******** This thread now closed. Please see Volume 75 ********
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=36761
In this thread you may ask any computer related question for which you need help, advice, suggestions or whatever.
Usual rules apply,
No motoring related discussion,
No politics,
No Speeding, speed cameras, traffic calming
No arguments or slanging matches
Nothing which I think is not following the spirit of the thread
Nothing that risks the future of this site (please see the small print for details www.honestjohn.co.uk/credits/index.htm )
Any of the above will be deleted. If the thread becomes difficult to maintain it will simply be removed.
There is a wealth of knowledge in here, much of which is not motoring related, but most of which is useful.
This is Volume 74. Previous Volumes will not be deleted.
A list of previous volumes can be found here:-
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=20892
PLEASE NOTE:
When posting a NEW question, please "Reply to" the first message in this thread, i.e. this one. This keeps each question in it's own separate segment and stops each new question from getting mixed up in amongst existing questions. Also please remember to change the subject header.
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In reply to the question raised in Vol 73:-
>>Yes, I have USB ports on my old system, but I don't have serial ports on my new system. How do you connect a serial cable to a PC without a serial port?>>
Then you need a particular type of USB to USB cable. See:
www.usbgear.com/link/usbnetwork.html
for an example.
You can buy a USB 2.0 link cable cable from, for instance:
tinyurl.com/bjme3
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As far as using USB > USB, I have visited the Microsoft web page but there is no mention of this method. Indeed, I'm scuppered because the method also involves using a 3.5" floppy, and I don't have a floppy drive on my new computer.
The only compatible things on my PCs are the CD/DVD rewriters.
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That appears to be the answer Stuart, thanks. My old pc doesn't have the faster USB 2, will that matter?
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>>will that matter?>>
No, USB2 is backwards compatible.
It will just work at USB1.1 speeds.
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>>I don't have a floppy drive on my new computer.>>
You can buy a new top brand floppy drive for £4 to £5 these days.
However, if you can put the (presumably) bootup file onto a CD-R (multisession use will prevent an otherwise wasted "one file" disk), you can change the Bios to bootup from CD.
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Many thanks, it looks as if problem is solved.
Why can't Mirosoft and others make things simple?
I never cease to be amazed at the wealth of knowledge on this forum.
Cheers to all.
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>>Why can't Microsoft and others make things simple?>>
Basically it is - it's just being aware of what is required.
Microsoft and Windows operating systems have supported networking for many years...:-)
In fact my son has been an IT network support specialist with one of the country's biggest employers since the early 1990s.
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Microsoft and Windows operating systems have supported networking for many years...:-)
Actually not that many compared with others:
"The Internet? We are not interested in it"
--Bill Gates, 1993
"Sometimes we do get taken by surprise. For example, when the Internet came along, we had it as a fifth or sixth priority."
--Bill Gates, July, 1998
Oddly, "The Internet" as we know it came along, arguably, around 1984; what he's talking about is "The World Wide Web," circa 1991.
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Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1989 and its various protocols whilst working at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. He wrote the first web client (browser-editor) and server in 1990.
The concept of what was to eventually be termed the Internet dates back to 1957. A history at:
www.davesite.com/webstation/net-history.shtml
Plenty of similar examples.
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Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups, I set up the first PC based network within the UK office of a major mutlinational in 1994, two Pentium 90mhz PC's, 8 meg RAM, 1 gb HD's, simple file sharing. Prior to that it was stand alone PC's and a mainframe with terminals.
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call that networking ? remember trumpet ?
I had internet access before that.
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>>I had internet access before that.>>
The original point made was that networking has been featured in Windows for a considerable period of time...:-)
It's the comparatively recent surge in wired and wireless networking, especially for home users, that has highlighted its benefits.
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Here's an update and a bit of info.
As a result of the suggestion to use an USB cable I 'phoned Leeds Direct, who supply cables, and the person I spoke to was very helpful. As a result I've saved about £26 on a cable and have ordered a network crossover cable at £1.75. This connects to the ethernet cards in both computers. Of course I've yet to discover how to do this, but there is a wizard in the Control Panel in XP Home.
Thanks to all for help and I'll keep you updated.
