Get the lowdown on my latest work, whether it's new commissions, just been published or now available online.
The latest issue of PC Answers is now on-sale, and features three items from yours truly. The first is a massive 16-page Explained! guide on eBooks and eBooks readers. Then there’s a three-page guide to running Windows XP in a virtual window in Windows Vista or 7, plus my usual Helpdesk column. For more details, click here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
08:00
February marked the end of my original year-long commission for “Five Days to the Weekend”, a weekly guide to towns and villages worth visiting in the UK.
1/2: Hambleton, Rutland (click here)
8/2: Brampton, Cumbria (click here)
15/2: Pangbourne, Berkshire (click here)
22/2: Tintern, Monmouthshire (click here)
posted by Nick at
08:00
I’m prominently featured in the free Computing for Family Historians supplement that’s given away with the latest issue of Future’s genealogical magazine. I wrote the lead feature, Windows 7: Explained, specifically for this issue, while other articles from previous issues as well as a collection of questions from old PC Answers Helpdesk columns have also made an appearance in the supplement. The whole package costs £4.99 and is on-sale today. Click here for more information.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
16:38
I continue to provide weekly “Five Days to the Weekend” columns for the BBC Countryfile Magazine web site. At present, this is due to continue to the end of February. Here is a list of columns published since the end of November:
30/11: Freshwater, Isle of Wight – click here
7/12: Hawes, North Yorkshire – click here
14/12: Petworth, West Sussex - click here
21/12: Cookstown, County Antrim - click here
28/12: Broadway, Worcestershire – click here
4/1: Looe, Cornwall – click here
posted by Nick at
13:13
My guide to getting the very best features in Windows 7 for free in XP is in the latest issue, out now. Also featured are an old Windows secrets tutorial, and repurposed Q&As from old issues.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
11:24
The latest issue of Microsoft’s official Windows title is on the shelves now, sporting a new design. My main contribution is the “Extend the life of your PC” feature for Windows Vista users.
I also continue to provide a limited free support service to the readership and write the Q&A column – now titled Support Squad - although I no longer receive any credit for doing so.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
09:08
It’s like buses: two of my articles have appeared in the latest issue of Britain’s best-selling computer magazine: a Masterclass on taking a backup drive image using Macrium Reflect Free, and a workshop on setting up a simple database using FileAmigo LE. Click here for more details.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
20:41
Issue 204 of PC Answers is now on-sale, and features a number of my contributions, most notably the “Windows 7 for free” cover feature, which reveals how to get the best features of Windows 7 in both XP and Vista without having to spend a penny.
Also in this issue is my group test of six security suites, including Norton Internet Security 2010, and my regular monthly Helpdesk column.
PCA costs £5.99 from all good newsagents, and you can find out more about it by clicking here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
16:43
The latest issue of PCA goes on sale Thursday (17th September), and features my usual Helpdesk contribution (the entire section, despite appearances), plus a tutorial on ridding yourself of the Conficker worm.
The main attraction, however, is the cover feature: Healthcheck your PC, a seven-page guide to running regular maintenance tasks to keep your hardware and software running smoothly.
Issue 203 will cost £5.99, and more details can be found here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
11:09
After four years writing a Media Review column for the match day programme, I’ve switched to The Ex-Factor, a piece profiling the latest news involving ex-Blues players and managers. Tonight, Blues debut at home to Portsmouth in the FA Premier League, so my column will be making its first appearance in the official match-day programme.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
11:13
My four-page beginner’s guide to “Computing for genealogy” appears in the latest issue, alongside a Quick Tip on place-name searching at The Genealogist web site. Click here for more details.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
20:12
I’ve just submitted a 1,000-word piece explaining Google’s Android OS for mobile phone handsets (Android is basically Google’s answer to Apple’s iPhone) for thVodafone Apps web site, which is administered by GGMR. It should appear shortly after this post is published – click here to look out for it.
posted by Nick at
13:00
Issue 101 of the official Microsoft Windows XP Magazine is now on-sale. It features three repurposed tutorials of mine, plus the Q&A section: how to keep your hard drive healthy (now online at Support PCs – please click here), a guide to using System Restore, plus tips and tricks for better scanning.
posted by Nick at
10:12
The latest issue of PC Answers features my 16-page guide to blogging, plus my usual Helpdesk column, which has now been expanded to 12 pages (please note that although individual questions are credited to different team members, I in fact write and research the entire section). Get more information here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
08:00
My latest piece - “Secure your data and identity on every PC you use” – is now published and online. Click here to read it.
