About Christian Cawley
Former Deputy Editor for Security, Linux, DIY, Programming, and Tech Explained, Christian has extensive experience as a writer and editor and has been published in Computer Weekly, Linux Format, Tech Radar, ComputerActive, and other titles.
Christian also produced MakeUseOf's weekly show, the Really Useful Podcast, from 2018-2024.
His current passions are his cigar box guitar, his retro gaming site (retrogamerbase.com), and his family.
Latest Articles
How To Make Sure Windows 7 Will Boot After Changing The Motherboard
How many times have you installed copies of Windows on a computer following a major hardware change? A case in point is probably Windows XP – although flexible, popular and easy to use, the operating system wasn’t great at dealing with hardware changes, in particular new motherboards. This shouldn’t come as any surprise, really.
Using A Tiny SSD? Slim Down Windows 7 With Minimal Installs
How big is your hard disk drive? 80 GB? 300 GB? 5 TB? You might well have more than enough space, but if you own a device with a small SSD – perhaps a netbook, for instance – there is very little to worry about. There are several tools and tricks that you can use to make sure that the OS runs efficiently and without filling your SSD (or indeed any other small storage device).
How To Setup Gmail Accounts On Windows Phone
Due to a severe spam issue (and to take the storage load away from my PC) I decided to migrate my email accounts to Google Mail. This has had an interesting effect on my ability to collect messages on my Windows Phone. While it isn’t a problem to set up a Gmail account if your email address ends in @gmail.com, the situation is a little different for Windows Phone users if they’re trying to access an email service that uses Google Mail but has its own domain name.
How To Make Your Raspberry Pi Into a Home Theater System
Four weeks on and I’ve been playing with my Raspberry Pi in various ways, from using it to browse the web and standard day-to-day computing tasks to playing around with the various configurations that are possible for networking (Ethernet vs USB wireless). But is there an ultimate point to this device, or will it remain a curiosity on my shelf, to be switched on whenever a useful purpose rears its head?
Things You Should Keep In Mind Before Taking Your Laptop Or Smartphone To Tech Support
Given that some of these employees were among the most intelligent people in the country, the way in which they misused their devices was astonishing, from general irresponsible behaviour concerning the devices (drops, scratches, broken screens, etc.) to leaving material saved or even open on the desktop that you certainly wouldn’t show to your grandmother. As for the confidential information that sat open an ALT+TAB away...
Windows 8 In Daily Use: What Is It Really Like?
You hate Windows 8, don’t you? You’ve never used it, you haven’t even seen it in action (other than via a few YouTube videos) but you hate it. It’s pointless, it’s ugly, it’s unwieldy… you know all of these things, yet you haven’t used it. Perhaps, just perhaps, you’ve been misinformed. I’ve been running Windows 8 for several months now in its various pre-release versions and I can tell you right here, right now, that it really isn’t all that bad.
Why Won’t My Windows 7 Updates Install?
Windows Update is one of the key elements of Microsoft’s operating system for keeping your computer working and up to date. Without it, your computer would freely collect malware, unpatched security holes would be exploited and generally things would run pretty slowly. Fortunately, your computer does have Windows Update, capable of adding new functionality, fixes, service packs and device drivers to your Windows 7 PC or laptop. But what happens when Windows Update goes wrong?
How to Make Your Phone's Battery Last Longer and Hold More Juice
Battery life is one of the biggest struggles of modern-day electronics. Smartphones, tablets, and laptops all deal with it -- so what can you do to maximize the amount of time you get per charge?
What You Need to Know About Getting Started with Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi computer is the latest in a line of compact, multi-function devices, shipped as a barebones package so that end users can use the hardware for virtually any computing project that comes to mind. For instance, the device – designed originally to aid school children learn programming skills – is ideal for media streaming, or using as the key element in a MAME gaming unit.
Hotmail Account Blocked? Here Is How to Fix It
Over the last few years, Microsoft has expanded the Hotmail/Windows Live services to include a dazzling array of browser-based services. With so many features offered for free you might think that this is a pretty good deal – and it is. But what happens to your emails and data when your account is blocked? How might this happen, and is there a way of overcoming it?