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>>network crossover cable>>
Ah, but you didn't tell us you had ethernet cards...:-)
I presume that what you mean is a null modem cable plus the Network Connections wizard and some info on the setup can be found at:
tinyurl.com/bwe75
tinyurl.com/df8uf
www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxpdccin.htm
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Not sure a modem cable will fit into an Ethernet port...and the pinout won't be right anyway...
A network crossover cable is something different in my understanding.
I think you'll need to configure the systems with an IP address in the same subnet (e.g. 192.168.8.x, where x is a number between 1 and 255) and use the same subnet mask (2555.255.255.0). To do this you may need to confiure TCP/IP or Windows Networking or whatever they call it, on each computer. Each computer will also require a unique network name. (Some or all of this configuration might already be done, and I'm not trying to suggest it's hard cos it isn't - but you'll definitely need the machines in the same subnet before they will talk).
You'll probably also need to allow File Sharing service although the Wizard may well take care of chunks of this for you.
Anyway, hook 'em up and come back if you need more help...
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My first internet connection was via a DOS program with its own TCP/IP stack called "KA9Q".
I do indeed remember Trumpet Winsock: at one time ubiquitous; and with the advent of Win95, it disappeared in a few months.
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When I connected some PCs together with WFW3.11 I started to wonder what the point of our Netware 3.11 server was. That was back in '93.... I recently saw a comment that Novells "Flagship" product now more closely resembles a piece of flotsam....
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Hi all.
Will this router;
www.netshop.co.uk/productcategorydetail.aspx?categ...1
simply plug into my uncle's Motorola Blueyonder modem (by ethernet - his modem is connected to his computer via USB) and allow him wireless access throughout his house?
Thanks,
Adam
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Yep. Walls and stuff permitting of course...
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For a few quid more he could get one of these tinyurl.com/7jvcx It is a superb bit of kit. I went through about 5 routers in 2 weeks (They all just kept breaking down!!), but were all cheap ones, then got this and it is easy to set up, looks good and is small.
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Thanks Smokie/TU.
I'm seeing ADSL a lot there though TU. WOuld I still need to connect that Linksys one to the modem?
I only went Netgear because I've had two and they've been excellent.
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Is he on Cable BB then? If he has BB through a BT line then that is an ADSL Modem/Router, so he could just keep his old one as a spare.
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Yeah he's on cable BB via Blueyonder. I'm on ADSL myself and everything's easy but with cable it gets a bit more complicated.
Will that Linksys one still work because it looks pretty snazzy?
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Nope, That one was ADSL only, and it looks better in the flesh then it does in the pictures ;o)
This is a Cable one (according to Ebuyer) tinyurl.com/azyv9 Not quite as sexy, but not far off.
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So in your opinion, which is the best one to get; the Netgear or the Linksys?
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I prefer Linksys, they look better, as for build and reliabilty I think they are pretty much the same. Linksys is supposed to be easier to set up and has less problems with VOIP stuff, netgear is supposed to be very reliable (has a lifetime warentee I think!!), In reality I think price and looks are the driving factor between them. In my expierence Linksys has a good help line (in england as well!!) not had Netgear so really can't comment. But the Linksys I brought repalced a 3com one that was playing up after only 18 months, but the Linksys comes with a 2yr guarentee (Might even be a 5) so hopefully will last at least that long!!
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Cheers TU. I'll show him the pictures and ask him which he prefers because he knows even less about these things than me!!
Thanks again.
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Forgot to say, Has his PC got a network card in? The Linksys does not have USB connections, so it has to be conected via Ethernet to a PC - Or wirelessly, but it is recomended by most manufacturers that the set up is done initially hard wired.
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Believe it or not, I actually built his computer for him. From memory, I think it's got onboard LAN.
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Believe it or not, I actually built his computer for him.
:: oh gawd (holds head in hand)::
From memory, I think it's got onboard LAN.
Gets worse - he cant remeber what he built
Woe Woe and thrice woe
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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Lol.
I know people who have been stupid enough to entrust me to build their machines. I even put one together for his boss and he still hasn't been fired!
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No sure if they are still doing them, but Tesco had both the Lynksys wireless modem/routers for £50 a few months ago. im sure it'll work out cheaper and easier than buying on line & getting it delivered. PS i bought one and have had no problems at all. Easy to set up and looks nice to boot!
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Hi all, hoping someone, somewhere knows about Toshiba laptops.
