******** This thread now closed. Please see Volume 43 ********
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=29160
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
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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 42. 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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The new laptop is fab, only problem is McAffee, which is driving me mad and is set to be removed if it doesn't buck its ideas up ;)
I was a bit surprised to receive the hard drive from my old laptop in the post this morning, as I thought it was gone forever. Luckily I did back up all the important stuff before I sent the machine away, but there is some not so important stuff (photos etc) that I would like if possible.
How do I go about getting info off this hard drive then? Do I need to take it somewhere to be plugged into something and burnt to CD?
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post it to me if you want.
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The best solution PG is to buy an external USB 2 craddle and then you can use it as an external drive for storage and backups, they cost about £20 well worth buying.
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Do they do them for laptop drives?
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Laptop hard drives use the same interface ([parallel ATA] IDE) as desktop hard drives, the pins are just spaced closer together. So all you need to do is find someone with a desktop PC who knows what they're doing (like Mark!) and has an adaptor, £2 from ebay.
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Yup the interface is logically the same, smaller spaced pins and the power pins are integrated onto the interface plug and you can buy them almost anywhere.
So you need to give it to someone with a desktop pc and a spare cable free so they can burn it to DVD or CD, or buy an external USB enclosure and fit it in there.
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I have about 20 of these IDE to laptop cable convertors so I know that can be done (although I found them a little unreliable - hence I have 20!). What I was thinking was that if the enclosure is sized for a regular IDE drive, and laptop screws are usually smaller than ones in IDE drives, without a bit of No More Nails the drive might rattle around, which would do it no good at all.
My poorly worded question should have been do they do external enclosures for laptop drives.
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You can get 2.5" (laptop size) to 5.25" (normal size for external enclosure) mounting hardware kits (some of the kits include the cable converter)
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Thanks all.
Mark, I may take you up on that offer once I have moved house and satisfied myself that there is nothing on there I wouldn't want one of my dads to see!
Thank you!
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(Following on from my question posted in Volume 41)
Thanks for the advice guys and all very interesting. Wouldn?t have the nerve to do anything with the registry as I know it would go wrong even before I started.
As regards formatting and reinstalling windows that?s OK with my Win 98 as I have the disk but most people seem to have Windows installed when the computer is bought but have no CD to reinstall if every needed.
Actually the son in law has a Compaq which is quite a few years old and it comes with a Compaq recovery disk which I believe is a ?put it back to how it came out of the box condition?
Chris..On a earlier post you mentioned that you couldn?t get hotmail through Outlook Express without paying. That explains why when I was wearing my computer expert hat round at my mates last week I couldn?t get OE to receive mail. His wife has a Hotmail account and couldn?t get her mail for some reason on their site. She has a BT internet account but uses Hotmail for her mail and I blithely told her not to bother going on to the web to get her mail but to use OE. With no success??.
The only consolation may be that as my failure rate increases my call outs will proportionally fall.
I will then become just a telephone adviser at local rates and when my advice leaves them with a blank screen can say you must have misunderstood what I told you.
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>>The only consolation may be that as my failure rate increases my call outs will proportionally fall.
(laughs) I can see a lot of sense in that, and a much quieter life too...might give it a go at home.
--
Lee
Having a Fabialous time.
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Sling Hotmail into touch and get a Gmail account! If you are using Firefox as a browser (if not why not!) there is a neat little Gmail notifier extension which will sit in the navigation bar & tell you when you have new mail. There is of course gmail's own notifier too, but I find it a bit "clunky"
I have invitations aplenty if anyone wants one.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Sorry - Gmail have "time expired" ALL my invitations!
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Sorry - Gmail have "time expired" ALL my invitations!
Are you sure? I had four invitations left but now I have 50! The link to invite people has now moved to the left of the page.
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So it has ! :(
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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So it has ! :(
Continuing on the subject of Gmail, there are rumours that the increase in invitations is a prelude to a full public launch. See software.silicon.com/applications/0,39024653,39127...m .
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tell you when you have new mail.>>
Mozilla's Firefox browser's e-mail program, Thunderbird, offers the same feature if you set it to check for messages on a regular basis according to requirements.
