With Norton Family Premier you can help your kids explore the Web safely by using simple settings offered by the software. You can also help them balance the time spent online as you’ll know at a glance when and where they are connected to Internet. You’ll get valuable insights to start an open and ongoing conversation about smart online habits.
Speaking of which, Norton Family Premier also teaches right habits to kids to protect them from oversharing without taking away their freedom. All their private information and online reputations are easily protected too. Las but not least, with Norton Family Premier you can easily protect all your kids’ devices, whether it’s a smartphone (iOS and Android), a tablet or a computer, with a single solution.
Save 66% and get Norton Family Premier for just £9.99 for one year. This offer is valid until 29.09.2017.
Illegal Internet activities “as a service” are a new weapon for cybercriminals. By taking advantage of the cloud’s flexibility, any malicious person can lease the capabilities of a malicious service to attack a specific site or millions of machines.
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The world of cybercrime is becoming more and more complex, organized and equipped with new Cloud tools. Now any budding cybercriminal can trigger a powerful attack to paralyze a website or spread ransomware to thousands of machines so easily that even your grandmother could make it happen. All you have to do is anonymously connect (via the TOR network for example) to the black market of the net and rent one of the many expanding malicious services offered. Using Bitcoin or any other similar electronic currency, you can pay for the use, which varies in price according to the duration, number of machines to compromise, etc.
Many of us, when trying to imagine the conceptors of Internet viruses, trojans and ransomwares, envision a teenager up to no good playing for fun with his computer whilst camped out in his room, probably in mummy and daddy’s basement. But that’s not the case, far from it. There is a large digital underground economy. Developers create malwares or ransomwares that are then sold to entities that can distribute them. Hackers find exploits, backdoors and secret information that they sell to these entities in order for them to spread infected code. Groups then create services for rent designed to spread these malicious codes en masse or to carry out massive attacks against companies or individuals. Called “MaaS” for “Malware as a Service” or “CaaS for “Cybercrime as a Service”, these malicious cloud services are similar to traditional cloud services such as online email platforms and other SaaS (Software as a Service). Cybercriminals have simply adapted this new business model to their own.
Some companies such as Symantec are continuously working to fight the ingenuity of these developers. They are following very closely the evolution of these services to ensure that software solutions such as Norton Security can protect your computer at all times by blocking access to infected Websites for example, when malware are injected by malicious scripts, or when cybercriminals attempt to run them.
The MaaS / CaaS has thus made cybercrime a convenience accessible to any malicious person. These services rent the tools needed to carry out attacks in just a few clicks and payments. Some even offer online help, chat support, money back guarantees in case of dissatisfaction and testimonials from satisfied customers. These services receive regular updates, in particular so that the attacks generated can better circumvent the latest protection and take advantage of the new discovered vulnerabilities.
Since it is no longer necessary to be an expert to reach thousands or even millions of users, the existence of such services obviously only multiplies the number of malicious codes and cyber attacks. Hence the need for users to protect all their devices – PCs, Macs, Smartphones and Android tablets – relying on modern and comprehensive security suites that can protect the entire household, such as Norton Security Premium.
Ever since Sky started showing F1 it’s been tricky to watch it on terrestrial TV in the UK. If you don’t have Sky and subscribe to the F1 channel, you’ll be limited to watching on Channel 4 which took over from BBC a few years back.
How to watch F1 without Sky
Unfortunately, Sky has the most rights and is the only provider which broadcasts every single race in full and live. You can get Sky here.
The alternative is Channel 4. Here, around half of the races are shown after they have finished and even then it’s only the highlights. However, the other half are broadcast live and in full with ad breaks during the race.
You can get Channel 4 on Freeview and Freesat on, er, channel 4. If you prefer to watch in HD – assuming you have a suitable receiver box or TV – on channel 104 on Freeview and 126 on Freesat. (It’s also on Virgin Channel 142.)
If you are outside of the UK and want to watch Channel 4’s coverage of F1, you can do so using a VPN such as NordVPN. Do this at your own risk, though, as it is against Channel 4 rights agreements. You’ll find more VPN options in our VPN chart here.