I bought mine about 3 years ago from PC World, it's a Satellite S2410-504, part number PS241E-5G7U9-EN.
The battery is finally giving up the ghost slowly but surely and I want a new one. I visited the Tosh site and they don't list my machine in their discontinued products section, plenty of other S2410-XXX models, but not mine, neither does their search engine recognise my part number.
Anyone had anything similar happen to them when trying to track down the origins of their machine? I only wanted to buy a new battery, but not knowing what type I want, and with even Tosh not acknowledging the existence of my machine I'm afraid there were no matches to be had on Ebay when I searched by my model name.
Yours confused
Blue
Please remember in this thread and IHAQ to post a new query as a reply to the top post, and change the subject. smokie, BR Moderator
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Have you tried searching eBay/Tosh using the product/part number of the battery?
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Google the model number S2410-504.
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Had a quick look on their website and on this page tinyurl.com/aelbd there is a Call Me Back - so no waiting on the phone. Make sure you put the question in the box then they can research it before calling you.
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If its this one:
This laptop was a limited edition from Toshiba's Satellite Series with higher graphics capability than others in the range at the time. The full specifications are:-
Intel Pentium 4-M processor with enhanced intel speedstep technology
20kb level 1 cache / 512kb level 2 cache
512mb DDR ram (upgraded from 256) expandable to 1gb
Lithium ion Battery
20gb hard drive
CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive
14.1" TFT display
32md geforce 4togo graphics card
Touchpad controller
parallel port
VGA port supports an external monitor
3 USB ports
IEEE 1394 (firewire) port
Infrared port
2 PC card slots
SD card reader
V.90 modem (56k)
Ethernet LAN
Wireless LAN
WIndows XP Home edition
Battery should be model number PA3107U-1BRS www.batterycenter.co.uk/battery.php?e_classcode=1&...B
take out your battery and check it to see if all the abonve adds up.
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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The large stores like PC world and Comet etc also have a really annoying habit of getting manufacturers to call a product by a slightly different product code, you may well find it is identical to other Toshiba laptops but PC World have had their own code put onto it - the cynic in me thinks they do this to stop price matcing as no other company can have the identical product. I know they do it with white goods alot, and also with TV's, so I would take a wild guess they do the same with PC's.
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For the first time in a while I've been genuinely amzed by the posters on this board!
RF, you were spot on, even down to the part number that was on my battery when I removed it earlier on!
I had no idea this was a limited edition, that sort of explains why it still isn't specced badly even by today's standards!
Thanks again.
Blue
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If you go to www.servicesource.co.uk, select End User and follow the Toshiba links for your particular model, you'll find the PA3107U-1BRS battery listed at £71.94 plus alternatives and the P000331520 RTC BATTERY (NIMH) at £7.98.
Can't provide a definite URL as it doesn't change as you go through the various pages.
I did find a lot of sources only to lose them all because the time involved brought a Log In and the info was all lost...:-)
However, one e-Bay seller claims it was a special edition:
tinyurl.com/8lrhs
Other battery supply sources:
tinyurl.com/8n6ma
tinyurl.com/9dve2
tinyurl.com/drrr7
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lose them all because the time involved brought a Log In and the info was all lost...:-)
>>
stuartli-
i seem to recall you have experienced this before, so you may find this moderator's link of interest:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?f=3&t=33...6
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>>i seem to recall you have experienced this before>>
Thanks for the link - it was my own fault as I forgot to cut and paste just to make sure as it took quite a while.
However, I used History to find most of the links again second time round...:-)
Actually the arbitary log off is very frustrating as it's so rare on other websites and it still says you are logged in here.
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>>...great minds etc...:-)>>
I've just come across Renault Family's similar posting about the laptop battery whilst skimming down the page...:-)
Well done. Beat me to it...:-)
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Yep, that's my laptop, I wouldn't part with it for the world, the seller is quite right, trying to find something comparable brand new still isn't all that easy without spending some serious cash...
Blue
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Have just set up my first ever broadband connection - yippee! However, I had ordered the 2 Mbps service from my supplier, but I see that the connection speed is only 576 kbps, around a quarter of that. It does state on the supplier's site "If your line does not support 2Mbps, then we will install the next fastest speed, either a 1Mbps (up to 20 times faster than dial-up) or 500Kbps (up to 10 times faster than dial-up) for the same price." Is there a way to check the maximum speed of the line with BT and, hopefully, to increase it? I want to be able to watch TV (rugby matches, specifically) on broadband and I don't think 576 kbps will be fast enough.