However, I normally disable this feature as Thunderbird will dial up automatically if you are offline and it can prove a nuisance if you are away from the system for a while. Outlook Express can also be set to check for new messages in this way but can also be set to Hang Up afterwards.
This is turn can lead to "problems" when some forget it's set and wonder why their modem is in regular dialup mode...:-)
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Just got a very nice Panasonic home theatre system with DVD recorder (not hard disk) to complement the TiVo. TiVo is my preferred recorder but the DVD is useful for clashes.
I recorded a film on a DVD-R the other night, it came out well. But it won't play on any of the PCs in the house. Nero says the DVD needs closing so I thought that might do the trick but it didn't - that crashes. It won't play on daughter's cheapo DVD player either.
Am I expecting to be able to do something that won't ever work, or should I go a'googling for some help? (...and I'm just going to RTFM for the machine too)
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Finalising on DVD fixed it.
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Is there any (cheap) way I can use my home PC monitor ( a flat screen HP that came with the package) for the play Station?
Thanks
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I presume you've got an analogue monitor and not one of those DVI ones?
If so, then yes, it can be done, but no, it's not easy. A PC monitor requires a refresh frequency sent through one of the pins. There are resources on the web that tell you how to build a module that will give you a suitable frequency. As with anything, it's easier to connect a graphics card to a scart TV or similar, as you don't need the frequency. That (I think) is why lots of graphics cards come with S-video output these days.
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Not sure you want to connect your Flat panel Monitor to a play station.
Reason? Flat panels are on the whole* too slow for moving games graphics and will smear or ghost. Plus your native resolution of the flat screen may not suit the resolution of the Play station and will appear "blocky"
Also, frankly computer monitors will show just how rubbish playstation graphics are.
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*unless you get one of the latest expensive fast panels, which certainly was not the one bundled with your HP.
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Cheers RF
I guessed the answer would be somthing like that, oh well never mind.
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I thought my days of 98 were over, but things come back to haunt.
I am installing a Generic Wireless PCI card in a 5 yr old Dell machine with W98. I had assumed that it must be SE as it supports USB devices without problems. However half way thro the driver install process it stalls with a message to the effect that it will not install on a machine with W98 please upgrade to 98SE. Then jumps out of manufacturers driver install prog.
Any bright ideas pse??????
--
pmh (was peter)
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The SmartArse answer is Upgrade to SE.
And in fact unless you can find an older driver for the device it's probably the only answer. You can't tell what it's checking in Windows 98 to determine which release it is, so you can't try to fake SE.
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Was I wrong in thinking that USB support was only introduced in SE?
--
pmh (was peter)
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>>The SmartArse answer is Upgrade to SE>>
If you do here's an unofficial 98SE Service Pack that could save a lot of tedius and necessary updating of a basic 98SE installation:
www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=91
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I had assumed that it must be SE as it supports USB devices without problems.
Windows 98 always supported USB. You're probably gettting it confused with 95, which didn't have USB support until OSR 2.5, but even that was a bit flaky.
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95 didnt have usb as standard, but the drivers had to be downloaded, and was very flakey. 98 was still flakey and 98se was less flakey but still a bit temperamental. Wasnt till win2k that usb finally worked properly.
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Ever since I played a What Car? Awards 2005 DVD, my computer has been plagued by the following message in the information bar:-
This site may require may following ActiveX control: 'Macromedia Flash Player 7' from 'Macromedia',Inc.'. Click here to install...
How do I get rid of this annoying message ~ without taking up the invitation to "Click here......."?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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To be honest, Macromedia Flash Player won't do any harm to your computer so you might as well just install it.
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I had exactly the same problem a few months ago.. Ignored it and cancelled for a long time but eventually had to install it simply to stop continually doing this.
Wished I hadn't as it caused flashing and shimmering on any site such as this one.
Went to their website where it tells you how to remove it. Did so but still have the same problem.
I would search their website and see if you can find a way of this message not coming up. Seem to recall they redirect you to a Microsoft site for problems. If you find out let me know..