The Top 5 Amazing Uses For Your Raspberry Pi Computer
I’ve recently received my Raspberry Pi after a long wait – and I’ve got quite a few plans for it. The problem is, I’m not totally sure which project I want to attempt first. While the idea of a carputer is a compelling one, my mobile phone and GPS unit seem to fulfill this purpose already. Meanwhile, I’ve long had ambitions to build a MAME arcade machine unit, but never quite got around to it.
How To Prevent Updates On Your Rooted Kindle Fire
If you’re one of the many Kindle Fire owners that have rooted their device in order to add functionality (such as access to Google Play) then you will want to prevent the update being sent to your Kindle Fire. Once an update is applied, it undoes the root! Fortunately, several apps can be installed on your Kindle Fire that can be used to prevent future Kindle Fire updates.
How To Connect Your Wiimote To Your PC
How do you prefer to interact with your computer? Sometimes a mouse and keyboard just isn’t enough. Depending on what you’re doing, a completely different interface method is required for you to get the most out of your computer. Personally, I use a trackball and keyboard, for gaming as well as standard use, and there are many Windows computer owners who prefer to do the majority of their work using a graphical tablet and stylus.
How To Print & Build Your Own Free, Beautifully Detailed 3D Models
Having been enthused by the continuously dropping prices of 3D printers, I was recently checking out the latest models and making a decision on which one to choose when I had a moment of what can only be described as a nostalgic epiphany. There I was, wishing I could build toy boats and planes and cars with a new 3D printer when I suddenly realised that it was already possible to do all of this and more with my existing printer!
How To Fix Nokia Lumia 800 And Zune Connectivity Issues
Syncing this Windows Phone requires – as with any – the Zune software on your PC and a USB cable (Mac users can use the Windows Phone 7 Connnector for Mac). However for some of us this won’t work out of the box. The impact of this is that syncing your phone to your PC is prevented, which means that photos and videos can’t be saved to your computer and music can’t be copied to your phone. Fortunately there is a way around this, one that is easy to implement.
How To Deal With Post-Root Kindle Fire Syncing Issues
Amazon is very keen for the Kindle Fire to not be rooted – after all, this breaks the walled garden that they have set up for installing apps, etc. – and regularly push out updates that are intended to prevent or undo rooting. Meanwhile, problems accessing your Kindle books can also occur after rooting. Fortunately, all of these issues can be resolved, relatively quickly.
How To Make the Most of Your Kindle Fire's 8GB Storage
I almost ran out of space on my Kindle Fire last week. Sadly, I was away from my computer, which meant I couldn’t simply move data off the device – I would have to delete it! Fortunately, this didn’t cause much of a problem as I was able to connect to my cloud storage account, upload some bulky data and then download the new book to my device. I should add here that not all of the storage on my Kindle Fire was taken up with eBooks!
Install Android Ice Cream Sandwich On The HTC HD2 In Minutes
Last week I was challenged to install Android Ice Cream Sandwich on the HTC HD2 in as little time as possible. The reason? It was my client’s lunch hour; she was sick of Windows Mobile and she wanted to play Angry Birds. The request came as no surprise; the setup and installation time for Android on the HP TouchPad is easily inside 30 minutes, so I happily accepted the challenge.
Backup, Restore, And Update Android On The HP TouchPad
While webOS has a slick and pleasing user interface, the platform is sadly lacking in applications. As time progresses, developments to the drivers for these devices will result in a fully functioning Ice Cream Sandwich for the HP TouchPad; but how can you easily upgrade your existing Android installation?
Some Great Pinhole Camera Projects You Can Try At Home
Can you imagine life without cameras, with no way to record memories of faces and places? Modern photography has been with us since 1839, and in that time has become increasingly sophisticated, moving away from special chemicals and paper in favour of digital technology. We no longer need to carry around Polaroid instant cameras, yet we still try to recreate the look and feel of these images using filter tools for desktop and mobile apps.