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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I have a similar problem Andy. We live so far away from the exchange, the fastest we can get is 1meg but my mate can get 2 meg.
If you go on the BT website and put your phone number (accurate) or postcode (less accurate) it tells the highest speed.
That being said, try giving BT a ring and say you're interested in BB (I take it you're not with them now). They should be able to tell you more accurately.
I only got "upgraded" to 1 meg a number of months ago.
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Which sites allow you to watch the rugby ? Is this Club or International.
P
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Thanks for the quick reply! Hmm, according to the ZDNet site my speed is only 468.8 kbps - not as good as I'd hoped. Anything I can do about this if it's down to the BT line?
Can't watch the rugby online at the moment AFAIK, but Setanta Sports has the rights to the Celtic League games and already advertise webcasting of other sports (Scottish Premiership, GAA & cricket), so I'm hoping they'll add the rugby to the line up!
--
andymc
Vroom, vroom - mmm, doughnuts ...
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468.8 kbs sounds exactly about right for a bt 512 link with its overhead. it sounds like you cant get the full monty, but check up with BT/ISP to make sure they tried.
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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>>468.8 kbs sounds exactly about right for a bt 512 link with its overheads>>
A 512kbps service should be approximately 655-670Kbps or 80-82Kbytes per second.
You are getting a 256kbps service judging by your figures.
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This is the Manx.net speed test (plus MB speed):
www.manx.net/default.asp?id=54
You need to run several over about five minutes to get an average.
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The attached is a great speed test:
www.adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp
It may be that your speed increases, when I upgraded from 512k to 2mb it went from 512 to 1mb for a couple of days before going to 2mb. I think this is to do with the respective timing of actions performed by the ISP and BT Wholesale. Also it might be worth fiddling with your MTU and RWIN settings, this is in Windows if you are using a modem otherwise your Router GUI should give some control. Look at:
www.dslreports.com/faq/6266
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Can you see from the Modem/Router set up what speed you are connected at? Or is that where you got the figures from. Also try asking your provider, I have heard of some who "Forget" to throttle up the connection at their end, so might be an easy fix.
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TU.
Yes you can see the speed. If you're using a router you can logon as the administrator and it'll show you. Alternatively, and as with a modem, the speed will show on the network connection in your system tray if you've set that icon to display.
John
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the connection speed is only 576 kbps>>
I'm with Tiscali - took up the original 1MB (2GB cap) in April and was getting up to 2.4MB for the first six weeks till it was throttled back...:-)
Then got free upgrade to 2MB and back to lightening quick downloads until, at the end of October, Tiscali carried out what it stated were "service enhancements". Wrong choice of second word.
My speeds immediately dropped to as low as 140kbps and, despite continuous dialogue with Tiscali, its support engineers informed me my line "won't support 2MB". Even though I pointed out they had shot themselves in the foot as I had enjoyed such a service for several months it made no difference.
Even the upgrade/downgrade section switched to only offering 1MB services. So I switched to 1MB unlimited (an engineer's suggestion) and surprise, surprise I'm suddenly informed on the upgrade section that I can have a 2MB service.
The battle goes on because, as far as I am concerned, because Tiscali has broken the terms of its contract under the Sales of Goods Act. I need a MAC code from them plus confirmation that they will not be charging me for the remainder of the 12 month minimum contract.
So it may be worth getting in touch with your ISP to see if it can "tinker" with your line (Tiscali's customer service staff are able to do this) and it often brings an improvement in speed levels.
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Like me, some of you may sometimes receive bounced e-mail but some of the content appears as complete gobbledegook so you're not entirely sure exactly what went wrong.
This is often because the returned message is Base64 encoded, but help is at hand.
I was today informed about the tool at www.opinionatedgeek.com/dotnet/tools/Base64Decode/...x (non-clickable on purpose: cut and paste the URL in your web browser)
Simple paste the encoded text in to the dialogue window and press button
"Safe decode as text".