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you can block it from firewall programs, for example zonealarm-pro.
however, you should find a suitable solution from some suggestions/methods here for your own personal preferences:
www.ozoneasylum.com/4999
you need to read all of it to examine all the options.
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Without Flash, you may find things like buttons and links on certain websites not working.
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Without Flash, you may find things like buttons and links on certain websites not working.
Everything works to my satisfaction without Flash. I don't want Flash . What I do want is to get rid of the annoying invitation to install Flash.
What initiated the message in the first place? Presumably something on the What Car? DVD. It will certainly make me more careful in the future as to what discs I put into D:
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Flash can be a real nuisance as it is that which is used to spawn those annoying animations which creep across your page advertising the "Blogmobile"
FlashBlock Google for the developer's site-(IE only) will stop it and it is switchable from the icon in the taskbar.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Everything works to my satisfaction without Flash. I don't want Flash .
I'm no lover of the wretched thing myself, your Snailship, and never use Flash rollover buttons, etc.,on my own websites. I was merely pointing out that as long as this fashion remains we may have unexplained difficulties with some sites.
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I was merely pointing out that as long as this fashion remains we may have unexplained difficulties with some sites.
My apologies for sounding brusque, your Badgership. It wasn't intentional. (We quite like badgers round here ~ they are frequent visitors to my neighbours garden.)
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Well, it might be. Mainly to update those who kindly offered assistance:-
I ended up reinstalling XP - amazingly none of all that call MS silliness that went with updating.
No change! It then occurred to me that the USB mouse was shown on COM1 and the USB modem was shown on COM3 (the same innit?). So I unplumbed my 56k serial modem from my computer and tried that. It worked instantly.
No idea why COM2 or 4 don't appear to be on offer, but I had a new PS2 mouse laying about, so I have introduced that for the time when the Dell goes home and we try the USB modem on broadband.
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I recently decided to upgrade my PC speakers and bought a Logitec X230 2.1.system. A mistake ! There are no seperate bass / treble controls, just a 'boombox' volume control and an overall volume control. Even with the 'boombox' turned right down, the bass is overpowering. The computer has onboard sound (AC 97 I think it's called) and I can't find any software tone controls.
My question is, how can I reduce the bass to a pleasant level ? I have a very basic knowledge of electrics and have considered the following options.
Accept the system for what it is, give it away, and spend another 40 quid on something more suitable.
New soundcard ? Or would I just end up with a more expensive 'boom' ?
Put a different speaker in the 'box - would this work and what type ?
Put some sort of resistance in the bass speaker circuit, or maybe partially bypass it somehow.
I don't want Hi - Fi sound and obviously the cheapest solution would be the best, any help would be appreciated.
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If you search the web you should be able to find new AC97 drivers that include "profiles" and an advanced tab that will give you bass and trebble controls.
however
AC97 drivers / sound chips are not the best. A new soundcard (soundblaster) with good drivers and more faithful audio can be had for about 25 quid. You will need to disable the onboard audio via the bios if you fit a sound card.
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I these genius speakers and haven't regretted it: www.geniusmouse.co.uk/product.asp?stock_id=71 .
The problem I've found with a lot of these cheap 2.1 systems is that they don't have much mid-range. You just get lots of lows from the boombox and lots of highs from the tweeters.
The genius speakers I mention have good bass output and a 'tone' control which is adequate. They also have good RMS output which is surprising for plain stereo speakers.
If you want to keep the speakers you've just bought, you could perhaps try repositioning the boombox away from the wall a bit, and stuffing a sock in the boom hole. Putting it and the speakers on spikes would also stop boom going through the floor and desk, or maybe just self-tapping screws in the bottom would help?
Mike Farrow
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If you go to www.scan.co.uk or other big online retailers' websites, you will be able to choose from a selection of computer speaker systems at very reasonable prices from Harmon Kardon and Altec Lansing, two of the acclaimed hi-fi speaker giants.
Some of the Creative offerings are also excellent.
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If you're running media player, you can alter the graphic equaliser and tru-bass settings to try and make it more acceptable. Same with most decent software players.