Again, only Sky broadcasts F1 in the best quality, which is 4K. For that, you’d need the appropriate Sky subscription, Sky Q box and a 4K TV. Incidentally, Sky also offers extra features such as a choice of camera angles and stats, and you can view these via the Sky Go app too.
When is the Belgian Grand Prix?
The British Grand Prix takes place 25-27 August 2017, and the full race will be shown live on UK TV (Channel 4) at 12.35pm on Sunday 27 August (you can actually watch from 12pm).
If you can’t get to a TV, but you do have an internet connection you can watch using the All4 app for Android and iOS, or via the Channel4 website.
If you’re keen, you can also watch the practice sessions and qualifying on Channel4 at these times:
25 August
8:55am – Practice 1
12:55pm – Practice 2
26August
9:55am – Practice 3
11:55am – Qualifying
27August
12pm – Belgian Grand Prix Live Build-up
12:35pm – F1Belgian Grand Prix Live
If you’re a gamer, you can brush up on the track in a game which features the circuit, such as F1 2016 on Xbox One, PS4 and Windows. F1 2017 comes out 25 August, which means you can play it before the race itself.
Which F1 races are live on Channel 4 in 2017?
You can tune in and watch the following races in full, live and for free this year.
16 April: Bahrain
30 April: Russia
28 May: Monaco
25 June: Azerbaijan
16 July: Great Britain
27 August: Belgium
17 September: Singapore
1 October: Malaysia
22 October: USA
26 November: Abu Dhabi
Follow the Grand Prix on Snapchat
A deal has been inked with Snapchat to offer exclusive content from the Grand Prix via Snapchat’s Our Stories in the UK and US. The BBC says it will feature compilations of videos and pictures submitted by users at F1 events and locations around the world, providing a different angle on the event to what is broadcast.
Snapchat’s coverage began with the British Grand Prix, but will also cover other F1 races in Singapore, Japan, US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
F1’s head of digital, Frank Arthofer, said: “This is the first step towards expanding our social media strategy. We need to continue to bring new fans to the sport – by reaching out to them on social media platforms with behind the scenes, fun and engaging content. Snap’s platform is one of the most popular among ‘millennials,’ a sector we are particularly keen on attracting, as it represents the future of our sport.”
The AccuWeather app has been updated so it no longer shares location data of people who had opted out of revealing where they were.
A security researcher found that the app shared location data even when users opted out.
The app collected information that was passed to another firm to target ads.
In a statement, AccuWeather said it took privacy “seriously” and often went beyond basic legal requirements to protect its users.
The popular app is used by tens of millions of people to get local forecasts of weather conditions. It is available for both Apple and Android phones.
Legal update
Security researcher Will Strafach found that the iOS version of the app regularly sent detailed information about the wi-fi router it used to a firm called Reveal Mobile.
The location-based data was gathered and shared even when people said they did not want to share GPS information.
While the wi-fi data was “less precise” than GPS it was still useful to marketers, he said.
Reveal maintains a database of which wi-fi router is located where and, said Mr Strafach, uses it to map the day-to-day movements of users. The data built up about travel habits and routines was then given to ad firms looking for lifestyle information.
In a statement given to tech news site ZDNet, AccuWeather said it had only just started working with Reveal Mobile and planned to use the data it gathered to get a better idea of who its users were.
It said it sought to have its terms and conditions keep up with current laws surrounding data privacy and location sharing.
In a further statement, it said it planned to update the app to ensure “zero data” was sent to Reveal Mobile if users opted out of location sharing.
If your computer won’t turn on, don’t panic. You might be able to fix it yourself for free by trying these five methods.
Here we’ll explain the possible causes and how to try and fix a PC or laptop that won’t boot up.
1- Check the power supply
Laptops
This is one of the most common problems. There are various things that can go wrong, from using the wrong laptop power supply (delivering the wrong voltate) to a blown fuse in the plug.
It might be that your power supply has simply failed. First, make sure the battery has some charge. If you’re not sure, and there’s no power indicator on the battery itself, then remove it entirely and just use the mains charger.
Double-check, too, that the charger is the right one for your laptop. Many laptops – especially from the same manufacturer – use the same size plug, and if you own more than one, it’s not too difficult to plug in the wrong power supply, which might provide a different voltage or not enough current.