Here's a sample to play with: V2VsbCBJIGJsb3dlZCEgU28gdGhpcyBpcyB3aGF0IGFsbCB0aGF0IGdvYmJseWRlZ29vay
BhY3R1YWxseSBzYWlkLiAgSG9wZSB0aGlzIGlzIHVzZWZ1bC4gIFNqQg==
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Very good SJB!, so opinionatedgeek, are you a member?
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Hi all - another nice easy one for you. Due mainly to my poor typing there are a number of web addresses stored in the IE address bar/tab which I don't want. Several mistyped versions of this site for example. Can I edit or delete these and if so, how? I've tried highlighting and deleting but all that happens is I get taken to the relevant page. I'm on W98 if that matters.
Ta all!!
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If I understand you correctly open Internet Explorer, go to:
Tool>Internet Options>General>Clear History
This will delete all addresses in the Address drop down box, you can aslo specify how long you want addresses to be stored for.
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Sorry 'Tools', not 'Tool'.
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Thanks Cheddar - don't want to lose all of them so have simply reduced the no. of days they're held and this will mean I gradually lose the ones I don't use any longer whilst those I access all the time will remain. Actually, I knew about this option via Stuartli (IIRC) but wondered if there was a way to edit the list or remove single addresses. I guess not. Thanks anyway.
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Why dont you use Favourites to keep the ones you want, click:
Favourites>Add to Favourites
You can set folders to categorise the sites you use regularly, i.e. Motoring, Sport etc. It then is not a problem if you clear the history every now and then.
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If you use the Firefix browser you can have more than one home page. Each opens in tabs. I have 10 "home pages", so as soon as I open the browser I am immediately where I want to be on my top ten web sites.
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mazdaman:
as advised store the urls in your favourites or bookmarks folders.
but i am really replying here to a question you had asked previously regarding safety for children on the internet.
here is a free program issued by a charity:
www.radiance.m6.net/
you need to scroll down to the bit which says:
LSP version (beta, unsupported): www.radiance.m6.net/setup-lsp.exe
download if you want compatibility with older windows versions (windows 98, etc.);
why not think about getting xp - e.g. a dell with xp for under £300 with a flatpanel 15" monitor .
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Go to:
aandrc.com/editurls/
www.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,106715,00.asp
www.xulplanet.com/ndeakin/arts/reasons.html
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This should be the link for Firefox URLs:
tinyurl.com/73w6l
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Another Firefox link (doesn't always work first time):
tln.lib.mi.us/~amutch/pro/phoenix/location.htm
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Having been off line for 6 months waiting for a 'phone line and then finding it is not being ADSL enabled (Spain- Telefonica - UGH!), I wonder if Skpye is useable with a 56 k modem. I don't want to buy Skype Out credit & than find it doesn' work!
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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>>I wonder if Skpye is useable with a 56 k modem>>
I use to use Skype with a dialup connection to chat to one of the offspring in the Caribbean, but it is better with broadband.
You can try it with a friend who has it on their system to discover if you find it OK without having to try it on a telephone link first.
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A renowned publication currently carries the story about a pensioner who was refused an e-mail address as his name was considered "offensive".
Tiscali rejected the e-mail address of 89-year-old Herbert because his surname triggered the finely tuned filters of the company as it contained a word "considered offensive", a description later upgraded to a "profanity".
Herbert demanded an explanation but at first Tiscali staff were reluctant about even saying the offending word.
The pensioner said that it took considerable persuading to get them to disclose the reason, but the ISP finally explained that his surname contained profanity as it included the word "hump".
Even sustained pressure didn't persuade Tiscali to change its decision, as it claimed it handled and delivered large numbers of e-mail subscriptions with the use of automated processes and to bypass them was very inefficient.
So that was that and poor Herbert can't use his surname in his e-mail address.
In case you are wondering what Herbert's surname is, it's Humphreys.
Richard Littlejohn, as always, would sum it up with his famous phrase: "You couldn't make it up."
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At least it didn't post here as ****hreys!
I can imagine the laugh if it had! ;-))
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Since realised that Richard Littlejohn might not get an e-mail address from Tiscali for the same reason...:-)
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Hi
I'm looking to get a new laptop. I want the following features:
Windows not Apple
At least 15" screen
At least 512GB RAM
Decent processor - suitable for MS Office and various software development appications
DVD writer
Wi-fi
Likely to last at least 3 years without blowing up/falling to pieces
Doesn't need to be particularly light
A minimum of 2 hours battery life - would like more
Any suggestions?