I think you may be stuck for any real benefit though - I swapped my beige Altec Lansings for a set of black Labtecs, for nothing more than they match my Dell with its black TFT.
The sound is excellent, but I can't adjust the bass on the speakers themselves with the result that any music that is slightly loud booms around the whole house.
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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booms around the whole house >>
If the speakers are close to a wall or in a corner, try pulling them further out to reduce the bass and also the booming.
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Hi Folks,
Several months ago (some may remember) my friend was having probs with his computer, I found it to be riddled with viruses, spy-ware and ads. As advised by the goodly-folk on here, I installed zonealarm, spybot, ad-aware se. spywareblaster, and Avg 6, (now updated to ver 7). Up until now there were no more probs or viruses etc.
Today, he called me and said he was having probs again, I inspected, and found he had 32 viuses, even though Avg was upto date and running. most were Trojan horses, but 4 were ?Crypter? ones which Avg couldn`t heal, so I vaulted them
The only thing different is that last week he changed to Wanadoo broadband from dial-up Aol, zonealarm still lights up while the broadband connection is open, and still reports that it is blocking intrusions, how are the viruses getting on the system? How can I try to stop them?
He is currently running win 98se, and connects to internet via a manually started program called ?speedtouch? he has an external USB modem supplied by Wanadoo.
All help will be gratefully accepted., and can only help Alopecia!!
Many thanks
Billy.
p.s
due to monitor probs of my own, I am typing this using an old telly as a monitor, as I cant see what im doing properly, please excuse any ?typos?. (50mgz refresh. Black n white blurred display an all that)
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Did you find the viruses using AVG scan? If so that would indicate to me that at some point it wasn't running - if it recognises them it should have stopped them at inception. If you found them using something else, then maybe AVG doesn't recognise the signatures...?
I guess this must be the case if he regularly runs AVG scan, otherwise he'd have known before that he had caught something.
Some viruses try to shut down scanning processes, with varying degrees of success, so he may not be directly to "blame".
I've mostly only heard good things about AVG, but no virus scanners are perfect. Investigate the specific virusses on their site to see if they claim to block them.
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Some viruses try to shut down scanning processes, with varying degrees of success...
That's interesting to know. I have McAfee VirusScan and that shut down the other day for no reason that I could see at the time. The only way I could get it to restart was to reboot ~ is there any other way?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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billy25 -
i hope your friend is not like my neighbour: who buys all the latest diy books, gadgets and tools, watches all home diy tv shows going, and yet has never done a single diy job.
in other words, the tools your friend has are no good unless he knows how to use them and then to actually use them.
the best advice you can give him as a novice in the matter of security is:
1. ditch internet exlorer which is strictly for experts only, and instead use firefox which is safe for beginners.
2. read up and take action on security - e.g. shut down active-x controls, etc.
www.microsoft.com/athome/security/viruses/virus101...x
and
www.freelabs.com/~whitis/security/viruses/
are among many links which he can find via google.
for viruses and trojans to infect a pc, they normally need the user to engage in unsafe practices - e.g. visit certain risque sites, or use unsafe messengers, or open infected emails, and so on.
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Dunno if it makes any difference but ZA asks you how you connect to the Internet (Dial Up or Broadband ?). May make a difference.
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ditch Internet Explorer which is strictly for experts only,>>
Where on earth did you dig that comment up from or even that you actually believe it?
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Where on earth did you dig that comment up from or even that you actually believe it?
>>
if you had bothered to read my 2nd link, you would have known the answer.
ditto to citroenian, re ms browser being inherently unsafe.
the fbi recommend firefox/mozilla and strongly usrge you not to use internet-explorer - not just out of spite, you know.
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
sorry, my 2nd link must have passed you by.
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>>if you had bothered to read my 2nd link, you would have known the answer.
>>
I was merely commenting on your somewhat unusual view that IE is "for experts only" - in actual fact I switched to Firefox and Thunderbird several months ago and, subsequently, S and D 1.3, Ad-aware Personal SE and SpywareBlaster have become 99.9 per cent redundant even though updated regularly.
