Computer Active (UK)

Reader Support Your tech problems fixed

Having a problem with our recommende­d software or expert tips? Email editor@computerac­tive.co.uk and we’ll do our best to help

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What’s the best email client for Windows 7?

Q IN Issue 509 (page 58) you mentioned that Outlook 2007 will soon stop receiving support from Microsoft, so I am looking for an alternativ­e for my two email accounts. My wife uses Thunderbir­d, but I don’t want our addresses to be confused, so I’d rather try Windows Mail. However, I can’t find a download link to it. I did find one for Windows Live Mail, but I understand that’s unsafe too. What do you suggest for a Windows 7 user? Dave Brownstone

A your question demonstrat­es just how confusing email can be and why we dealt with it in our Cover Feature in Issue 511 (see page 50). When you talk about ‘Windows Mail’ we think you mean Microsoft’s Mail app (which comes pre-installed on Windows 10 PCS). Unfortunat­ely, it isn’t available for Windows 7 PCS. As you’re ruling out Thunderbir­d too, that leaves Emclient ( www.emclient.com) as your best option.

You can use it to manage up to two accounts free of charge (or you can pay £29.95 for the Pro version that lets you add as many as you want). Just remember to get a free licence to unlock it ( www.emclient.com/free-license).

How do I scan DVDS in Librarythi­ng?

Q IN Issue 510 Librarythi­ng was featured in ‘Best New Apps’ (page 44). You say it can catalogue DVDS by scanning their barcodes. When I tried I got the message ‘Can’t find a book with this barcode’. How do I tell the app I am scanning a DVD? Robert Newman A librarythi­ng uses the same process to search for books and DVDS (tap ‘Add to Catalog’, tap the barcode at the top right, then scan your barcode) – you don’t have to tell it what you’re scanning. We suspect what’s happening here is that Librarythi­ng is using the US version of Amazon to look for a UK barcode. You can change this to Amazon UK on Librarythi­ng’s website ( www. librarythi­ng.com).

Sign in, then click ‘Add books’. When the page loads, scroll down and click ‘Edit and Reorder’ (under the ‘Search where?’ column on the left). In the window that appears, click ‘All sources’, UK, then tick ‘Amazon UK all media’ (you can untick the other Amazon options here if you want). Close the pop-up window, then click ‘Edit and Reorder’ again. This time drag ‘Amazon UK all media’ to the top of the list, then tick ‘Always start with first source’ (see screenshot above).

If you wish, click the ‘X’ to remove any Amazon.com entries in the list. Next, type your DVD’S barcode into the search box at the top of the screen, then click Search. Unfortunat­ely, you can’t as yet replicate these changes in the app, so for DVDS the app can’t find you’ll have to use the website. If it still can’t find your DVD, click ‘Add manually’ (below ‘Other options’) to add it yourself.

Why does OBS Studio 20 only record audio from my DVDS?

Q i’ve tried to use OBS Studio 20 (Issue 510, page 19) to turn DVDS into digital files. However, I can only record audio and not video from my DVDS. I would appreciate your help on this. Iain Kennedy A the first thing we need to check is that you have the basics right. Click the ‘+’ button in Studio 20’s Sources box, then select Display Capture in the dropdown menu. Leave ‘Create new’ selected, then click OK. Next, select the screen you want to record from (if you have multiple monitors), untick the Capture Cursor tickbox, then click OK. Back in the main window, click Settings (at the bottom right), then the Output tab. Set the Video Bitrate to 10,000, change the Recording Quality to ‘Same as stream’, the ‘Recording format’ to MP4, click Apply, then click OK.

Open VLC (or your video player of choice) and play your DVD. The video should appear in Studio 20’s window. Use the red box to select the exact area you want to record. Once you’re happy with your selection, re-start your film, then click the Start Recording button.

If Studio 20 still won’t record video, it may be struggling to read the informatio­n from your graphics card. To correct this, first remove any sources you’ve already added by clicking the ‘-’ button next to each one. Play your video in VLC, then click the ‘+’ in the Sources box, but this time choose Window Capture. Leave ‘Create new’ selected, click OK, then select ‘[Vlc.exe]: VLC media player’ in the top dropdown menu. Untick Capture Cursor, then tick ‘Multi-adapter Compatibil­ity’ (see screenshot above). Use the red box to select your video as before, then click Start Recording.

 ??  ?? Make Librarythi­ng use the UK version of Amazon to find your DVD’S details If OBS Studio 20 fails to record video make sure this setting is ticked
Make Librarythi­ng use the UK version of Amazon to find your DVD’S details If OBS Studio 20 fails to record video make sure this setting is ticked
 ??  ??

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