Run Windows 3.1 in your browser for free!

Bored by Windows 7? Confused by Windows 10? Then take a trip into computing history by running Windows 3.1 in your browser. Jonathan Parkyn shows you how

Boot up your current computer and you’ll be greeted by flashy graphics, smooth fonts and gigabytes of powerful, easy-to-use programs. But it wasn’t always like that. For a reminder of what computing was like 24 years ago, you should head online to the Internet Archive (http://archive.org), where you’ll find a fully working version of Windows 3.1 that runs within your web browser, as well as more than 1,300 free games and programs built for it. We’ll explain what’s inside this fascinating time capsule.

Firefox Fast Fixes

Fix websites that won’t load, stop random crashes and restore a lost home page

Websites won’t load or update

If you encounter problems with sites that won’t load fully (or at all), or they load but won’t update to show the latest information, then try clearing Firefox’s cache. Click the menu button (three horizontal lines at the top right), then go to History and click Clear Recent History. Open the ‘Time range to clear’ dropdown menu and choose Everything. Make sure at least Cache is ticked and then click Clear Now. Try opening the affected websites again. If they still don’t work, repeat this tip but tick Cookies in addition to Cache.

Philips PicoPix PPX4010

A very portable PC projector

There used to be a standing joke about how little you’d need to spend to pay for a trip to the cinema and a packet of fags. Now you can get a cinema in a box the size of a fag packet, and for less than you might expect. The PicoPix uses an LED instead of an incandescent bulb, cutting out most of the bulk, heat and cost of a traditional projector. And, unlike the deadly weed, it doesn’t come with a Government health warning.

Outlook.com’s Best New Tools

Microsoft has been busy improving its webmail service. Daniel Booth reveals the five best new tools

If you use Outlook.com, you’ll soon notice some exciting new tools in your inbox. These features have been in the ‘preview’ version of the webmail service since May 2015, which has been available to selected users. Microsoft announced in February that the revamped Outlook.com will soon be available to everyone, starting – predictably – with people based in North America.

Amazon Kindle Secret Tips

Reset the furthest page read, share free book chapters and get updates before anyone else

Share free book previews

The latest version of the Kindle software, which arrived in February (www.snipca.com/19574) adds new ways to share, letting you send a free preview of a book’s opening passages or chapters to friends (and they don’t need a Kindle or Kindle app to read them). First, tap, hold and drag to select a section of text. Next, tap Share, followed by the method of sharing. To share via email, for example, tap E-mail, then tap Add (beside To), type the email address, tap Save, then tap to change Subject or Personal Message (optional). Finally, tap Send.