As a point of interest, I've recommended members switching to Firefox (and Thunderbird) several times in this forum for similar reasons...:-)
Certainly I don't miss the permanent requirement to ensure that IE and OE are fully updated at all time; now I do it so that IE/OE (still available on my system) are kept up to date just in case their use is ever necessary.
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Mozzila/Firefox has had its share of security problems. Given that it has only 5% (Max) of the market it does not attract so much attention by the scallywags.
When (if?) it reaches 30% plus market share expect it to be just as prone and insecure as IE
The same applies to Linux/Unix. That too is full of holes. The only reason it *"does not get hacked" is
1/ its mostly commercial use and therefore behind good firewalls /proxies.
2/ Its not as widely used in the home as Windows. When it is it will be just as vunerable
*Linux is being hacked regularly, firewall or not - it just dont get spoken about.
All in all I am quite happy to stick with the frying pan rather then jump into the fire.
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Not got time for a full reply, but just last week I found a PC with AVG that was behaving "oddly", despite the AV being up to date. GOt someone to replace it with F-secure and lo & behold it was riddled with stuff the AVG didn't spot (F-secure 5.42).
Might be worth putting a hand into a pocket and getting Norton, or better still XP.
I'm not getting into the whole stupid browser arguments, but just changing to Firefox isn't going to make their world a happier place - the problems are likely to be more deep rooted than that.
Thought this was supposed to be a brief answer...
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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Try NOD32 AV program. It has NEVER missed an "in the wild" virus - as tested by the Virus Bulletin, (I think that's the testing agency). It will catch SOME trojans and is priced at £39 or $39 or 39 Euros, depending on download site. I used the US site as the exchange rate from USD to Euro is good for me in Euroland! Probably the best all round AV and trojan catcher is Kapersky Anti Virus. Heavyish on resources and more expensive than NOD32. I couldnt get KAV to allow any access to the internet when I tried their trial version, so I didnt pursue it.
For the best regarded specific Trojan scanner, (including real time scanning as one surfs) try TrojanHunter 4.1. This IS expensive at IIRC around 59 USD.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Oh, by the way I ditched Panda AV as their support was dire!
Norton tends to infiltrate every corner of one's PC and can be very resource heavy, I hear.
--
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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you could always try alwill software..Avast anti virus.I had a few problems using other makes.One was kept being infected..since using avast. I have not had a problem with viruses. It is free by the way. you can even use it as a screensaver ie it checks for viruses while you are not using pc. Just a thought but it is a good program
--
Steve
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I'd recommend paying money for ZoneAlarm Security Suite - good firewall, anti-virus software and provides email attachment protection all-in-one and easy to set-up and use.
You can save on the standard price (of $70 - about £37 ex. VAT)
by downloading the trial version of this product:
www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/tr...l
Then during the trial select upgrade. Get to the point just before you pay for this and select cancel. Last time I tried this I got a 'no, no - don't go - save x% if you buy now!' type message. I can't remember how much the discount was though.
Caveat - the downloads are only feasible if you have broadband. If your friends PC is in a bad way you may need to download the trial version using another PC and then copy over to his machine.
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When I go to ebay I have to use IE because Firefox will not show me the seller's pictures.
Is this inherent in the pop-up stopper? Or should I be clicking on something and turn the pictures on? Or is it just that ebay uses one of these Flash thingy add-ons and I have chosen not to install it?
Ta.
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In Firefox go to Tools|Options|Web Features. Check the box which says load images, uncheck the box (if checked) which says load images from the original site only. (Many ebay images are held on the sellers own webspace and are accessed from the auction by the appropriate html encoding in the auction description)
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Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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Roger: Thanks for that. It was the load images from the original site only that was the problem. I did not know they were off site.
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thanks for all the suggestions folks,
i`ve got him sort of secured and cleaned again, and i`ve been on the net for over an hour this morning, all seems fine, i tend to think that he must of had avg and z.a shut down at some time without realizing it. i also think he must visit certain xxx sites, but he denies it :-)
tis interesting to note that in this months "which?", zonealarn security suite wipes the floor with both Mc afee and norton,and other commercially avaiable security packages!. in the "free" sector, z.a is No1, as is ad-aware se, Avg & spybot are rated No2
No 1 A.V freebie is infact "Avast", so i will probably get it and try it.