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You're going to be after an IBM Thinkpad then, possibly from here:
www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/
Though you don't mention a price, £650-£700 should do it.
I have had good service from HP laptops for what it's worth.
>A minimum of 2 hours battery life - would like more
What small dreams non-Apple laptop users have. ;-)
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You're going to be after an IBM Thinkpad then
I can second that.
I run a Thinkpad T42 as my work laptop and it is a cracking bit of kit. Easily the best built and most reliable laptop I've had. The predecessor (T41 funnily enough, I think!) became company standard issue kit some time ago and proved so reliable and (certainly with the bulk buying we do) so cost effective that switching to the T42 was easy. IBM selling off their PC and laptop business to another party seems to have had no negative effect.
I have a docking station with mine and keep it out of sight slipped under the desk on top of the free standing (castoring!)drawer unit.
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"Likely to last at least 3 years without blowing up/falling to pieces
Doesn't need to be particularly light
A minimum of 2 hours battery life - would like more"
Yup IBM oopps Make that LENOVO it is. The higher specced laptops (like the T42) are not thrown together in the cheaper end of the chineese factories, but made under much tighter conditions.
I am running a T40, dropped it onto a concrete path from 6 feet, and its still fine. The T4X range is possibly the finest laptops made to date.
Support and parts supply is second to none
Toshiba comes close, toughbooks are well respected in industry.
www.pc.ibm.com/uk/thinkpad/
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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I've got an 18 month old Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop which powers itself off unless I put a cork under the "C" panel. Obviously this makes using it other than via VNC rather awkward.
It's allegedly a known fault with this model of laptop and another one (55xx?) but Dell don't want to know as its out of warranty. They have quoted me £400 for a new motherboard but I could buy a new Thinkpad for that.
My question is, does anyone out there know of someone who can mend a Dell laptop in the Cambridgeshire area. From what I've read about the "known problem", all that's required is a steady hand and a good soldering iron, neither of which I have, to resolder a chip!
All the best,
CM
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Hi all,
I'm setting up my parents with adsl and want to get them wireless too. My router is now out of production, so would like some recommendations as to what to go for...
Needs to be ADSL with wireless and a firewall would be nice, but not essential. Ideally with a couple/four wired points on it too. I'm thinking Linksys or D-Link what do you reckon?
Thanks
--Lee .. sorry, the card says Moops.
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Think SMC, Think Netgear.
--
RF - currently 1 Renault short of a family
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My Netgear DG834GT UK does everything you describe Lee and has been faultless.
We're changing Broadband providers on Thursday and I'm still unsure as to what I'm doing with it so hold off buying one until then.
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Netgear you say? -Thanks, the DG834GT looks to be fine for what they need. Let me know if it all goes up in smoke on Thursday, but otherwise I'll get one of those.
Cheers,
Lee
--Lee .. sorry, the card says Moops.
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Linksys WAG354G, a superb bit of kit, and looks good with it ;o) I have had one for a a few weeks and it is easy to set up and very stable - has excellent reviews and can be had for less then £60 delivered if you shop around.
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Has anyone here got this, and if so, would they mind inviting me to sign up? I gather it's invitation only...
I can provide references :-)
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No problem - It's now called GoogleMail though, due to some dispute over the name gmail
Your profile email the one to use?
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Thank you MC. Fantastic response!
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When in the UK I work from home, but with my responsibilities being in time zones on the other "side" of the planet this often means I'm working until late at night or am starting at sparrows O'clock. No probs, as I'm a five hours a night sleeper anyway, but I use a noisy USB keyboard plugged in to my laptop that drives my wife nuts! I type at a ferocious rate of knots, but although I don't hit the keys hard and my office is on the other side of the house with several closed doors between me and her, the blur of clacking is enough to wake my wife and probably the dead, too.
The laptop keyboard is silent in comparison, but as I keep the laptop on a free standing drawer unit below the desk, connected to a docking station that in turn feeds all the peripherals, I need a plug in keyboard. I have tried placing the keyboard on a bar mat, but although this helps, the desk top still acts as a sounding board to amplify the current keyboard. I'm not about to change the (brand new) desk, so instead want to buy a keyboard that is quiet by design in the first place; even on a solid surface the current one (a cheapy cheap Compaq base model that came with a PC five years ago) is still a noisy beast.