Update 07 July, 9.28am: this piece, which was published last night, has quickly become the most-read piece on the site, and has received over 300 Diggs from readers recommending it to others.
posted by Nick at
19:23
The 200th issue of PCA is on the shelves now – it’s nearly eight years since we celebrated the one hundredth issue under my editorship, so it’s good to see the magazine surviving to such a ripe age!
Aside from my usual Helpdesk contribution, you’ll also find my extensive article on crash-proofing your PC. For more details and to visit the magazine’s web site, click here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
12:33
Issue 100 of Microsoft’s official title for Windows XP is now on the shelves, and includes two major features I’ve written: 100 essential free tools is a hand-picked collection of the best free software out there for Windows, while I’ve also written a guide to netbooks for the same issue.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
17:11
The official Microsoft Windows Vista Magazine has been renamed to enable it to expand its remit to XP, the forthcoming Windows 7 and other related services such as Windows Live.
As per usual, my contribution is the Q&A section, but this issue also comes with a covermounted book. “50 quick and easy ways to customise Windows Vista” was originally written by Joe Cassels and myself for the magazine’s web site. Sadly, neither of us has been credited, but you can view the tips online at the Support PCs web site by clicking here.
posted by Nick at
08:00
The latest issue of PC Answers has been published, and features my “Move to a new PC” feature on transferring data, programs and settings from your old PC to your new one. Also featured is my guide to safely optimising the Registry by avoiding Registry cleaning tools, plus my regular Helpdesk contribution.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
09:28
I have submitted the fourth of my pieces for Tech Radar this month, a roundup of 10 of the best free clipboard replacement tools. This has just been posted online – click here to read it.
Publication date of my previously submitted 10 essential post-reinstall tweaks piece is currently unknown.
posted by Nick at
11:22
The latest edition of Future’s genealogy title was published yesterday, and I have two projects featured: a get-started guide for the Internet, plus a two-page project on shooting your own family history documentary.
Your Family Tree is available now from all good newsagents for £4.99. Find out more about it here.
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
08:06
Labels: published
posted by Nick at
11:07
The latest issue of PC Answers is on-sale now, and features my usual Helpdesk contribution, plus a guide to troubleshooting network printer problems. Click 
The latest issue of the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? is now on the shelves, and features two of my articles: a step-by-step guide to publishing your own family history book using the MyCanvas web site, plus a page review of Family Tree Maker 2010. Click 
The latest issue of PC Answers is on the shelves now, and features my regular Helpdesk contribution, plus a tutorial on recovering Windows using the recovery partition on your computer. Click 
My guide to creating a family history newsletter using Serif Page Plus 9, which is on the magazine’s cover disc, is published in the latest issue (28, November 2009). Click 
My third “Ex-Factor” column, featuring the exploits of ex-Blues stars as players and managers, will be published this Sunday in Birmingham City’s official match day programme, priced £3.00 for the match against local rivals Aston Villa. Click 
The latest issue of Microsoft’s official magazine for Windows XP, Vista and 7 is now on-sale, priced £4.99, featuring my regular four-page Q&A column. Click 
The second of my Ex-Factor columns has been published in the Blues’ match-day programme Blues News. Click 
Issue 202 of PC Answers is now on-sale, featuring my regular 12-page Helpdesk column. Click 
The latest issue of Microsoft’s official Windows magazine features my six-page reinstall guide as its lead feature. This is, of course, in addition to my regular four-page Q&A column. Click 
My workshop on sharing disk space with other users using NTFS’s Disk Quota tools is published in the current issue of Computeractive, on-sale now. Click 
My second Footsteps piece, featuring Tymperley’s Clock Museum in Colchester is published today in volume 10, number 6 of the BBC History Magazine. Click 
My review of RootsMagic 4 appears in the brand new issue of the BBC’s genealogy magazine, which is published today. Click 
In a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, my quick tip on incorporating 1911 census records in your Family Tree Maker file using the web-clipping tool can be read on page 49. Find out what else is in the magazine this month by clicking 
My latest Q&A column for Microsoft’s official magazine for Windows Vista users has just been published in the latest issue of the magazine. Click 
The second of my latest trilogy of tips features has now been uploaded to the Tech Radar web site: click 
The latest issue of PCA has been published, featuring my usual Helpdesk column, plus a 16-page pullout guide to using Skype, which is prominently flagged on the front cover. Find out more at the magazine’s web site 
The latest issue of Future’s official title for Windows Vista has been published, featuring my regular four-page Q&A column. Find out more about this issue by clicking 