One last problem since i removed all the viruse, is the computer now hangs with a black screen during boot -up. it will stay like that all day until you either hit the escape key twice, or open and close the cd drawer!!! any ideas folks?, i`ve tried re-installing windows over the top of the existing one, but it hasn`t changed anything.
thanks for all the replies
billy
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oops! sorry folks,
i appear to have posted the last message in the wrong thread,
maybe one of the "mods" could move it please?
thanks billy.
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>>One last problem since i removed all the viruse, is the computer now hangs with a black screen during boot -up. it will stay like that all day until you either hit the escape key twice, or open and close the cd drawer!!! any ideas folks?, i`ve tried re-installing windows over the top of the existing one, but it hasn`t changed anything.
Sorry, no answer for that one except maybe Fdisk. Interesting though - how did you find out that opening/closing the CD drawer fixed it? An easy check would be to run msconfig and see if anything daft is running at startup. Good luck!
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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Fdisk? I hope that was t-i-c...it's a bit drastic for a minor problem...
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I reckon you've probably got a menu or something on the screen which you can't see (maybe a Windows boot menu? Or a GUI menu when the GUI isn't yet loaded fully - depends whenabouts it is coming up).
So the system is awaiting a response from you, but you don't know it. By pressing Escape, or opening and closing the CD tray, you are sending an interrupt to the OS which it interprets as a Proceed (i.e. Press any key to continue) message.
Try pressing some other keys and see if you can get it to go another way. For instance try tab then enter, to take it to the No option of a Windows Yes/No choice. Try F8 or F10 to see if they take you to a BIOS or Windows start up menu. Once you know where it's going, you can probably work out why it got there in the first place.
Reind me what OS it was? Could also be a bad flag in the Boot menu file in XP/2000/NT. Easily reset when booted by using Notepad or summat.
These are my theories... :-)
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Thanks for the ideas chaps!
the only key that has any effect on this infernal thing is the escape key (and drawer) so i tend to think along the same lines as smokie, that there is something there that i cant see. i`ve suggested that i reformat the entire creature and we start from fresh, but he isn`t too happy about it, in fact he has just stated that it didn`t hang before i started messing with it,and if he has to, he can cope with hitting the escape key during boot-up,and it`s nothing to worry about!.
i`ll remind him of that next time he fills it with gremlins,
you just cant help some folk!!!
many thanks chaps
billy.
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fdisk fixes most things...
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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...so would buying a new computer but sometimes one can try to fix whatever is wrong instead...
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My standard advice to any (windows) user going to broadband is to ditch the usb device and invest in a decent firewall/router - they are well under £100 now and are easier to set up and more secure.
Agree with dump ie and lookout express, firefox/thunderbird is the way to go.
Personally Im not a fan of zone alarm - I use kerio for personal firewall.
PCW magazine gave away a 6 monnth subnscription to F-Secure on the last dvd issue.
Mark
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Someone is interested in buying my 5yo voice modem, so I thought I might sell and get something recent.
The first thing I thought was, get a USB type rather than the serial variety I have now. They don't seem to exist.
Is there something about voice modems that means they must connect to the serial port, or have I not looked hard enough?
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Someone is interested in buying my 5yo voice modem, so I thought I might sell and get something recent.
Why? If yours is 56k and working perfectly there's no reason to buy a new one.
The first thing I thought was, get a USB type rather than the serial variety I have now. They don't seem to exist.
USB won't make the modem any faster, if that's what you're thinking.
Is there something about voice modems that means they must connect to the serial port, or have I not looked hard enough?
You can get PCI one's, but I haven't seen a USB version.
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You can get USB modems but they slow your computer down (not much on a modern computer).
If you want to go faster broadband is what you need.
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I wouldn't consider the PCI variety, besides, I don't think I have any PCI slots left unused!