So, can any BRer recommend a USB 2 keyboard with conventional layout (I can't stand the curvy ones that are supposed to be ergonomically better), good key spring weighting, and most importantly, a near silent, well damped operation? whether it is corded, iRDA, or radio wireless I don't mind.
TVM
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As a first step, I'd find a store that has a reasonable selection, such as Maplin, and have a go on several. Keyboards are very personal things, and one man's meat is another's poison with regard to feel, let alone noise.
I have a Fujitsu/Siemens computer that has a great keyboard, and in fact that was one of the things that sold it to me. It's not super quiet, but better than some, and has just the right amount of tactile feedback for my purposes.
I'd steer clear of cordless ones, though. The batteries are short-lived and a colleague had hers fail recently, locking everything up, including her CAD program, which promptly lost her work...
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Thanks, JBJ. I've tried quite a few already in high street stores, but to no avail hence the post. I also had the same battery life thought with wireless, though didn't want to restrict my choice since silence is the main driver. That you confirmed my thought is probably good though, thanks.
As well as being noisy, my current Compaq keyboard also has an operational design fault that I'm keen to avoid with its replacement; when speed typing and hitting two keys physically close together or as part of a common sequence, the result displays in reverse order if you haven't released the first key before hitting the second. Vrey annoyign for a speed merchant like me! ;-)
BTW - I hope all's well on the IOW.
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>>The batteries are short-lived>>
Not using rechargeable batteries. I'm on my keyboard all day virtually all day and they last about six weeks - the optical mouse's batteries a little less.
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Thanks Stuartli.
Any keyboards to recommend, as a journalist and a computing one at that? Cheers.
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A colleague at work uses a laptop style keyboard supplied by BenQ iirc. Silent operation, only downside being lack of a number pad.
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Hi All
I'm having a few problems with my PC at home (I'm at work now). When we had NTL broardband installed it came with netguard and Zone alarm. But I am now having lots of problems with Zone alarm.
In the settings section of the contol centre screen, I have it set to switch on at start up of the PC, but it isn't. The screen always shows a message in the top right corner saying "system error:please reboot" and always shows zero attemps and zero blocks of intruders.
Now when running the PC, after not very long (a few minutes) the screen saying web site cannot be found comes up.
I've tried downloading a new version of Zone alarm to my memory stick at work and then transfering it over to my home PC but it still has the same problem.
Can anyone recomend another preferably free firewall that i can download to my memory stick and take home later.
TIA
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Kerio Personal Firewall from www.kerio.com/ has a good reputation. Maybe not quite as easy to set up as ZoneAlarm though.
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according to kerio, the personal version is not free, and they are disontinuing it anyway:
www.kerio.com/kpf_home.html
CUSTOMER ALERT
Kerio Personal Firewall is being discontinued on December 31, 2005. While Kerio will continue to support this product for all customers through 2006, we will not be actively developing any new features or functionality going forward.
We strongly encourage those customers interested in purchasing Kerio Personal Firewall to download the product and evaluate it free of charge for 30 days before purchasing as our strict no refund policy will continue to apply for the three remaining months the product will be available. We thank you for your understanding.
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according to kerio, the personal version is not free, and they are disontinuing it anyway...
Whoops, hadn't spotted that. When I tried it, you downloaded a single program. It reverted to the free version, with fewer features, if you didn't register it after a certain period.
I went back to using ZoneAlarm. Apart from a minor conflict with Avast! AntiVirus, it's never given me any problems.
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>>Apart from a minor conflict with Avast! AntiVirus>>
I'm curious about that as I also use Avast! What exactly was the minor conflict and did you have to grant permission for Avast! to have access?
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>>Apart from a minor conflict with Avast! AntiVirus>> I'm curious about that as I also use Avast! What exactly was the minor conflict...
I seem to remember it being necessary to disable the Web Shield feature in Avast! Before I did this I was getting some nasty crashes when trying to do certain tasks. If this sounds vague it's because it was several months ago.
There is info on the Avast! site at www.avast.com/eng/faq-home-webshield.html but I'm not 100 per cent certain that this was the precise problem.
