If until now, you’ve never even heard of Windows XP’s built in search tool, or simply don’t use the tool all that often - you may find it within your interest to turn the indexing feature off. This will slow down the search (Which like you said - you don’t use and/or have never heard of) but significantly speed up your computer speed. This works because the indexing is designed to reserve CPU speed and memory for simple XP searches, meaning the search tool is fast and easy. However, this memory has to come from somewhere, right?

Turn off Indexing by following these simple steps:

1. Open “My Computer” from the Start menu.
2. Right-click on your hard drive and click “Properties.”
3. Uncheck the box at the bottom of the window labelled “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching”
4. Click “OK.” The process may take several minutes, but will allow your computer to run at a nice, higher speed than before.

The use of the everyday webcam is high, but not high enough. People are refusing to buy them because they don’t see how it benefits them. Well, I’ll only agree that it doesn’t benefit them if they can prove to me they don’t have the Internet, A house, a Windows account or birthdays. These are only a few things that could be turned into a fun-filled webcam experience.

1. If you have the Internet, you may also have friends out of town. The obvious use for a webcam is certainly a good one when it comes to this situation. With the camera, you are able to have IM conversations whilst still being able to see each other. You could even download Skype and have a much easier video conversation.

2. Yawcam is a freeware application which allows you to turn your webcam into something cooler - a surveillance camera. This allows you to keep an eye out around the house when you’re tucked up in bed.

3. LemonScreen is another freeware application which allows you to log into your Windows account using your face. the idea is simple, leave the program running, and the next time you sit at your desk you will find your Windows logging in automatically. Don’t expect perfection though, you don’t look exactly the same everyday.

4. The webcam doesn’t just keep you safe and make your life that little easier, you can also use it to keep yourself entertained. Many people use theirs for something called the ‘Project 365′ which is a photography project where you take a picture of yourself in the same position every day. This is great fun because if you can keep your face pretty much in the right place, you can do all kinds of facial expressions. Once the year is complete, you can piece all of the pictures together in one short animation and watch the fun.

5. Another fun use for your webcam is that you can create Time-Lapse videos of your favourite events. You can set your camera to record your birthday party and have a shortened down video go through every event of the night - allowing you to recap all those magic moments. A program which allows you to do this is Webcam Timershot.

After the release of Rock Band on the 23rd of May, I was strangely surprised at how little it had been mentioned. I knew people were excited about the game, which is why it stumped me that no body had bought it yet. Luckily, the Tuesday that followed the release date proved slightly more promising. A good friend of mine, as well as a few others have purchased the game, but simply kept it a secret. This very good friend of mine brought the game around to my house on the Tuesday, I set up the projector and we simply played the game as much as we could.

The first thing I noticed was the guitar, which was the same as the Guitar Hero guitar but with a few little differences. The colour buttons which act as frets on the guitar were not completely coloured. The only colour you could see was at the top and bottom, the main part of the button was a light brown colour - like the rest of the neck. There are also an extra five buttons closer to the scratch plate which can replace the colour buttons at any point in the song, but with them being smaller and closer together, it would be a wise idea to use them for those fast, tricky solos. This made the guitar look great, and I think it does so by resembling an actual guitar. Another addition which makes it look more realistic is the pitch shifter, which when slided, can change the effect on your guitar.

Rock Band Guitar

I am a drummer, I play a real drum kit and have done for over 3 years now. I know 3 years isn’t exactly a long time, but you’d think I would at least be able to cope with the one Rock Band had to offer. The truth is, it didn’t take me long to get the hang of it - after the first song, I switched to the Hard difficulty and left it at that. However, the drums on the stand are awkward to get used to, as they are positioned in almost a straight line, meaning the reach you need to put into it is way more than it should be. Also, the drum kit is missing one vital piece of equipment, which are small rubber tacks on the feet. This would eliminate the problem I had of the kit moving away from me as I played. The skins of the drum pads could do with some work, because whilst you are playing it (And it sounds alright in the room you are in) you can hear the pads clicking all over. My next door neighbour actually popped round to complain at one point, but luckily after seeing what we were up to, she decided to let it slide for the night.

Rock Band Drums

The microphone you get with the game is very simple with a plain, smooth design. It’s lightweight and isn’t anything like the other controller at all. The best part about the microphone is that there aren’t any buttons on it that you will need during game play. This means the vocalist is free to look at the screen the whole time playing. however, the lyrics and notes you need to hit, I don’t think, are quite clear enough, as it basically gives you an advanced version of ‘Higher or Lower?’

Rock Band Microphone

Now that hardware is out of the way, I think it’s time to get more into the gaming experience. Straight away I saw opportunity in the game. The menu had everything you needed, making it quick and easy to find your way to the part of the game you really wanted to play. With nice clear lettering, easy to understand language and simple sub-menus, we were rocking out in no time. And as for the rocking out, other than a few minor problems I came across, it was pretty amazing. The interface is pretty much the same as that of Guitar Hero to be honest but it’s from the same makers, it’s the same game, it just has more to do. The drums were nice and clear and easy to read on the way, and the vocals were done superbly, with them sliding across the top of the screen, telling you which notes to hit.

Rock Band Interface

Now, let’s put all the good points and switch to the faults I found. I only spent about 2 hours on the game, and I find it incredible how many things managed to irritate me in such a short amount of time. For starters, the left hand side shows a little metre, which tells you how good you are doing. the problem with this metre is that it represents all 4 members of the band individually, marking 4 different icons on one bar. This sounds cushy, like it saves room and doesn’t sound like a fault at all. But when it gets to the point where you would like to check who it is about to get kicked off stage, the icons are too small. Rather than concentrating on what you’re suppose to be doing, you are trying to make out what the symbol in the circle is.

