectors. Payment for Zygote applauds this ambition, Car Insurance Provider two years COCK A LEAKY
the vehicle was taken using a but would like to point out that running, few people have heard of.
PayPal account, and there was no every Indian in every age category Simply fire up the By Miles app, “CREST is an international,
cooling-off period. In the past, is to be tagged by a digital health plug the matchbox-sized Miles not-for-profit, accreditation and
the account had been used for ID containing a huge amount of Tracker into the diagnostic port certification body that represents
multiple purchases, but they personal data, and that a new of any modern car, and the better and supports the technical
were for small sums only and Indian cyber-security authority is you drive, the cheaper your car information security market.”
rarely exceeded £20. The being set up to harvest it. insurance – a whole lot cheaper.
second-hand Land Rover cost a At least, that’s what it says
hefty £19,000, but PayPal didn’t Coincidentally, this means the OFF YOUR FACE on its website. Back in the real
question this unusual transaction whole nation will be wired and world, CREST suspended all of its
or ask for any verification. tagged in time for the next Clearview is a facial-recognition accreditation procedures after an
Ario Faraji is six years old. national election, and it comes as system used by the Canadian alleged technical information
no surprise that Prime Minister Law Enforcement Sex Crimes security breach. The allegation
TREASURE ILAND Modi has ambitions to be elected Unit to identify offenders and involves leaked exam documents
for an unprecedented third term. their victims. The system runs on for candidates hoping to head up
Garett McGowan is a software a massive photographic database testing and penetration teams
programmer with a fondness for JOURNEY SEND that scrapes images from billions for government systems that are
the veteran broadcaster and of social media profiles, which coordinated under the UK
national treasure who is Sir David As the world gears up for the may or may not be a good thing. National Cyber Security Centre.
Attenborough. And Zygote driverless-car revolution, Toyota
cannot blame him. In fact, has announced it’s expanding its Meanwhile, over the border And now Zygote hears word
McGowan is so fond of the great collaboration with Amazon Web in the USA, the Clearview of a cache of CREST documents
man that he has created an Services so its cars can keep tabs corporation is being sued in hosted on Dropbox appearing
Attenborough voice-bot, and on their drivers and snitch on multiple class-action lawsuits for all over social media and
trained it to read out Reddit them. This means insurance violations of privacy. It has just containing detailed exam
comments in the much-loved premiums will be directly related hired Floyd Abrams for their information and emails to and
tones of the famous naturalist. to data-based behaviour and the defence, and he is the top expert from senior personnel inside
cars will be able to call for help in US constitutional law. His the National Cyber Security
He trained the artificial automatically if they are involved argument is crystal clear, and he Centre. As Shakespeare said,
intelligence module using audio in an accident, emergency or maintains that there is simply no once more unto the breach,
samples from TV documentaries breakdown situation. The fact case to answer. He argues that dear friends, once more.
and YouTube clips, and the
results are quite startling. Zygote .
was particularly startled when
Attenborough’s famous voice
started to discuss a relationship
with a young male lover in great
detail, along with various sexual
achievements and the confession
that his parents are not very nice
to him. Sir David is 94 years old.

CURRY FAVOUR

Indian prime minister Narendra
Modi marked Independence Day
by pledging to connect all of the
600,000 villages in the sub-
continent to the nation’s fibre
optic network. The codename for
this ambitious project is Digital

122 DECEMBER 2020 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 394

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