It's not really a question of going faster - I get close to broadband speed with my dialup + onspeed - just that usb is a little more convenient.
I thought that usb was inherently faster than serial? Unless of course we are talking winmodem here, which I wouldn't touch.
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USB is faster than serial port. No point tho when your modem is running at 56kb max and the serial port can run at 192kb.
Lots of USB modems around, but voice modems are well out of favour now, not many people make them any more.
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USB isn't inherently slower but it will slow your PC down as it uses system resources that the serial port doesn't. For the same reason you're better off using Ethernet for a broadband connection if you have the choice. The difference won't be too obvious if you have a very new PC but might be if yours is a few years old.
Another consideration is that it's a waste of a USB port. There's not a lot else that you can connect to your serial port but many devices use USB.
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I *think* that the systems resources used by USB are already set aside for use by USB (and other stuff) anyway, so using more or less of them doesn't affect what's left for the system or operation of the system per se. However, what can happen is that the (limited and fixed size) resource set aside for USB can get over used, and when it gets full the system slows before it stops.
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I get close to broadband speed with my dialup + Onspeed>>
Remember the Emperor's new clothes?
Re external modems. A USB external modem is generally no faster/slower than a good hardware PCI modem - both use the same basic technology.
The Creative V92 capable USB External ModemBlaster for instance, at around £25, supports data, fax and voice functionality.
Connection via a USB port or powered USB hub means that no separate power supply is required and it's suitable for both desktop and laptop use. Other manufacturers' models are also available.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Anyone know of a program that will record photo`s to CD.For play back on a home DVD player..My collection is getting very big and others in the family want to see them on TV.
TIA
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Steve
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Nero should do it. Expensive if you BUY it though!
Main thing is to make sure your DVD player will support .jpeg reproduction on a CD.
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Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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>>Main thing is to make sure your DVD player will support .jpeg reproduction on a CD.
Thanks for the reply Roger..My DVD player supports Kodak photo discs and VCD but not jpeg.I should have mentioned that sorry:(
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Steve
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What format do kodak use ? May be possible to make kodak disks.
I checked before I bought. My toshiba dvd goes into a slide show if you put a disk of jpegs in and dont tell it what to do. given the cost of dvd players it may be cheaper / easier to just get one that does what you want. (toshiba SD220 something or other, multiregion, plays vcd, jpegs etc and was £70 last year so prob almost free these days)
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Nero will create VCDs from jpegs. This is nowhere near as convenient as a DVD player that will show the jpegs themselves.
I've noticed that cheaper DVD players seem to have more features than expensive ones. I'm pretty sure I've seen £30-50 models in Asda and Tesco that'll let you view jpegs from a CD-R.
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I have to admitt.I hadnt thought of that..Would certainly be cheaper than buying software.Will now have a scout round for new DVD player.Cheers for the replys
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Steve
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When I print my list of Favorites (aka Bookmarks) the alpahbetical order of the folders is randomised as are the lists of files within the folders. Worse, all the URLs are missing. Is there a way of overcoming this please?
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If you're using Firefox the bookmarks file is just a regular html document. Find the file, open it in Firefox or a word processor then edit (back it up first) and print it as you would any other.
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The Firefox bookmarks, just as is the case with most Microsoft indexes such as the Start>Programs list and Favourites list, can be seen in alphabetical order by right clicking in the area and selecting Sort By Name.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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If you're using IE, then you can sort the list into alphabetical order by clicking on the Favorites title, and when you get the drop down menu, right click on any one of the items in the menu and select "sort by name".
You can also sort out files in Start/All Programs list as well.
Not sure about printing out the urls though.
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Oops! just seen Stuartli's reply suggests the same.
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>>print list of Favourites URLS>>
This is the method it seems for printing out the URLs as well:
web2279.vs.netbenefit.co.uk/ubb/Forum4/HTML/000305...l
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Similar:
members.fortunecity.com/digispy/C6/P61/C6P61A711.h...m
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Just for interest, hovering your mouse cursor over a Favourite/Bookmark link reveals the actual URL.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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