The drum kit, as I already mentioned is a little awkward to get used to, as the rack of drums is almost a straight line, leaving uncomfortable stretches. The green pad is particularly difficult to hit because it is placed so far to the right, which leads to turning your waist the way you’re not suppose to turn it.

Rock Band Screen Shot

Even though the game does not have ‘Star Power’ specifically, it does have a feature a lot like it. However, starting to celebration suddenly turns the fret board a weird shade of orange (On ALL of the fret boards.) Now, when you consider you have an orange button on the drum kit, which is for the bass drum, you’d think they’d leave this idea out. Basically, the feature causes the bass drum to become unclear, making it harder to play.

During solos, an on screen number shows up on your fret board, which tells you the percentage of notes you have hit during the solo. This number goes up as you shred away, but also distracts you, leaving you missing more and more notes as you play.

The vocals is well presented, but doesn’t give you much information over what note the game wants you to play. It displays small lines at different heights which say whether the note gets higher or lower, but I personally don’t feel there is enough information to determine the exact notes.

Rock Band Screen Shot

The biggest issue I found with the game was actually nothing to do with the game play. It was the price. I asked my friend how much he had thrown away for the product and he said to me “£140.” At this moment my heart jumped a little, “£140 for a game?!” was the nice way of stating how I reacted. I wouldn’t mind so much, but he didn’t even get a second guitar in the pack. I personally think the price is an outrage, but at the same time, I feel that if you’re willing to pay that price, you think it’s a good deal.

I can’t knock the game, it’s good, it’s better than good. It’s a great laugh and a magnificent way of catching an audience which was left alone for a long time in the gaming world. The music backdates all the way to the 1970’s and it is the first one. Let’s just say, this is the worst Rock Band so far, meaning it can only get better.

*Windows Only

Laptops are an expensive business to get involved in. Choosing the right laptop for your everyday needs can really take it out of you and the cost you end up paying doesn’t make it any better. Sure, I’m only talking about something along the lines of £500 perhaps. But that’s a lot of money to spend. Now, I know for certain that if I had pad this much money out for something, I’d make 100% sure i was looking after it.

When it comes to it, laptops can easily be stolen from free Wi-Fi hotspots, colleges and schools and wherever else you may find them laying about. If you’re one of those people who have your own laptop with you when you go out, you’re at a risk - no matter how unlikely it may seem.

There is a way however, if you are in the situation where your laptop has been taken or misplaced, to track it and find out where it is. A simple program known as LocatePC is a background running application which reads the IP address your laptop is using. That’s not all, it also sends an email to which ever address you want telling you this IP address, meaning you can track the location of your stolen treasure.

Emails can be sent 1 of 2 methods, either have an email sent after every interval (say every 30 minutes) or simply an email whenever the IP address changes, meaning you can be fully on the ball when looking for it.

Download LocatePC now.

GreenPeace, our favourite hands-on environmental safety organisation have recently been checking up on our 3 major console creators. A recent report known as ‘Playing Dirty’ was issued after the autopsy of the Nintendo Wii Remote, PS3 Sixaxis Controller and Xbox 360 controller found many hazardous chemicals used in the circuit boards. Including aspolyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, beryllium and bromine indicative of brominated flame retardants (BFRs.) all 3 controllers tested very high indeed for levels of Bromine. GreenPeace Says:

“Brominated flame retardants do not break down easily and build up in the environment. Long-term exposure can lead to impaired learning and memory functions. They can also interfere with thyroid and oestrogen hormone systems and exposure in the womb has been linked to behavioural problems.”

Phthalate, DHEP, which is probably the most concerning chemical involved when it comes to the male side of things, is known to interfere and damage the sexual development in mammals - especially males. High levels of this substance are found in the Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers. To be fair, if guys are spending long enough on their consoles to be effected, the chances are - they won’t be doing much reproduction anyway.

Download the ‘Playing Dirty’ report.

On the 14th of May, 2008, it was announced that the war appears to be over between our 7th generation gaming consoles. Although a bloody battle with many people left wondering what will happen next, we finally hit a marker which declares a winner.

Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, announces:

“This year will be the largest in the history of the video game industry, with Xbox 360 leading the charge in the U.S. and abroad. History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry.”

Quite a shock, everybody seemed to have it in there head that the 360 would lose miserably when put up against the PS3 and Nintendo Wii, but be honest. It’s been a long, drawn out battle between the 3 competitors, but with Xbox 360 bringing out such games as Call of Duty 4 and GTA IV, it’s no wonder sales of the console rose to new levels. Sure, these games are available on the PS3, but the PS3 costs so much more than the 360.

“Reaching an installed base of 10 million consoles in the U.S. is a significant achievement and an essential milestone on the road to market leadership,” said Billy Pidgeon, research manager at IDC. “Perhaps more important is the Xbox 360 worldwide online base - 12 million Xbox LIVE gamers is the largest community in the connected console games sector, which represents the greatest growth opportunity in the console market and where Microsoft has been the leader for two generations.”

Xbox 360 is also the leader when it comes to best-selling games. With the launch of “Grand Theft Auto IV” in April, Xbox is now the home of an amazing 16 platinum titles, which have sold through over 1 million units. Titles such as:
Halo 3
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 08
Gears of War
Guitar Hero II
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Call of Duty® 2
Call of Duty 3
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Gave the 360 two times more platinum-selling titles than the Nintendo Wii, and a massive 8:1 lead over the PlayStation 3.

It’s not just the buyers who are announcing the 360 the winner, it’s also to critics. Professional critics ‘Metacritics’ have given an outstanding 91 titles a review score of 80 or above. This is a major piece of information when you realise that only 22 Wii titles have received a score of 80 or above, and 50 PS3 titles too.