Fast Fixes: CCeaner

Avoid error messages, download missing definitions and fix problems with Windows after cleaning

Error messages during installation

If you’re trying to install CCleaner for the first time, you may see an error message if you're not logged into Windows using an administrator account. Select an administrator account when prompted, and then type the correct password. Alternatively, log out and log back in as an administrator.

You may also see an ‘Abort, Retry, Ignore’ dialogue box when trying to update or install CCleaner in Windows XP or Vista. Exit CCleaner, wait a few moments then click Retry.

Make Your PC Hack-Proof

Antivirus alone is no longer enough to keep malware off your PC. Jane Hoskyn counts down 14 new rules to beat hackers' latest tactics

Happy birthday to the word ‘hack’, coined 60 years ago by the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Then, as now, the word simply means to tinker with technology, which is one of our favourite things to do (and definitely one of the MIT model railway enthusiasts' favourite things to do). But criminals are pretty keen on it too. and they’re having a particularly busy year.

Periscope

Meet the app that turns your iPhone into a live-streaming webcam

What is it?

A free iOS app (www.periscope.tv) that lets anyone, anywhere broadcast (‘stream') live video on the web. and lets anyone, anywhere watch it. Its creators (getting carried away as tech entrepreneurs tend to) said they wanted to build "the closest thing to teleportation". Despite this daft hyperbole, many web experts are predicting a live-streaming "revolution".

Microsoft Lumia 640

A great-quality budget smartphone

Microsoft's Windows Phone has always been a distant third behind iOS and Android in popularity, even though it has been available on some high quality, low cost phones. This latest Lumia is one of the first to be released under the Microsoft brand - the company has decided to phase out the Nokia name.

The 640 is as stylish and sturdy as previous Lumia's. It may be plastic, but it’s well made, glossy and available in blue, orange, black or white. The back panel comes away easily, letting you access the battery. Hidden behind that is a microSD slot essential for boosting the meagre 8GB storage.

Apple MacBook Air 13in (early 2015)

The latest version of Apple's most popular laptop

Apple’s 13in MacBook Air was for some time right up there among our favourite laptops. When it came to weight, durability, battery life and comfort it was simply peerless. However, there are now Windows ultra portable laptops (such as Asus’ Zen Book UX303LA) that are just as good. More competition comes from Apple’s very own, more generously equipped MacBook Pro Retina range, which has become more affordable of late. Yet, rather than overhaul the Air in response to rivals that have upped their game. Apple has chosen to merely tweak this latest version.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

The latest Galaxy is dramatically different

We weren’t exactly blown away by Samsung s previous attempt at a curved-screen Android phone, the Galaxy Note Edge, but the company clearly believes there’s a future in this technology. Whereas the Note 4 was curved on its right hand edge only, the new Galaxy S6 is curved on both sides.

The S6 Edge's curved screen is far less pronounced than the one on the Note 4, barely measuring half a millimetre (half that of the Note 4). Nonetheless, the S6 Edge has almost all the same curved-screen features as its predecessor, such as the ability to display notifications, a news ticker and a bedside clock.

Microsoft Surface 3

Microsoft's lightest tablet yet - but it's lightweight in other ways too

Microsoft’s latest tablet laptop hybrid, the Surface 3. Is both a trimmed-down version of the Surface Pro 3 and the successor to the Surface 2. Whereas the Surface 2 only ran Windows RT. and was thus limited to running apps downloaded from the Windows Store, the Surface 3 runs the full Windows 8.1. so in theory you can run any Windows program you want.

All about Apple Watch

Design

Apple Watch is the world’s best-looking smartwatch. Sure, that’s not really surprising given the clunky competition, but Apple has come up trumps with its first smartwatch. The worlds of fashion and tech have very much collided, and that’s exactly what Apple intended. It’s an object of lust that consumers will buy because it looks gorgeous, rather than for any of its market-defining features. Its curved face mimics the edges of the iPhone, while the Retina display wipes the floor with any competitors. We struggled with visibility in direct sunlight, but show us a modern device that doesn’t.