Other gadgets may also use the same tips, such as a battery powered speaker, and are unlikely to use the same voltage as your laptop, which typically requires 16-20V.
Second, check the fuse in the plug. Use a screwdriver to remove the fuse and install one that’s known to be good. If you have a spare power cable that will plug into your power supply, this is a much quicker swap to test that it isn’t the fuse at fault.
Check over the wire itself, as power supplies get beaten up, especially if you carry them everywhere. Weak points are at the ends where it joins the black brick and at the plug which connects to the laptop. If you can see the coloured wires inside the black outer protection, it could be time to buy a new PSU.
If you’re having problems with your laptop’s touchpad, also check out our top tips to fix it.
PCs
PC power supplies can also be problematic. Few people have a spare they can install and test, so the first check is the fuse in the plug. There’s also a fuse inside the PSU itself, but it will require you to remove it from your PC and then remove the metal case to check if that’s the problem.
One of the most common PC power supply issues is that the PC will turn off unexpectedly rather than fail to boot up at all.
If the LED is on showing that power is reaching it, make sure your power button is properly connected and working.
You can short the appropriate motherboard pins together (check which ones in your motherboard manual) to eliminate the power button from the equation.
2 – Check the screen
Laptops
Try disconnecting any external displays including projectors and monitors to make sure they’re not stopping your laptop from booting into Windows.
If your computer’s power LED lights up and you can hear the hard disk or fan(s) whirring, but there’s no image on the screen, then make the room dark and check that there isn’t a very faint image on the screen.
It’s easy to think a laptop isn’t booting when in fact, it’s the screen that’s the problem.
If there is a faint image – maybe the Windows logon screen – then it’s likely that your screen’s inverter has failed. This component changes the direct current (DC) coming from the battery or power supply to an alternating current required by the screen.
Replacing an inverter isn’t too difficult if you’re handy with a screwdriver, but it’s crucial you buy the right replacement part. As inverters aren’t exactly cheap, you can’t afford to get it wrong.
If your laptop appears to be booting fine, but there’s no image at all, the LCD panel could be at fault. Replacing a laptop screen is possible, but difficult, and screens can also be costly. If it’s an older laptop, it’s worth considering buying a new one.
PCs
There isn’t much you can do to fix a broken PC monitor, but it’s easy – or easier – to swap the power lead and video cable or even the whole monitor to see if that’s the reason your PC won’t boot.
3 – Remove any USB drives or memory cards
Assuming everything is ok with the power supply and screen, your computer may be getting stuck before it loads Windows.
A classic culprit here is a USB drive or memory card left inserted into a USB port or card reader. Typically you’ll see an error message such as “Operating system not found” which can lead to unnecessary panic.
For the majority of the time, it means the BIOS is set to try booting from removable storage drives (including cards) before the internal hard drive.
It could also be a disc left in the DVD or Blu-ray drive, so check those too.
Try a rescue disc
If you’re seeing different error messages, or there aren’t any cards, external drives or discs causing the problem, try using a rescue disc.
If you have one, the Windows DVD can be used, but otherwise you can download (using another computer – obviously) a rescue disc image and either burn it to a CD or DVD, or extract it to a USB flash drive. You can then boot from this and attempt to fix the problem with Windows.
If a virus is causing the problem, use a rescue disc from an anti-virus provider as this will include scanning tools which can find and remove the malware.
Even if you can’t boot into Windows, you might be able to get into safe mode. Press F8 as your laptop is starting up and you’ll get a menu offering to boot into Safe Mode. Here’s how to enter safe mode.
If you can enter safe mode, you might be able to undo any changes that caused your laptop or PC to stop booting. You could try uninstalling any new programs that you recently installed, uninstall a driver that was recently updated, or create a new user account if the account is corrupt.
If you see an option to repair your computer, try this, but you will almost certainly need your Windows CD for this to work.
5 – Check for faulty or incompatible hardware
If you’ve just installed some new memory or another piece of hardware, it might be preventing your computer from booting. Remove it (reinstalling the old memory if necessary) and try again.
If your motherboard has a LED readout showing POST codes, search the manual or online to find out what the code shown means.