At any rate, the crashes disappeared when I disabled the Web Shield.
and did you have to grant permission for Avast! to have access?
I must have done. Nothing can connect to the internet unless given permission and the program has to connect to download updates.
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another preferably free firewall
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as an interim measure, you may wish to try the free
www.agnitum.com/products/outpostfree/index.php
in the long term, personally, i would go for their commercial "pro" version
www.agnitum.com/products/outpost/index.php
however, if you want to try to solve your zonealarm problem, try to completely uninstall your current version by following the instructions at
forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs
as you will find there, a lot of people are finding the new 6.0 and 6.1 series problematical.
so i would suggest you first try installing their stable version 5.5.094.000 from
download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/1023_zl/zlsSetup_55...e
user guide is at download.zonelabs.com/bin/media/pdf/zaclient55_use...f
if that works, and you want to try the latest version, try again with download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/1012_zl/zlsSetup_61...e
user guide is at download.zonelabs.com/bin/media/pdf/zaclient61_use...f
note : the above links for the free zonealarm are from their official page at
download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/information/znalm/z...l
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p.s. i should have said; in case you need help and instructions for setting up agnitum outpost, their support forums are at
www.agnitum.com/support/forum.php
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>>as you will find there, a lot of people are finding the new 6.0 and 6.1 series problematical.>>
This always puzzles me. I've used ZA (free) for a number of years with 98, 98SE and now XP Pro, always immediately update to the latest version and also do updates as necessary for friends and family on a similar range of operating systems.
It's always gone without a hitch...:-)
One of the reasons could be when installing the latest version and a panel comes up about whether you are updating a present version or a completely clean install.
It's easy to click No rather than Yes and this can cause problems. The installation will have to be run again.
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This always puzzles me
>>
be puzzled no more - if you look at the changelog at
download.zonelabs.com/bin/free/information/znalm/z...0
it becomes obvious that the problems people were complaining about turned out to be real and not imaginary.
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>>that the problems people were complaining about>>
I'm well aware of the problems some people are having, but I strongly suspect that many of them can't be bothered to follow the installation instructions properly (either with ZA or any other software) or failed to configure them correctly.
Certainly the majority of the problems I've asked to sort out over the years are mostly due to these factors, supported by false expectations that something should work immediately once installed and/or failure to read instructions.
Many of the website forums asking for assistance in solving a range of problems or "how do you do so and so?" could be easily achieved merely by, for instance with Microsoft products, reading the always very comprehensive Help files.
However, too many are too lazy or can't be bothered and expect others to do it for them...:-)
Such attitudes were part of the reason, in the case of security issues, that led to Microsoft evolving ServicePack2 for XP with its basic firewall and WindowsUpdate activation by default, plus AV support.
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as i said, the following were not down to ignorant users, but were found to be real issues with zonealarm 6.0 series:
Fixed - Compatibility issues with Adaptec USB driver
Fixed - Nortel VPN can not connect
Fixed - Compatibility issue when System Mechanic Startup Guard is enabled
Fixed - PdaNet can't connect
Fixed - VSNET 2003 issues
Fixed - TrueVector application error in event viewer log
Fixed - High vsmon CPU usage
Fixed - "Deny" Button in program alert pushed off the edge
Fixed - Icons lost in program list after upgrade
Fixed - PC Cillin 2006 issue
Fixed - System stability issues
Fixed - Various other bug fixes Fixed - POP email not working when co-existing with NAV
Fixed - Free ZA blocking some Remote access software from accessing ZA Alert notifications
Fixed - Propel compatibility issue
Fixed - Multiple 'loopback' entries in firewall zones after upgrade Fixed network detection issue.
all these were initially blamed on users. only when large numbers of complaints kept flooding in did they realise that they needed to be sorted.
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Fair enough, but it's also true that other utilities, programs etc also clash in similar manner on systems, not just ZA..:-)
Hardly unexpected, I suppose, as there must be billions of combinations of various programs, applications and other software and hardware on systems all over the world.
Notice, without much surprise, that NAV is mentioned....
Glad I got rid of it some time ago judging by the consistent crop of moans...:-)
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This sound like a problem I used to have with ZA. The problem was caused by spyware already on my machine before ZA, and was eventually cured by the use of Microsoft's excellent AntiSpyware. No probs with ZA since. Hope this helps.
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