Often it can be tricky to get a newly built PC to boot. The best tip here is to disconnect everything except the bare minimum needed to boot to the BIOS:
Motherboard
CPU (with heatsink attached)
Graphics card (if there’s a graphics output on the motherboard, remove any plug-in graphics cards)
One stick of memory (remove any others, and leave the single stick in slot 0 or whichever the manual recommends)
Power supply
Monitor
All other hardware is unnecessary: you don’t need a hard drive, optical drive or any other components for the PC to start.
Common reasons why a newly built PC won’t boot are:
Power leads improperly attached to motherboard. If your board has an extra 12v socket near the CPU, ensure the correct lead from the power supply is attached in addition to the large 24-pin ATX connector.
Components not installed or seated properly. Remove memory, graphics card and CPU and reinstall, checking for any bent pins on the CPU and CPU socket.
Power button wires connected to wrong pins on motherboard.
Power cables not attached to graphics card. Ensure PCI-E power leads are correctly connected if required by your GPU.
Hard drive connected to the wrong SATA port. Ensure the primary drive is attached to a SATA port driven by the motherboard chipset, and not a separate controller.
Sometimes the reason a PC won’t boot is because hardware fails and there’s no easy fix. Hard drives are a common issue. If you can hear a regular clicking, or the drive spinning up and the powering down over and over, these are signs that it’s broken.
Occasionally, people have found that removing the drive and putting it in the freezer for a couple of hours (in a freezer bag) does the trick.
However, this is usually a temporary fix and you should have a second drive on hand to quickly back up or copy any files off the drive that you need.
If you can’t get the drive going again, it’s time to start afresh with a new hard drive. Let’s hope that you have a recent backup of your important files!
Updated August 23, 2017 to reflect a drop in price.
The Garmin Dash Cam 35’s price has gone down a bit since we first included it in our dash cam roundup, so it’s now an even better deal. Unlike its DriveAssist 50LMT cousin, the single-channel Garmin Dash Cam 35 produced excellent video in all lighting conditions. And its large (for a dash cam) 3-inch display makes it a bit easier to see what’s going on than the 2-inch types used in the Cobra CDR895D and Viofo A119.
The thin, slightly stiff buttons and lack of onscreen hints for them made using the Dash Cam 35 a bit trickier than it was for the others. Sure, the buttons are only dual-function, but memorizing stuff we don’t use very often isn’t our favorite pastime. Need to snap a photo in a hurry? Hope you remember the proper button.
The Dash Cam 35 offers red-light and collision warnings, but no lane-departure warning. Of course, if you really need any of those, we invite you to ride a bicycle instead.
Even on a gray day, the Dash Cam 35 delivered great daytime video.
Also unlike the DriveAssist 50LMT, with its hefty suction mount, the Dash Cam 35 uses semi-permanent adhesive. You’ll want to be very careful placing and aligning said cup-and ball-mount, as the adhesive is very sticky. You’re also told to let the connection cure for 24 hours before attaching the camera.
Garmin’s Dash Cam 35 delivers the clear night video that the company’s DriveAssist 50 doesn’t.
On the other hand, the Dash Cam 35’s performance makes our caveats seems trivial. Day and night video are marvelous, every bit as good as the Cobra CDR895D’s and the Thinkware F770’s. That includes reduction of headlight lens flare. With less stylish, more functional buttons, and a slightly lower price, this camera would have pulled another half star.
This review originally posted January 13, 2017.
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The owner of Carphone Warehouse and Dixons has warned that more expensive mobile phone handsets and lower EU roaming charges will hurt its profits.
Shares fell 20% after it said pre-tax profits this year would be £360m to £440m, down from £501m last year.
Dixons Carphone said customers were not upgrading their phones as frequently because handsets had risen in price.
It also predicted it would take a hit from the EU scrapping roaming charges for people using mobile phones abroad.
Chief executive Seb James said in an unscheduled statement that the market for contract mobile phones had become “more challenging” in recent months.
The fall in the pound had made handsets more expensive and innovation of phones has been “incremental”, Mr James said.
“As a consequence, we have seen an increased number of people hold on to their phones for longer,” he said.
He added it was too soon to say whether upcoming Samsung and iPhone handset launches would reverse the trend.
Dixons Carphone, which takes a slice of customer’s phone contracts, also said it would take a hit of up to £40m from the changes to EU roaming legislation.
